COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – USA Hockey today named forwards Jack Eichel (North Chelmsford, Mass./Vegas Golden Knights), Auston Matthews (Scottsdale, Ariz./Toronto Maple Leafs) and Matthew Tkachuk (St. Louis, Mo./Florida Panthers), along with defensemen Adam Fox (Jericho, N.Y./New York Rangers), Quinn Hughes (Orlando, Fla./Vancouver Canucks) and Charlie McAvoy (Long Beach, N.Y./Boston Bruins) as the first six players of the U.S. Men’s National Team that will compete in next February’s 4 Nations Face-Off.
“We’re excited about naming the first six players to our roster,” said Bill Guerin (Wilbraham, Mass./Minnesota Wild), general manager of Team USA and the president of hockey operations and general manager of the Minnesota Wild. “We have so many great players today in our country playing in the NHL and these first six possess an immense amount of talent and will serve as a solid core for our team.”
The 4 Nations Face-Off, which is being staged in Montreal and Boston by the NHL and NHLPA, will also include Canada, Finland and Sweden. Each of the four teams will face each other in round-robin play, with the two teams having the best record facing off for the 4 Nations Face-Off championship on Feb. 20 in Boston. For the complete schedule and ticket information, click here.
HIGHLIGHTS
- Eichel was the second pick of the 2015 NHL Draft. He is an alternate captain with the Vegas Golden Knights, and in his second season with Vegas in 2022-23, helped the team to the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history with a playoff-leading 26 points (6g, 20a).
- Matthews, currently an alternate captain for the Toronto Maple Leafs, was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft. He is the NHL’s most prolific goal scorer, having registered a league-leading 368 goals in the regular season over his eight years in the NHL.
- Tkachuk was taken sixth overall in the 2016 NHL Draft and as an alternate captain for Florida, helped the Panthers to the first Stanley Cup title in franchise history on Monday (June 24).
- Fox, an alternate captain for the New York Rangers, earned the Norris Trophy in 2021, joining Bobby Orr as the only two players in NHL history to win the award before their third season.
- Hughes was the seventh choice of the 2018 NHL Draft. The Vancouver Canucks captain earned the Norris Trophy as the top blueliner in the NHL this season after registering 92 points, tops among defensemen.
- McAvoy was the 14th overall pick in the 2016 NHL Draft and currently serves as an alternate captain for the Boston Bruins. He is among the steadiest NHL defenders and mixes physical play with offensive prowess, including 155 points and 401 hits over the last three seasons.
QUICK BITS
All six players named today were part of the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. The two-year residency program, based at USA Hockey Arena in Plymouth, Mich., is for the top 16 and 17-year-old men’s players in the United States … The six players have been part of U.S. teams in a total of 29 major world championships and have combined to earn 19 medals, including eight gold medals, two silver and nine bronze.
Competing For Team USA in Major International Competition
Jack Eichel
| Year | Event | GP | G | A | TP | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | YOG | 6 | 2 | 4 | 6 | Fourth |
| 2013 | U18 MWC | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | Silver |
| 2014 | U18 MWC | 7 | 5 | 5 | 10 | Gold |
| 2014 | WJC | 5 | 1 | 4 | 5 | Fifth |
| 2015 | WJC | 5 | 1 | 3 | 4 | Fifth |
| 2015 | MWC | 10 | 2 | 5 | 7 | Bronze |
| 2017 | MWC | 8 | 0 | 5 | 5 | Fifth |
| 2019 | MWC | 8 | 2 | 6 | 8 | Seventh |
Adam Fox
| Year | Event | GP | G | A | TP | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | U18 MWC | 7 | 1 | 8 | 9 | Bronze |
| 2017 | WJC | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | Gold |
| 2018 | WJC | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | Bronze |
| 2019 | MWC | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Seventh |
Quinn Hughes
| Year | Event | GP | G | A | TP | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | U18 MWC | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | Gold |
| 2018 | WJC | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3 | Bronze |
| 2018 | MWC | 10 | 0 | 2 | 2 | Bronze |
| 2019 | WJC | 7 | 0 | 2 | 2 | Silver |
| 2019 | MWC | 8 | 0 | 3 | 3 | Seventh |
Auston Matthews
| Year | Event | GP | G | A | TP | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | U18 MWC | 7 | 5 | 2 | 7 | Gold |
| 2015 | U18 MWC | 7 | 8 | 7 | 15 | Gold |
| 2015 | WJC | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | Fifth |
| 2016 | WJC | 7 | 7 | 4 | 11 | Bronze |
| 2016 | MWC | 10 | 6 | 3 | 9 | Fourth |
Charlie McAvoy
| Year | Event | GP | G | A | TP | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | U18 MWC | 7 | 0 | 4 | 4 | Gold |
| 2016 | WJC | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | Bronze |
| 2017 | WJC | 7 | 2 | 4 | 6 | Gold |
| 2017 | MWC | 8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | Fifth |
| 2018 | MWC | 6 | 3 | 6 | 9 | Bronze |
Matthew Tkachuk
| Year | Event | GP | G | A | TP | Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | U18 MWC | 7 | 2 | 10 | 12 | Gold |
| 2016 | WJC | 7 | 4 | 7 | 11 | Bronze |
Key: YOG-Youth Olympic Games; U18 MWC-IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship; WJC-IIHF World Junior Championship; MWC-IIHF Men’s World Championship
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