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.

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.”

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

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Star centre Aleksander Barkov was the first captain named ahead of the 4 Nations Face-off Thursday. The Florida Panthers' star draws the 'C' with Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola serving as alternates.

Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov has made history as the first ice hockey player to be named Finland’s Athlete of the Year. The honour was announced at the Finnish Sports Gala in Helsinki on Thursday,

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,

These days, there are only a few people in Finland who are more recognizable than Aleksander Barkov. Hockey is arguably the most-popular sport in Finland, and right now, it would seem that Barkov and the sport have become synonymous in the Suomi.

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

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