After all, it was tough to imagine a significantly different squad than the one that defeated the Americans in overtime to end an immensely hyped, high-pressure game at last February’s 4 Nations Face-Off. Succeeding with the stakes as high as they were for that rivalry matchup bodes well for the players on that team.
But even in the following 10 months, times change, and some guys who didn’t play at 4 Nations performed so well to start this season that it became difficult to justify leaving them off the Olympic roster, especially when some other players who did make that team just haven’t been as strong statistically.
Some players ended up making the cut, while others still had to be left off the Olympic team as other players surprisingly made it. So let’s go through our key reactions to the Canadian 2026 Olympic roster.
1. Panthers’ Bennett, Hurricanes’ Jarvis Cut
Wilson essentially replaces the grit Bennett brings to the
table, and Wilson is having a much better year, with 19 goals and 37 points in
38 games, compared to Bennett’s 13 goals and 29 points.
The other changes were relatively subtle. Suzuki is thriving
with the Habs this year with 31 assists and 44 points, and he can play a
two-way game. Team Canada GM Doug Armstrong said Suzuki is a versatile player who can play a 200-foot game and be on the penalty kill if needed.
“The pressure that goes with playing in Canada is one level,” Armstrong told reporters Wednesday. “The pressure playing in Montreal is a different level. Then the pressure of being the captain of the Montreal Canadiens is at a different level.”
Horvat, meanwhile, is a major reason the Islanders are in a playoff
position, posting 21 goals and 33 points. Armstrong also
praised Horvat’s ability to play center or left wing and his 57.7 faceoff win
percentage.
It isn’t as if Bennett, Jarvis or Konecny were having
horrible seasons. Jarvis put up 19 goals and 29 points before being out injured
week-to-week, and Konecny has 23 assists and 35 points.
“Not one player played their way off of this team, just 25 guys played their way on,” Armstrong said.
When you’re a team with as much quality depth as Canada has,
you really have to be the cream of the crop to make the cut for the
Olympics.
2. Sharks’ Celebrini Makes It, But Bedard And Schaefer Don’t
San Jose Sharks superstar Macklin Celebrini was named to the Olympic team, and the 19-year-old has ridden his 39-assist, 60-point season thus far this year to playing for Canada in what will likely be the first of multiple Olympics for him. In fact, Celebrini could be the youngest-ever Canadian men’s hockey player at an Olympic tournament that featured NHL players.
That said, two other prominent youngsters did not get the nod for Canada’s Olympic team: 20-year-old Chicago Blackhawks star center Connor Bedard and 18-year-old Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer.
Bedard was having a terrific year with 44 points before suffering an injury this month, but Armstrong said that didn’t play much of a role in leaving him off the Canadian team.
“His name was right there to the last second because we could have named him and moved forward, but the reality is, there’s so many good players, and we just had difficult decisions to make,” Armstrong said.
Meanwhile, Schaefer is a front-runner for the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s top rookie, but he had to crack a deep and accomplished defense corps, and at such a young age, he’ll have to wait for another opportunity.
If injuries play a role in changing Canada’s roster, Bedard or Schaefer may get the call, but for now, Celebrini is the sole new kid on the block for the Canadians.
3. The Defense Corps Is Exactly The Same As 4 Nations
Some Canadian NHL defensemen who weren’t on the 4 Nations Face-Off team were making a good case this season for consideration for the Olympics – specifically, Edmonton Oilers blueliner Evan Bouchard and Capitals D-man Jakob Chychrun.
However, Armstrong and the management squad chose to go with the exact same defense corps that played so well at the 4 Nations.
“We have great skill level. One of the things for Parayko and Sanheim, we call it like going through a car wash,” Armstrong said. “They’re all arms and legs. It’s hard to get to the net. It’s like swimming in seaweed; I love those big players.
“We have a proper balance of players that have won at the NHL level, have won at the 4 Nations level and complement each other.”
The Canadians don’t need their defense corps to provide much offense, and that’s probably why Bouchard and Chychrun were omitted from the roster. But Canada’s balance of stability, size and slick skating is what their defensemen are all about.
Jordan Binnington backstopped the Canadians to the 4 Nations Face-Off championship, and Doug Armstrong said the staff were set on bringing him to the Olympics early on. (Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images)
4. Canada’s Goaltending Is Significantly Different – With One Notable Exception
Armstrong could have gone with the 4 Nations trio in net – starter Jordan Binnington, Vegas Golden Knights Stanley Cup-winner Adin Hill and Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault. But he chose instead to bring back Binnington and add two other veteran goalies in Capitals star Logan Thompson and Kings veteran Darcy Kuemper.
Clearly, Binnington has earned the right to be the No. 1 option in net for Canada. His numbers this season – including an .870 save percentage and 3.44 goals-against average – are far from ideal. But he’s a battler who will start the Olympic tournament as the Canadians’ starter.
Sure, people are already questioning why someone with those stats this season deserves to be an Olympian. But no, Binnington did not make this team because he plays for the Blues, which Armstrong also manages.
Armstrong said he labored over whether to bring Binnington back more than the rest of the staff, but everyone else seemed locked in on naming him to the roster from the get-go after what he did at the 4 Nations.
Otherwise, Thompson is having a terrific year with a .915 save percentage and 2.33 goals-against average, and Kuemper, who has a .917 SP and 2.19 GAA, is another Cup-winning goalie who will challenge Binnington for playing time.
But this trio of goalies looks to be an improvement on paper for Canada, and that should frighten the other Olympic teams.
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Elida Mongold
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