Oilers’ Connor McDavid among the first players selected for Team Canada at the Four Nations Face-Off

In a less-than-stunning twist, Connor McDavid is among the first players being named to Team Canada at next year’s Four Nations Face-Off.

It should come as no surprise that the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner will be participating in this tournament and it would have been more of a shock if he was not named to the “First Six” players representing their country.

While the Four Nations does not have the same pedigree as an Olympics, this will mark the first time in McDavid’s professional career that he will get to play for Canada at a major international tournament. The last time he played in one was the 2016 World Cup of Hockey where he played for Team North America, and his most recent time donning the Red and White was at the 2018 World Hockey Championship where he helped guide Canada to a fourth-place finish.

McDavid will certainly be motivated to add to his resume with a win at a major tournament playing for Team Canada. While he has already achieved a lot in his NHL career apart from a Stanley Cup, he has yet to be allowed to showcase his skills on a global stage and the Four Nations will be his first chance in years to achieve international success.

Although McDavid was the lone Oilers player named to the initial six spots for the four countries participating, there is a great chance that he won’t be the only representative at the tournament next year. Zachy Hyman and Evan Bouchard are near-locks to get some of the other spots for Team Canada while Stuart Skinner has a strong case to be in consideration to be one of Canada’s goalies. Meanwhile, Mattias Ekholm will be a contender to crack Team Sweden as one of their top defencemen.

It remains to be seen at the time of writing when the rest of the rosters will be announced, but at the very least we know that Edmonton’s captain is going to be playing for Team Canada in around eight months from now.