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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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Projecting Canada’s 2026 Olympics Ice Hockey Roster.
