Team Sweden names Victor Hedman captain for 4 Nations Face-Off

Victor Hedman is in his first season as captain of the Tampa Bay Lightning and now he will captain Team Sweden for the 4 Nations Face-off.

“It's a great honor and I'm very privileged to get the opportunity,” said Hedman. “The last time I was under 18 so it's been a while. It’s going to be a great feeling to wear the 'C' and put on the blue and yellow."

The 4 Nations Face-Off is an international tournament featuring teams made up of NHL players from Canada, Finland, Sweden and the United States. Lightning coach Jon Cooper was named head coach for Team Canada earlier this summer. Hedman's teammates Jake Guentzel, Brayden Point, Anthony Cirelli and Brandon Hagel will all be taking part in the tournament.

The teams will play each other once in a round-robin format starting on Feb. 12 at Bell Centre in Montreal. The final day of the round robin is Feb. 17 at TD Garden in Boston, with the two top teams advancing to the championship game on Feb. 20 in Boston.

Hedman is currently in his 16th season with the Lightning, having helped them win back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021. He won the Conn Smythe Trophy as the most valuable player of the Stanley Cup Playoffs in 2020 and won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman in the League in 2017-18.

Among Sweden-born defensemen, Hedman ranks third all-time in goals (163), and fourth all-time in games played (1,099), assists (605) and points (768).