The focus around the NHL is the first round of the entry draft this evening and the opening of free agency days away. But another bonus was given today when the first six players of each roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off were announced. The Carolina Hurricanes were involved with Sebastian Aho being named to the Finland squad.
The tournament will be held in Boston and Montreal in February of 2025. This will involve the United States, Canada, Finland and Sweden. Aho will be joined by recent Stanley Cup winner, Aleksander Barkov. To round out the first 6 players on team Finland, Nashville Predators goalie, Juuse Saros, Colorado Avalanche forward, Mikko Rantanen, and Dallas Stars defenders, Esa Lindell and Miro Heiskanen.
Aho was selected in the second round of the 2015 NHL draft by the Canes. The 26-year-old assistant captain has played in Raleigh for 8 seasons, registering 557 points. He is just two games shy of 600 NHL games played.
Last season was a career-high in points for the Finnish national player with 89 points. Aho also tied for a career-high of 12 postseason points. Although the Canes did not finish the season as expected, Aho has continued to be the driving force of this team.
Last summer, Aho signed an 8 year extension with Carolina for $78 million. There is no doubt that this player will be the leader to bring this club to the Stanley Cup.