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Maple Leafs’ Mitch Marner Reacts to Team Canada Roster Announcement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Devon A. Platana | Last updated Dec 5, 2024 12:53 AM ET

Wednesday was a big day for Toronto Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner for multiple reasons.

Not only did the Maple Leafs pick up a 3-2 victory over the Nashville Predators, but Marner was also named to Team Canada's 4 Nations Face-Off roster. The inaugural tournament will begin in February as four countries — Canada, the United States, Sweden and Finland — compete against one another for international bragging rights.

The 4 Nations Face-Off isn't Marner's first time representing his country. He's previously worn the Canadian jersey at the IIHF World Championship and World Juniors. However, that experience doesn't take away how special the latest honor is for the 27-year-old forward.

"It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm really looking forward to (representing Canada)," Marner said following Wednesday's Maple Leafs victory, per TSN's Mark Masters. "You always want to wear your (nation's) colors and it's always a great honor when you get to represent your country."

Mitch Marner on making Team : "It's going to be a lot of fun. Really looking forward to it ... It's going to be a very cool moment. You always want to wear your colours & it's always a great honour when you get to represent your country. Super excited for it & super honoured"
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) December 5, 2024

Marner joins an elite Canadian forward lineup that boasts names like Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby and Mark Stone.

Interestingly enough, Marner is the only Maple Leaf named to Canada's roster.

He won't be the only Toronto player in the tournament, though. William Nylander will be playing for Sweden while Jani Hakanpaa is slated to help out Finland's backend. Hockey fans already knew that Auston Matthews would be on the Team USA roster dating back to June.

While Marner won't have any Maple Leafs playing alongside him, he will have other familiar faces to play with.

The three-time NHL All-Star previously played with Brayden Point, Travis Sanheim, Sam Montembeault and Travis Konecny on the 2016 World Junior Championship roster. Konecny and Point also joined Marner on the 2017 World Championship team , as did Nathan MacKinnon, Colton Parayko and Josh Morrissey.

The 2025 4 Nations Face-Off will take place from Feb. 12 to Feb. 20 with games being split between the Bell Centre (Montreal, Quebec) and TD Garden (Boston Massachusetts). The winning country will be awarded with a trophy and an undetermined dollar amount, according to ESPN.

With the tournament not beginning for another two months, Marner must turn his attention back to the current NHL season. The Maple Leafs will aim for a fourth consecutive win when they host the Washington Capitals on Friday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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