Matthews proud to be part of Team USA's 'special' roster

LAS VEGAS -- Auston Matthews has represented Team USA in the past. But never for something like this.

The Toronto Maple Leafs center and Scottsdale, Arizona, native was one of six initial skaters named on Friday to the United States' roster for the league's upcoming 4 Nations Tournament, which also features Canada, Finland and Sweden. The showcase will run Feb. 12-20, 2025, in Boston and Montreal.

NHL players haven't been allowed to take part in the Olympics since 2014 (although they'll be eligible to go again in 2026), and 4 Nations will be the first NHL-run best-on-best opportunity since the 2016 World Cup. During that event, a then-18-year-old Matthews was part of the upstart Team North America. This time around he'll be starring for his home country, and Matthews couldn't hide his excitement about the prospect of donning that jersey again.

"It'll be really special," Matthews said during a media availability Friday ahead of the NHL draft at the Sphere. "It's always special to put [the USA sweater] on, and it's obviously a huge honor. I've been fortunate to wear it before, but nothing like the stage of a 4 Nations or the Olympics. That's a different level and a very big honor. I'm really looking forward to it."

Matthews will be joined on America's roster by fellow forwards Matthew Tkachuk and Jack Eichel , plus defensemen Quinn Hughes , Charlie McAvoy and Adam Fox . The rest of the 23-man team -- along with full rosters for the other three competing nations -- will be announced at a later date.

All six of Team USA's players so far came up through the U.S. National Team Development Program, with several of their tenures there overlapping. Matthews recounted that his fondest memory while there was winning gold at the U-18 tournament in 2014, with a lineup that included Eichel too.

Those forged bonds have remained strong over the years, which gives the forthcoming tournament an added spark.

"[We're] pretty tight," Matthews said of himself and his former USNTDP teammates. "You go through a lot of similar things and you're with each other for two years [in the program] and you become extremely close. I'm still really tight with a lot of guys that I played with there. You just get extremely close to the guys and even though you go on your separate ways and on your individual [NHL] teams, you always keep in touch."

Familiarity might be a superpower for Team USA to wield at the 4 Nations when going up against three other rosters stacked with NHL talent.

Team Canada announced that its first six players are Sidney Crosby , Nathan MacKinnon , Connor McDavid , Cale Makar , Brad Marchand and Brayden Point . Team Sweden so far comprises Mika Zibanejad , William Nylander and Filip Forsberg plus defensemen Victor Hedman , Erik Karlsson and Gustav Forsling . Team Finland will be made up in part by Aleksander Barkov , Mikko Rantanen and Sebastian Aho , goaltender Juuse Saros , and defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell .

Those representing the United States have taken similar paths to this particular pinnacle, and Matthews hopes that can translate into wins when the tournament begins.

"All four teams have great players," Matthews said. "I think in situations and tournaments like this, it's kind of who can come together and be a team as quickly as possible. That's usually the team that has the most success. I think that's the main goal is you're going to have a lot of really elite players. It's just putting the ego aside and doing what's best for the team and coming together as quickly as possible."

While Matthews' international prospects are on the upswing, his NHL team has been going through a challenging offseason. The Leafs let go of former coach Sheldon Keefe in May after Toronto's first-round Stanley Cup playoff series loss to Boston. The team has since instated Craig Berube as Keefe's replacement.

Matthews wasn't in the mood to dissect that particular transition just yet, though.

"I thought we were here to talk about the 4 Nations tournament," Matthews said when quizzed about Keefe's firing. "Maybe we can revisit that in September [at training camp]."

The Maple Leafs' alternate captain was also asked about speculation surrounding teammate Mitch Marner , who's been the subject of trade rumors as he prepares to enter the final season of his contract.

"There's a lot of noise rolling and all that," Matthews said, "but we love Mitchie. He's a great person, great teammate. I can't speak highly enough about him."

It's possible Marner will find his way onto Canada's roster for the 4 Nations, giving Matthews a chance to do battle with his pal on a new stage. Regardless of how the rosters shake out, though, Matthews knows the deep player pool to choose from for all four countries will create power-packed lineups.

"I think it's going to be extremely competitive," Matthews said. "It's been a long time since we've had best-on-best. I know all the guys that have been selected here today, no matter what country you play for, feel the same. It's definitely a big honor. Best-on-best is something that guys have really been wanting for a while, and I think it's just great for the game. There's a lot of pride in playing for your country."