Canada unveiled its 25-man roster for the 2026 Olympics on Wednesday – 14 forwards, eight defensemen, and three goalies. The men’s hockey tournament runs Feb. 11-22 in Milan, Italy.
Players in bold were named to the roster back in June.
Forwards
| LW | C | RW |
|---|---|---|
| Brandon Hagel | Connor McDavid | Brayden Point |
| Sidney Crosby | Nathan MacKinnon | Sam Reinhart |
| Macklin Celebrini | Nick Suzuki | Mitch Marner |
| Brad Marchand | Anthony Cirelli | Tom Wilson |
| Bo Horvat | Mark Stone |
Notable omissions: Connor Bedard, Sam Bennett, Morgan Geekie, Seth Jarvis, Wyatt Johnston, Mark Scheifele
Bedard, Scheifele, and Johnston all rank in the top 10 in NHL points per game among Canadian skaters. Geekie’s 25 goals sit second in the country.
General manager Doug Armstrong left plenty of talent off the roster. But none of the forward omissions qualify as controversial.
Bedard and Jarvis are injured without concrete return dates. Bennett’s having a down year. Johnston, Geekie, and Scheifele are easier to skip when there are better options for their roles.
Bedard’s exclusion will make headlines because the 2023 first overall pick is having a fantastic season (44 points in 31 games). But the injury gave Armstrong an out.
Bennett proved himself at the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year. However, shutdown center Cirelli is one of coach Jon Cooper’s guys – nine years and two Stanley Cups together in Tampa Bay. The bench boss had heavy influence on the bottom of the roster.
NHL teams will play roughly 15 games each between now and the Olympics. Several forwards named Wednesday could be injured come February.
Perhaps Bedard and Bennett make their Olympic debuts after all.
Canada’s returning most of its 4 Nations forwards. Celebrini, Suzuki, Horvat, and Wilson are additions to a group that’s gaining an extra body due to the larger Olympic roster.
The 19-year-old Celebrini and matured Suzuki were obvious choices. Horvat and Wilson bring versatile skill sets and size.
Canada has the finest collection of forwards in the world.
McDavid and MacKinnon are the first- and second-best players on the planet. The current scoring leaderboard reads McDavid (69 points), MacKinnon (66), and Celebrini (60).
Celebrini may be 19, but he’s arguably already a top-10 NHLer. Canada also has a fourth first overall pick up front in presumed captain Sidney Crosby.
Mix McDavid, MacKinnon, and Crosby with speed demon Point, sniper Reinhart, and worker bee Hagel, and Cooper’s got two lethal scoring lines. The coaching staff could assemble a two-way third line of Suzuki between Celebrini and Marner, and a blue-collar fourth line of Cirelli between agitators Marchand and Wilson.
The management group didn’t overemphasize skill or focus too much on specific roles. The forward group is well-balanced without any reaches.
Defensemen
| LD | RD |
|---|---|
| Devon Toews | Cale Makar |
| Josh Morrissey | Colton Parayko |
| Shea Theodore | Drew Doughty |
| Travis Sanheim | Thomas Harley |
Notable omissions: Evan Bouchard, Jakob Chychrun, Matthew Schaefer
Canada’s bringing back the same eight defensemen who suited up at 4 Nations, despite Schaefer’s strong showing as a rookie.
The 18-year-old Schaefer has already established himself as one of the nation’s top eight defensemen. Going to Milan would’ve been invaluable experience for someone set to star on the 2028 World Cup and 2030 Olympic teams.
The case for Bouchard was simple: Who runs the top power-play unit if Makar gets injured? The answer: Morrissey and Marner are excellent choices.
Chychrun feels like a victim of circumstance. He’s first among defensemen in goals this season. If he were having this season fresh off a 4 Nations run, he’d be going to the Olympics.
Instead, management saw no reason to remix the blue-line personnel.
The United States has the deepest defensive talent. Sweden’s arguably second. Canada’s blue line ranks third globally but remains a major strength.
It starts with the presumed first pair. Makar is the gold standard at the position, and Toews has long been one of the NHL’s most underappreciated players.
The rest of the group blends mobility, offensive creativity, penalty killing, and physicality. Morrissey, Theodore, and Harley are forces in all three zones. Doughty, who won Olympic gold in 2010 and 2014, brings veteran experience and reliability.
Sanheim and Parayko offer strong defensive sticks, net-front strength, and special-teams utility.
“Parayko and Sanheim, we call it going through a car wash. They’re all arms and legs. It’s hard to get to the net,” Armstrong said Wednesday.
Goalies
| Starter | Backup | No. 3 |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Binnington | Logan Thompson | Darcy Kuemper |
Notable omissions: Mackenzie Blackwood, Scott Wedgewood
Avalanche teammates Blackwood and Wedgewood have been phenomenal this season, ranking first and second in save percentage among Canadian netminders.
Selecting Blackwood would’ve been about promise and upside. The large, athletic netminder has elite physical traits and recently proved his A-game matches any other Canadian goalie’s best.
A Wedgewood pick would’ve been about intangibles. The 33-year-old journeyman checks his ego at the door and could’ve fit as an overqualified, cheerleader-type third goalie.
Goaltending is Canada’s clear weakness. Unlike previous Olympic cycles, there isn’t a single star-caliber goalie to rely on.
Binnington is the lone netminder returning from 4 Nations. Adin Hill and Sam Montembeault lost their spots due to injury and poor performance.
Binnington has actually been one of the worst goalies in 2024-25. His .870 save percentage ranks 58th out of 60 goalies who’ve appeared in 12 or more games. Despite this, Armstrong said there was little internal debate over his inclusion.
Binnington showed well at 4 Nations, especially in the final game, and is a Cup champion.
“Jordan’s resume speaks for itself,” said Armstrong, who’s also GM of the Blues and drafted Binnington in the third round in 2011.
Don’t discount Binnington’s puck skills. Canadian players and coaches loved how helpful he was on breakouts during 4 Nations action.
Thompson is among the league leaders in save percentage and goals saved above expected for the second straight season. With his consistency in Washington’s crease, Thompson deserves Canada’s starter job.
Kuemper is a 35-year-old Cup winner enjoying a strong year with the Kings. He’s the third-stringer unless something changes dramatically over the next month.
John Matisz is theScore’s senior NHL writer. Follow John on Twitter/X (@MatiszJohn) or contact him via email ([email protected]).
