Representing Finland as the team captain at the 4 Nations Face-Off will be Florida Panthers forward and captain Aleksander "Sasha" Barkov. The Panthers captain was the overwhelming favorite to be given the honor, and now the decision has been made official according to NHL insider Chris Johnston. He shared the news via his X account.

Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice praised San Jose Sharks rookie phenom Macklin Celebrini by comparing him to Aleksander Barkov.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov was named captain of Finland's 4 Nations Face-Off team on Thursday.

Among the throngs of South Floridians swept up in the Florida Panthers’ Stanley Cup Championship run last season was a little cluster of fans who cheered on the team from their rooms at Joe

“It means the world to me, to be honest,” Barkov said. “It’s Athlete of the Year in Finland, the country where I was born, where I was raised and grew up watching national teams play and cheering for them. To get that honor, it’s huge for me. I’m really, really happy and really thankful to be able to get that award.”

The Florida Panthers’ Aleksander Barkov last season became the first Finnish-born captain to lead a team to a Stanley Cup. So it was only natural that on Thursday he was named the captain for Team Finland in next month’s 4 Nations Face-Off,

Barkov has been named team captain for Finland’s squad that will take part in next month’s 4 Nations Face-Off. “It's a huge honor,” Barkov said Thursday, following the announcement. “I'm really thankful for that opportunity to be a captain of the national team, and can't wait to can't wait to get going in the tournament.”

Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs has been selected as the U.S. captain for the upcoming 4 Nations Face-Off.

Aleksander Barkov and Victor Hedman were named captains for Team Finland and Team Sweden, respectively, on Thursday ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off.

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The 4 Nations Face-Off captains and leadership groups for Canada, Finland, Sweden and the U.S. must guide their teams to a win with little margin for error.