Auston Matthews, Mitch Marner, and William Nylander of the Toronto Maple Leafs are among the big names slated to participate in the 4 Nations Face-Off set to take place next February.

While it was known for quite some time that the three were a lock to represent their respective countries, the rosters were made official on Wednesday which cemented their place in the first major best-on-best hockey tournament since 2016.

Following their win over the Nashville Predators, they spoke with reporters about what it meant to be invited to play in the 4 Nations, as well as the excitement of a tournament like this one returning after nearly a decade without NHL players representing their countries.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun. I’m really looking forward to it,” Marner said. “Obviously you don’t want to look forward to it too much because we still got a lot of hockey between now and then. It’s going to be a very cool moment. You know, you always want to wear your colours and it’s always going to be an honour for me to be out there. So, super excited for it and super honoured.”

Marner added that he and Matthews are going to save their talks on competing against each other on the international stage closer to the start of the tournament and instead maintain their focus on the season.

He and Nylander have had the chance to play international competition since entering the NHL though that occurred when they played against each other at the 2017 World Hockey Championship. That of course saw them duke it out in the finals where Sweden emerged victorious in the shootout before the two Leafs embraced at centre ice following the hard-fought game.

Nylander has not had a chance to look over the roster that Sweden put together for this upcoming tournament but he has a sense of who he will be lined up with based on conversations with the coaching staff.

“Yeah, it’s going to be lots of fun. I’m really excited for that,” he said. “They’ve just talked to me a little bit, maybe to play with (Mika) Zibanejad. I think that would be a lot of fun.”

Of the three Leafs stars, Matthews has appeared in the most recent iteration of best-on-best hockey when he played for Team North America at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. He has no doubt felt frustrated that he wasn’t able to play for Team USA in the last two Winter Olympics due to the NHL preventing players from going, especially given he has fond memories of watching T.J. Oshie’s heroics against Russia in 2014.

The 4 Nations may not have the same name recognition as the Olympics, but it does not take away his excitement of getting a chance to play against his good friend in Marner for the first time on the international stage.

“Yeah, it will be fun,” he said. “A lot of firepower on all four teams. So I think it’s going to be really exciting for the players of course, but I think the fans. It’s been a while since we’ve seen a best-on-best like this. It’s a pretty good precursor to the Olympics the following year and I think everybody is very excited. It will be fun.”

The start of the tournament is a little over two months away so the chance to soak in the magnitude of what is about to unfold has not really sunk in for these three players as well as Jani Hakanpaa who will represent Finland. But as the first game inches closer, it will be a great opportunity for fans who have longed to see best-on-best hockey on the global stage for the first time in a generation.

For the Leafs players involved, this will no doubt be a tremendous prestige added to their resume while getting their first moment donning the colours of their nation in the prime of their careers.

“I’m happy for all the guys that are getting the opportunity to go play for their country,” head coach Craig Berube said. “It’s a great honour and it’s a thrill for those guys. Very happy for all our guys to get the opportunity to go over there.”