The 4 Nations Face-Off rosters are scheduled to be announced on Wednesday, December 4, 2024. Team USA will feature Vancouver Canucks captain, Quinn Hughes and could possibly see J.T. Miller and Brock Boeser added to the team’s stacked forward group.

But what about Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko?

Demko is coming off the best season of his NHL career, which made him a finalist for the Vezina Trophy, given to the NHL’s top goaltender. Based on last season, it seemed like he would be a lock for one of the three spots on Team USA’s roster.

However, Demko has not played this season due to an injury. Demko is expected to return within the next few games and has been seeing regular practice repetition, but has yet to play an NHL game this season.

Since the California native has yet to play, his spot on the American team is looking like he’ll most likely not be selected to represent his country at this year’s 4 Nations Face-Off. With Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger being off to hot starts they’re the two guarantees to make the team for the tournament, that being said there is one spot left that could go to Demko.

Coming into the season, Jeremy Swayman looked like he would be the one to make the team in that final goaltending spot, but it seems that he may have played himself off the team with his struggles this season. John Gibson and Dustin Wolf are two names that could be getting some consideration for the final spot with how well they’ve played to start the year with their respective teams.

There are a few other names that have played well this year that could be getting some looks, such as Joey Daccord, and Anthony Stolarz. However, if Team USA wants to put the best team possible forward, Thatcher Demko should be their guy.

With the tournament being held in mid-February, and Demko being set to return any day now, the injury shouldn’t be much of a concern. Neither should any concern with him getting up to game speed. By the time of the tournament, Demko will have had two months of NHL hockey under his belt on the season.

This is Thatcher Demko we’re talking about. Demko has been one of the league’s top and most consistent goaltenders for quite some time now. Canucks fans know he’s one of the few goalies in the league that can singlehandedly win a game. The goaltending trio of Demko, Hellebuyck and Oettinger would easily be the best in the tournament.

All of this being said, would Demko want to take part in the 4 Nations Face-Off?

Being the competitor Demko is, of course, he’d likely love to represent his country in a best-on-best tournament, something he has yet to have the chance to do. Although, the Canucks may prefer him to sit out. The tournament takes place from February 12-20. This break may be beneficial to Demko, to ensure he can last all season and go on a playoff run. Demko’s injuries have come when he’s been overworked during the season and getting a built-in break for over a week could allow him to stay healthier for the remainder of the season.

Team USA’s final roster will be announced on Wednesday, December 4, and that’s when we will ultimately find out if Demko will be a part of this exciting tournament.