The long-awaited 4 Nation's Face-Off tournament will begin on Wednesday in Montreal where Seth Jarvis and Team Canada will line up against Team Sweden. The substituiton for the NHL All-Star Game will feature four rosters filled with All-Star players. The Carolina Hurricanes will have representation on three teams and four players.
Jaccob Slavin will be suiting up for our American boys and will be joined by some rival players from the Metro Division in Adam Fox Vincent Trocheck, JT Miller, and Chris Kreider of the New York Rangers, as well as Brock Nelson from the New York Islanders and Jack Hughes from the New Jersey Devils. Slavin could be paired with Fox to start the tournament, but I am sure every team will be doing some mixing and matching early in the competition.
Outside of Raleigh, Jarvis's rise to the nomination for Team Canada was quite a surprise. Many analysts felt other players were more deserving of the roster spot, but Jarvis is becoming one of the most consistent, young players in the NHL. At just 23 years old, Jarvis is approaching 300 career NHL games and 100 NHL goals. An example of consistency, the former 13th overall draft choice in the 2020 NHL Draft has 22 goals and 23 assists. Last season, he finished with 33 goals and 34 assists.
Seeing Jarvis on the big stage will be a treat for all Caniacs but it will give the rest of the NHL and its fans a chance to see what Jarvis can do. The chance to play alongside the top talents in the world will allow Jarvis to elevate his game to heights not seen in Raleigh.
Early indication from Team Canada's practices is Jarvis playing with Edmonton's Connor McDavid and Colorado's Nathan MacKinnon. Jarvis will have a chance to create some players for these generational talents and get on the score sheet early and often. First and foremost, we are all hoping and praying for no injuries!