Final Predictions for Canada's 2026 Men's Olympic Hockey Roster
The 2026 Winter Olympics are a little more than a month away, and the hockey rosters will soon be announced. This is the first time NHL players have played in the games since the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia, and that is going to bring a lot of excitement for a major best-on-best hockey tournament.
The 4 Nations Face-off a year ago was a nice appetizer, but this is the main course.
Here, we are going to take an updated projection of the Team Canada roster. This is our attempt at a prediction as to what Hockey Canada will do, and not necessarily our own pick.
We already know Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Sam Reinhart, Brayden Point, and Cale Makar will be on the roster.
It is the remaining spots that are up for grabs.
Canada should have the deepest collection of forward talent in the tournament, and could probably put together two rosters' worth of players at forward that could contend for a gold medal. Defense and goaltending are where the questions will come in.
There are also some big questions as to which young players will make the team. San Jose's Macklin Celebrini, Chicago's Connor Bedard and New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer are also making strong arguments, but Canada has a track record of not always taking young superstars over more established players. Will that change this season?
Let's take a look at the rest of our current roster projection for Team Canada and how some of those spots could work themselves out.
First-Line Forwards
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Sam Reinhart - Connor McDavid - Mitch Marner
McDavid is putting up video game numbers offensively right now and looks to be on his way to both a scoring title and perhaps another MVP award. His placement on the roster and as the top-line center are probably among the easiest decisions any team has made in this tournament.
On his wings, Reinhart and Marner seem like solid bets.
Reinhart and Marner are both outstanding two-way players who can not only play 200-foot games but also have the talent to keep up with McDavid and complement his skills.
Second-Line Forwards
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Brad Marchand - Sidney Crosby - Nathan MacKinnon
We have been projecting this as the second line for Canada from the outset, and there is no reason to change it.
Crosby and MacKinnon are worthy of being first-line players, and for just about any other team in the tournament, they would be. Heck, they still could be here if you put them both on wings. They should, in theory, have great chemistry together, given their long-time friendship, and fans and the media have been screaming for two years now to put them on the same team.
If you have been one of those people, you are about to get your wish. It will be just the Olympics, not with the Colorado Avalanche.
Marchand might be in his late 30s, but like Crosby, he is aging extremely well. He still has the two-way play and has 42 points (21 goals, 21 assists) through 36 games entering play on Monday. His production, defensive play, and grit will all be welcome additions here. The latter skill will be appreciated in any game against the United States, given how physical it plans on making the roster.
Third-Line Forwards
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Mark Stone - Wyatt Johnston - Tom Wilson
While the United States is having a ridiculous debate as to whether Dallas' Jason Robertson should be on its roster (he should be), Canada might be smart enough to take Dallas' other young star, Wyatt Johnston.
His offense and production have improved every year he has been in the league, and he is on his way to becoming a top-tier player in the NHL. He should be here.
Stone seems to be forgotten about in roster projections, but when healthy, he is still as good a two-way player as there is in the NHL. He can still score, he can still defend at a Selke level, and it is really hard to imagine Canada not taking him.
Wilson is one of the big wild cards in this process, but he has been gaining momentum for over a year now. The fact that he is scoring like a top-line player is only going to keep helping him. He is no longer just a big body that skates around, hitting people. He is an elite power forward in the NHL and can play penalty-kill situations.
Fourth-Line Forwards
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Macklin Celebrini - Brayden Point - Mark Scheifele
What is the logical argument for not including Celebrini?
Answer: There isn't one.
Who cares how young he is? So what if he is only in his second NHL season? The 19-year-old is one of the best players in hockey and perfectly capable of playing an important two-way game. He is already an elite scorer and has a Crosby-like work ethic and tenacity along the wall and in tough areas.
Do not overthink this.
Point already has a spot on the roster, and while his production has struggled this season when healthy, you can be sure he is going to play for head coach Jon Cooper.
You know this team is deep when Celebrini and Scheifele might be fourth-line options.
Extra Forwards
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Sam Bennett, Brandon Hagel
In our previous roster projection, we had Connor Bedard as one of the extra forwards, but his injury could hurt his chances in the selection process. He has the offense to be here, but he is not quite the all-around player Celebrini is at this point.
Hagel is a great two-way player and has a connection to Cooper, while Bennett's physical play and recent performance in big games might earn him a roster spot.
First-Defense Pairing
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Devon Toews - Cale Makar
This is another one of those slam dunk calls for Team Canada.
Makar and Toews are not only two of Canada's best defensemen, but they are also already teammates with the Avalanche, with an extensive track record of being a dominant defense pairing alongside one another.
This season, that defense pairing has outscored teams 32-16 in 5-on-5 play, with a 54.1 percent expected-goals share entering Monday's game, and has outscored teams 153-105 with a 55.6 percent expected-goals share over the previous three full seasons.
They are outstanding on their own, and together, so it only makes sense to keep them on the same pairing here.
Second-Defense Pairing
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Shea Theodore - Travis Sanheim
Our most recent projection had Evan Bouchard in this spot, but he does not seem to be a lock for the roster despite his talent and production.
Power-play situations are his obvious strength, but Canada has enough talent to put together a dominant power play and may be afraid of some of his defensive mistakes (even if they can be exaggerated at times).
Sanheim may not have the offensive upside, but he is a rock-solid defensive presence, and alongside Theodore could form a steady second pairing that would be tough to score on.
Third-Defense Pairing
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Josh Morrissey - Drew Doughty
The Winnipeg Jets might be having a bad season, but star defenseman Josh Morrissey is not. He is one of the best defensemen in the NHL, an annual Norris Trophy contender, and one of the most productive players at his position.
He will be here. He should be here.
Doughty might be a little more controversial, but it is hard to imagine a Canadian team without him. It might be a legacy or reputation pick, as he is not the player he was in his prime, but he can still contribute enough defensively to help.
Extra Defensemen
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Matthew Schaefer, Thomas Harley
Harley is not having the offensive season anyone expected, but he is still a good player and should have a spot on this roster. He might even get regular minutes and playing time.
Schaefer is the wild card. Canada does not always take its young stars, and we already have Celebrini projected to be on the roster, but Schaefer has been so good at a position where they do not have much high-end depth that he might have played his way onto the roster.
He is not your typical 18-year-old rookie defenseman. He is already playing like a No. 1 defenseman and has rapidly changed the outlook for the New York Islanders.
Goalies
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Logan Thompson - Jordan Binnington - Darcy Kuemper
This is where Canada might have its biggest issue and most potential problems.
Goaltending is the one position you do not want to have a weakness at, and it is the one position where Canada has a weakness.
Binnington is not having a good season, but his spot on this roster seems cemented. He was the starting goalie in the 4 Nations Face-Off and won it; he has a Stanley Cup ring and enough of a reputation as a "big-game goalie" that he is going to be here. He might even start.
Kuemper is another goalie with a Stanley Cup ring, and he can be a solid performer when he is on top of his game. But he is not an elite player at the position.
Thompson was shockingly left off the 4 Nations roster despite being one of the most productive Canadian goalies a year ago, and it is hard to imagine team management making the same mistake again, especially given its options.
