Canada Olympic Hockey Team 2018: Men, Women's Starting Rosters, Top Subs
February 6, 2018
Canada has long been the world's biggest power in both men's and women's hockey, but that will be put to the test at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea.
On the men's side, NHL players are not competing this year, which means Team Canada will be comprised of mostly former NHL players who are playing in the AHL and Europe.
Canada has won gold in the women's hockey at four consecutive Winter Games, but Team USA is stacked with star power, and it may finally be ready to out-duel Canada for the gold medal for the first time since the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
Ahead of the men's and women's hockey tournaments in Pyeongchang, here is a look at the Team Canada rosters, as well as a deeper dive regarding some of the top players to watch.
Canadian Olympic Men's Hockey Roster
Ben Scrivens, goalie, Salavat Yulaev Ufa (KHL)
Kevin Poulin, goalie, Medvescak Zagreb (EBEL)
Justin Peters, goalie, Kolner Haie (DEL)
Stefan Elliott, defenseman, HV71 (SHL)
Chay Genoway, defenseman, Lada Togliatti (KHL)
Cody Goloubef, defenseman, Stockton Heat (AHL)
Marc-Andre Gragnani, defenseman, Dinamo Minsk (KHL)
Chris Lee, defenseman, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)
Maxim Noreau, defenseman, SC Bern (NLA)
Mat Robinson, defenseman, CSKA Moskva (KHL)
Karl Stollery, defenseman, Dinamo Riga (KHL)
Rene Bourque, forward, Djurgardens IF (SHL)
Gilbert Brule, forward, Traktor Chelyabinsk (KHL)
Andrew Ebbett, forward, SC Bern (NLA)
Quinton Howden, forward, Dinamo Minsk (KHL)
Chris Kelly, forward, Belleville Senators (AHL)
Rob Klinkhammer, forward, Ak Bars Kazan (KHL)
Brandon Kozun, forward, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl (KHL)
Maxim Lapierre, forward, HC Lugano (NLA)
Eric O'Dell, forward, HK Sochi (KHL)
Mason Raymond, forward, SC Bern (NLA)
Derek Roy, forward, Linkopings HC (SHL)
Christian Thomas, forward, Wilkes-Barre Penguins (AHL)
Linden Vey, forward, Barys Astana (KHL)
Wojtek Wolski, forward, Metallurg Magnitogorsk (KHL)
Projected Men's Lineup
G: Ben Scrivens
D: Marc-Andre Gragnani
D: Chris Lee
LW: Mason Raymond
C: Derek Roy
RW: Rene Bourque
Top Subs: Gilbert Brule, Chris Kelly, Wojtek Wolski
Canadian Olympic Women's Hockey Roster
Shannon Szabados (goalie)
Ann-Renee Desbiens (goalie)
Genevieve Lacasse (goalie)
Renata Fast (defenseman)
Laura Fortino (defenseman)
Brigette Lacquette (defenseman)
Jocelyne Larocque (defenseman)
Meaghan Mikkelson (defenseman)
Lauriane Rougeau (defenseman)
Meghan Agosta (forward)
Bailey Bram (forward)
Emily Clark (forward)
Melodie Daoust (forward)
Haley Irwin (forward)
Brianne Jenner (forward)
Rebecca Johnston (forward)
Sarah Nurse (forward)
Marie-Philip Poulin (forward)
Jillian Saulnier (forward)
Natalie Spooner (forward)
Laura Stacey (forward)
Blayre Turnbull (forward)
Jennifer Wakefield (forward)
Projected Women's Lineup
G: Shannon Szabados
D: Jocelyne Larocque
D: Meaghan Mikkelson
LW: Natalie Spooner
C: Marie-Philip Poulin
RW: Meghan Agosta
Top Subs: Melodie Daoust, Brianne Jenner, Sarah Nurse
Breaking Down Top Canadian Players
Derek Roy
Among the players on the Canadian men's Olympic hockey team, it can be argued nobody enjoyed more success than forward Derek Roy.
The 34-year-old veteran was a second-round draft pick by the Buffalo Sabres in 2001, and he went on to have an 11-year career in the NHL.
In 738 regular-season games, Roy finished with 189 goals and 335 assists for 524 points. He also had 27 points in 49 playoff games.
Roy's most productive seasons were during an eight-year run in Buffalo. He scored at least 63 points in four straight seasons from 2006-07 through 2009-10. His best year came in 2007-08 when he set career highs with 32 goals and 49 assists for 81 points.
After departing Buffalo at the conclusion of the 2011-12 campaign, Roy had short stints with the Dallas Stars, Vancouver Canucks, St. Louis Blues, Nashville Predators and Edmonton Oilers.
Since the end of his NHL career, Roy has spent time in the Swiss and Swedish professional leagues, as well as Russia's KHL.
Roy plays for Linkopings HC in Sweden, and he is having a solid year with 10 goals and 20 assists in 38 games to go along with a plus-17 rating.
Due to his NHL experience and proven ability to put up points against the world's best players, Roy figures to be Canada's go-to guy offensively, and his performance could go a long way toward determining whether the Canadian men win gold for the third straight Olympics.
Marie-Philip Poulin
After being the hero for Canada in the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics, Marie-Philip Poulin will be counted on as the primary offensive producer for the women's team in Pyeongchang.
Poulin became a legendary figure in Canadian hockey history four years ago when she netted a pair of goals in Canada's 3-2 win over the United States in the gold-medal game.
She tied the contest at 2-2 with less than one minute remaining in regulation, then scored the overtime winner to cement the gold medal.
Now 26, Poulin has continued to thrive in the four years since Sochi with stints at Boston University and with the Canadiennes de Montreal in the Canadian Women's Hockey League.
Poulin helped guide the Canadiennes to the 2016-17 league championship, and she tied for the league lead with 37 points.
Both the Canadian and American women's hockey Olympic teams are stacked from top to bottom, but it can be argued Poulin is the biggest star of them all.
Her ability to come through in the clutch is her greatest asset, and with Team USA looking like a juggernaut, Canada may need more heroics from Poulin to keep its gold-medal streak alive.
Ben Scrivens
While the Olympic Athletes from Russia have the most talented all-around team in the men's tournament, their goaltending has some question marks, and it could turn out to be the great equalizer.
Canada has three netminders with extensive NHL experience, and chief among them is former Toronto Maple Leafs, Los Angeles Kings, Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens goaltender Ben Scrivens.
The 31-year-old Scrivens appeared in 144 NHL games, going 47-64-17 with a 2.92 goals-against average and .905 save percentage.
While those numbers leave plenty to be desired, Scrivens has found new life playing in the KHL.
He went 28-18-8 with a 2.28 goals-against average and .918 save percentage for Dinamo Minsk last season, and has been just as good in 2017-18 with Salavat Yulaev Ufa, as he is 19-11-2 with a 2.29 GAA and .917 save percentage.
Scrivens figures to be Canada's primary starter in goal, and there will be a lot of pressure on him to be one of the premier goalies in the tournament.
One thing working in his favor is he has shown in brief spurts that he can be a top performer against elite competition.
In 19 games for the Kings in 2013-14, Scrivens went 7-5-4 with a 1.97 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage.
If Scrivens can perform anywhere near that level, then it will be a big help for Canada in terms of bridging the talent gap with the Olympic Athletes from Russia.