Jordan Binnington will start for Team Canada in their 4 Nations Face-Off opener against Sweden on Wednesday, head coach Jon Cooper announced Tuesday.
“Naturally, he was really excited,” Cooper said, per The Athletic’s Chris Johnston. “He’s a confident kid, and he wants to be in that spot.”
Adin Hill will serve as backup, while Sam Montembeault will be a healthy scratch.
The St. Louis Blues goaltender has struggled this season, posting a 15-19-4 record with an .896 save percentage. His goals saved above expected sits at minus-0.49, according to Evolving-Hockey.
The Richmond Hill, Ontario native represented Canada at the 2024 World Championship, where he went 6-2-0 with an .885 save percentage.
Through 319 NHL regular-season games, Binnington maintains a .906 save percentage. His most notable achievement came in 2019 when he started all 26 playoff games during the Blues’ Stanley Cup championship run.
While goaltending remains Canada’s biggest question mark entering the tournament, Binnington’s teammates express confidence in his abilities.
“He’s a winner, plain and simple,” defenseman Drew Doughty said. “Binner’s a winner, and that’s all it takes for me.”
“He seems really dialed in right now,” forward Nathan MacKinnon added. “Full confidence in him.”
