Get to Know the Dallas Stars Players at the 4 Nations Face-Off – The Hockey Writers Dallas Stars Latest News, Analysis & More

After a drought of almost a decade, international best-on-best hockey is back. It’s the 4 Nations Face-Off, and the Dallas Stars are well represented, sending four players to the tournament.

In many ways, it feels like it’s not the best time for this Stars team to take a break. Despite losing two of their last three games, they are the hottest team in 2025. Their best players are on fire, their special teams are off the charts, and they have won 15 of their last 21 games to sit second place in the Central Division.

Related: 4 Nations Face-Off Predictions for Each Country

On the other hand, they have played a game every other day, on average, since the beginning of November. So, maybe it is a good time to pump the brakes and rest up before the final stretch of the season before what they hope to be a long playoff push. Well, most of the Stars get a break, but there are four who have the privilege of wearing their country’s colors as they try to win the first-ever 4 Nations Face-Off.

There’s lots of great content at The Hockey Writers breaking down the tournament, rosters, schedules, and anything else you need to know. As far as this article, let’s get to know the Stars who will be skating in the event that starts tonight.

Jake Oettinger – Team USA

It’s a fairly popular opinion that the Americans and Canadians have the best rosters in the tournament, and for the record, I agree with this assessment. If you’re comparing these rosters pound for pound, there is one position where the Americans have a clear advantage, and that is their goaltending. The fact that Jake Oettinger is a backup to Connor Hellebuyck is proof enough that their goaltending is by far and away the best in the tournament.

This season, the Lakeville, Minnesota-born Oettinger has a 26-12-2 record, a .911 save percentage (SV%), a 2.35 goals-against average (GAA), and an overall record of 139-60-25 in five seasons with the Stars. The only international play with NHL participation as of late is the World Championship, which is played in the spring. Since Oettinger and the Stars play deep into the playoffs almost every year, the last time he played in this tournament was 2021, where he posted a 1.37 GAA and a .934 SV% in three games on the way to a bronze medal.

Between the Under 17 World Championship, Under 18 World Championship, World Junior Championship (WJC), and World Championship, he has three bronze medals, one silver, and two golds, with a record of 11-1-0. Additionally, he has a 1.75 GAA and a .930 SV% in international play.

Roope Hintz – Team Finland

Next up, hailing from Tampere, Finland, is the Stars’ center of the future, Roope Hintz. Aleksander Barkov and Sebastian Aho are also on this center-stacked team, which means that Hintz will probably fit on the third line. Like a lot of young stars in this tournament, this is Hintz’s first crack at best-on-best hockey and his first appearance at an international tournament at the pro level. In 2015 and 2016, the now-28-year-old played in the WJC, scoring three goals and recording six points in 12 games while winning a gold medal in 2016.

This season, Hintz is tied for the team lead in goals with 22 and has 36 points in 51 games. Despite being injured for a few games in January, he had six goals and 13 points in 12 games in the first month of 2025, which is five more points than he had in 14 games in December. After a slow start to 2024-25, he is playing his best hockey of the season, and it’s going to be fun to watch him contribute to Team Finland over the next two weeks.

Esa Lindell – Team Finland

In my opinion, now that Miro Heiskanen is injured and not playing in the 4 Nations, Esa Lindell is the best defenseman on this roster. The 30-year-old from Helsinki has four goals and 19 points in 55 games this season, and a plus/minus of plus-22. There are people out there who scoff at the importance of plus/minus, but when it’s as high as 22, it’s hard to ignore. Perhaps more important for Finland, is the fact that this guy is an absolute beast on the penalty kill. Not only does he average exactly 22 minutes per game, but he’s also on the ice for almost the entirety of the penalty kill for Dallas.

Lindell is no stranger to international hockey. In the last 11 years, he has played in the Under 18 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, the Under 18 World Championship, the WJC in 2014 (where he won gold), three World Championships (winning gold in 2022 and silver in 2016), and the 2016 World Hockey Championship, which was the last best-on-best tournament. In 44 games representing Finland, he has five goals and 23 points, but again, his real value is in his defensive play, minutes played, and penalty kill prowess.

Mikael Granlund – Team Finland

If you haven’t caught onto the theme yet, the Stars love Finnish players, including the newly-acquired Mikael Granlund. The 32-year-old Oulunsalo native has four assists in four games with the Stars and 15 goals and 49 points in 56 games this season.

Granlund is incredibly experienced in international play, and is the only Stars player in this tournament who has played in the Olympics.

As a junior, Granlund played in the Under 17 World Championship, two Under 18 World Championships (winning bronze in both), and three WJCs. In 31 games across those tournaments, he had 11 goals and 47 points.

As a pro, Granlund has played in seven World Championships (winning gold twice), the 2016 World Hockey Championship, and the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi where Finland beat the USA to win the bronze medal. In 66 games, he scored 18 goals and recorded 61 points.

Honorable Mention

It’s important to note the absence of Heiskanen. This may just be my opinion, but I feel like, because he plays in Texas, he flies under the radar when it comes to the best defensemen in the NHL. His injury is a tough loss for the Stars, obviously. However, it really is a shame that he won’t be in the 4 Nations spotlight for the entire hockey world to see.

It won’t be talked about as much, but I really do compare it to Team USA losing Quinn Hughes. Hughes is the more popular name, but if you haven’t watched the Stars much, trust me when I say it’s too bad Heiskanen won’t be in this tournament. That being said, it’ll make it that much sweeter when he laces up for Finland in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

When to Watch the Stars’ Representatives

Fortunately, you only need to watch one game to catch every Stars player in this tournament, even though Oettinger will most likely be the backup. Team USA will play Team Finland in Montreal on Thursday, Feb. 13. Team Finland will be taking on Team Sweden on Saturday afternoon and Team USA will be playing Team Canada on Saturday evening. Both games will be in Montreal.

The tournament shifts to Boston on Monday, Feb. 17. Team Finland will play Team Canada in the afternoon, and Team USA will play Team Sweden in the evening.