Canada's Olympic Hockey Team 2026 Roster Revealed, Who Are the Top Snubs?

As part of a special announcement Wednesday on Sportsnet and TSN, Hockey Canada revealed its full, 25-player roster for the Canadian men's hockey team at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.

The roster, which is comprised of 14 forwards, eight defensemen and three goalies, is as follows:

• Sidney Crosby, F, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Nathan MacKinnon, F, Colorado Avalanche
• Connor McDavid, F, Edmonton Oilers
• Sam Reinhart, F, Florida Panthers
• Brayden Point, F, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Macklin Celebrini, F, San Jose Sharks
• Anthony Cirelli, F, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Brandon Hagel, F, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Bo Horvat, F, New York Islanders
• Brad Marchand, F, Florida Panthers
• Mitch Marner, F, Vegas Golden Knights
• Mark Stone, F, Vegas Golden Knights
• Nick Suzuki, F, Montreal Canadiens
• Tom Wilson, F, Washington Capitals
• Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche
• Drew Doughty, D, Los Angeles Kings
• Thomas Harley, D, Dallas Stars
• Josh Morrissey, D, Winnipeg Jets
• Colton Parayko, D, St. Louis Blues
• Travis Sanheim, D, Philadelphia Flyers
• Shea Theodore, D, Vegas Golden Knights
• Devon Toews, D, Colorado Avalanche
• Jordan Binnington, G, St. Louis Blues
• Darcy Kuemper, G, Los Angeles Kings
• Logan Thompson, G, Washington Capitals

Prior to Wednesday's final roster announcement, Hockey Canada had already officially named Crosby, MacKinnon, McDavid, Reinhart, Point and Makar to the team.

All six of them were part of Team Canada for the 4 Nations Face-Off last February, which was a four-team tournament that Canada won by defeating the United States 3-2 in overtime in the final.

There is a ton of carryover from the 4 Nations Face-Off to the Olympics, as Celebrini, Suzuki, Horvat, Wilson, Kuemper and Thompson are the only new additions.

While several picks were up for debate, McDavid and MacKinnon were obvious locks as the top two point scorers in the league entering play on Wednesday. The same goes for Makar, who is the leading scorer among defensemen.

Crosby was also a slam dunk since he continues to play at a high level even at 38 years of age with 40 points in 38 games this season. He led Canada to a gold medal the last time NHL players competed at the Olympics in 2014 as well.

Perhaps the biggest burning question prior to Wednesday's roster announcement was whether young guns such as San Jose Sharks forward Macklin Celebrini, Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard and New York Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer would be chosen for the squad.

The answer was a resounding "yes" for Celebrini, who is third in the NHL with 60 points in only his second season.

However, Bedard and Schaefer are on the outside looking in, making them arguably the two biggest snubs from Canada's roster.

Bedard, who was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NHL draft, has enjoyed a resurgent season after struggling at times over his first two campaigns.

He is tied for 15th in the NHL with 44 points on 19 goals and 25 assists, and given that he is among the most dynamic offensive players in the league, his omission comes as something of a surprise.

The fact that Bedard has been out with an upper-body injury since Dec. 12 likely contributed to the snub, but he did return to practice on Monday.

Schaefer being left off isn't quite as shocking since he is an 18-year-old rookie, but the 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick is already playing like a seasoned veteran.

Among NHL defensemen this season, Schaefer is tied for 19th with 25 points via nine goals and 16 assists. He is also a plus-8, which speaks to his defensive capability at a young age.

Other notable snubs include Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston and Winnipeg Jets forward Mark Scheifele, who are tied for 10th in the NHL with 45 points, and Boston Bruins forward Morgan Geekie, who is tied for second in the league with 25 goals.

Forward Sam Bennett, who has won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Panthers, was named Conn Smythe Trophy winner as playoff MVP last season and was part of Canada's 4 Nations squad, was also left off.

Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman was shocked by the snub, and TSN's Pierre LeBrun described Hockey Canada's line of thinking:

From a point-scoring perspective, Bennett has not been as productive as other members of Team Canada this season with 13 goals and 16 assists for 29 points, but his two-way ability and big-game experience could have come in handy on the Olympic stage.

Despite some of the elite talent that didn't make the team and the highly questionable options at goalie, Canada still feels like the deepest, most talented squad in the tournament, and the team to beat in Italy.

Canada will open its play at the 2026 Winter Games against Czechia on Feb. 12.