Projecting Canada’s 2026 Olympics Ice Hockey Roster

Karl Rasmussen | 1 Hour Ago

Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid will be two of Canada’s biggest stars at the 2026 Winter Olympics. / Winslow Townson-Imagn Images

Canada is looking to add another trophy to its extensive collection at the 2026 Olympics in February. Fresh off winning gold at the 4 Nations Face-Off, Team Canada is poised for another deep run at the Olympics, and will look to win Olympic Gold for the first time since 2014 in Sochi.

This is a team stacked from top to bottom, and their talent was on full display during the 4 Nations Face-Off. Now, they’ll look to continue their dominance in Milan in February 2026, and they certainly have a squad capable of winning it all once again.

Even with all the superstars they brought to the 4 Nations Face-Off, there’s room for improvement on Canada’s roster. The emergence of breakout stars in Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard has been impossible to ignore, and the two former No. 1 picks have earned their place in the fold for Team Canada. But who else will enter the mix?

We’re going to project the 2026 Team Canada roster for the Milan Olympics. But first, let’s take a look at what the roster looked like during the 4 Nations Face-Off:

More: Projecting Team USA’s 2026 Olympics Ice Hockey Roster

Team Canada roster at 4 Nations Face-Off

Forwards:

PLAYER	TEAM
Sam Bennett	Florida Panthers
Anthony Cirelli	Tampa Bay Lightning
Sidney Crosby	Pittsburgh Penguins
Brandon Hagel	Tampa Bay Lightning
Seth Jarvis	Carolina Hurricanes
Travis Konecny	Philadelphia Flyers
Nathan MacKinnon	Colorado Avalanche
Brad Marchand	Florida Panthers
Mitch Marner	Vegas Golden Knights
Connor McDavid	Edmonton Oilers
Brayden Point	Tampa Bay Lightning
Sam Reinhart	Florida Panthers
Mark Stone	Vegas Golden Knights

Defensemen:

PLAYER	TEAM
Drew Doughty	Los Angeles Kings
Thomas Harley	Dallas Stars
Cale Makar	Colorado Avalanche
Josh Morrissey	Winnipeg Jets
Colton Parayko	St. Louis Blues
Travis Sanheim	Philadelphia Flyers
Shea Theodore	Vegas Golden Knights
Devon Toews	Colorado Avalanche

Goalies:

PLAYER	TEAM
Jordan Binnington	St. Louis Blues
Adin Hill	Vegas Golden Knights
Sam Montembeault	Montreal Canadiens

That was the team that took down the United States, Sweden and Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off, but there’s going to be some changes made for the Olympic Games in 2026.

There were some star players left off Team Canada’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off, a number of whom I think will finally get the nod ahead of the 2026 Olympics. Among them include Nick Suzuki, Mark Scheifele, Bedard and Celebrini. But with four, and potentially more, players set to join the fray for Team Canada, they will have to make some exclusions, too.

Additionally, it’s impossible to deny the immediate impact that No. 1 pick Matthew Schaefer has had for the Islanders, playing at a level well beyond his 18 years of age. He certainly has played his way into the conversation for Team Canada, and should be included on the Olympic squad.

So, let’s make some projections for the Olympic roster:

Projecting Team Canada’s roster for 2026 Olympics

PLAYER	TEAM
Connor Bedard	Chicago Blackhawks
Macklin Celebrini	San Jose Sharks
Sidney Crosby	Pittsburgh Penguins
Brandon Hagel	Tampa Bay Lightning
Seth Jarvis	Carolina Hurricanes
Nathan MacKinnon	Colorado Avalanche
Brad Marchand	Florida Panthers
Mitch Marner	Vegas Golden Knights
Connor McDavid	Edmonton Oilers
Brayden Point	Tampa Bay Lightning
Sam Reinhart	Florida Panthers
Mark Scheifele	Winnipeg Jets
Nick Suzuki	Montreal Canadiens
Tom Wilson	Washington Capitals

At the end of the day, there will be some controversial picks no matter how you slice up the Canadian roster. In this projection, players such as Anthony Cirelli, Sam Bennett, Mark Stone and Travis Konecny could be on the outside looking in.

Suzuki arguably should’ve been a part of Canada’s ensemble at the 4 Nations Face-Off. After being left off that roster, he’s made himself near impossible to leave out for the Olympics. Additionally, Celebrini and Bedard have been some of the best offensive players in the NHL this season and should under no circumstances be excluded from the Olympic squad.

Defensemen:

PLAYER	TEAM
Jakob Chychrun	Washington Capitals
Cale Makar	Colorado Avalanche
Josh Morrissey	Winnipeg Jets
Colton Parayko	St. Louis Blues
Travis Sanheim	Philadelphia Flyers
Matthew Schaefer	New York Islanders
Shea Theodore	Vegas Golden Knights
Devon Toews	Colorado Avalanche

As for the defensemen, I’m projecting just two changes to the eight-player corps. Notably, Chychrun and Schaefer are deserving of a spot on the roster, and they’ll take the places of Thomas Harley and the experienced Drew Doughty.

Goalies:

PLAYER	TEAM
Jordan Binnington	St. Louis Blues
MacKenzie Blackwood	Colorado Avalanche
Logan Thompson	Washington Capitals

Changes from 4 Nations Face-Off

IN: Bedard, Celebrini, Suzuki, Wilson, Chychrun, Schaefer, Blackwood, Thompson
OUT: Bennett, Cirelli, Doughty, Harley, Hill, Konecny, Montembeault, Stone

Other deserving players to consider: Mark Stone, Wyatt Johnston, Bo Horvat, Noah Dobson, Drew Doughty, Evan Bouchard

This, at least on paper, has the makings of a team ready to win gold at the Olympics in Milan in February. Canada will be hard to beat, especially if they bring a squad that looks like this one.

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