Team Canada Announces 2026 Olympic Roster

Hockey Canada has formally announced its 25-man roster for the NHL’s return to Olympic action. They’re the first major power to announce its roster for the event in Milan, Italy, trimming it down and altering it from a preliminary list of 42 players they released back in August.

Forwards

• C Macklin Celebrini (Sharks)
• C Anthony Cirelli (Lightning)
• C Sidney Crosby (Penguins)
• LW Brandon Hagel (Lightning)
• C Bo Horvat (Islanders)
• C Nathan MacKinnon (Avalanche)
• LW Brad Marchand (Panthers)
• RW Mitch Marner (Golden Knights)
• C Connor McDavid (Oilers)
• C Brayden Point (Lightning)
• RW Sam Reinhart (Panthers)
• RW Mark Stone (Golden Knights)
• C Nick Suzuki (Canadiens)
• RW Tom Wilson (Capitals)

Defensemen

• D Drew Doughty (Kings)
• D Thomas Harley (Stars)
• D Cale Makar (Avalanche)
• D Josh Morrissey (Jets)
• D Colton Parayko (Blues)
• D Travis Sanheim (Flyers)
• D Shea Theodore (Golden Knights)
• D Devon Toews (Avalanche)

Goaltenders

• G Jordan Binnington (Blues)
• G Darcy Kuemper (Kings)
• G Logan Thompson (Capitals)

The tournament’s most star-studded roster includes the vast majority of the players who took home Canada’s first true best-on-best championship since their gold medal at the 2014 Olympics at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off. That includes all eight defensemen – there are no changes on the Canadian blue line from one year ago.

The biggest changes are in the crease. Binnington, who was Canada’s starter at the 4 Nations, may not hold the same path to the No. 1 job as he did 12 months ago but has done enough internationally to maintain his spot on the roster. His .870 SV% and 3.44 GAA with -9.7 goals saved above expected (MoneyPuck) in 23 games have him positioned as one of the NHL’s worst starters in 2025-26, but after posting a .907 SV% at the 4 Nations and a .944 SV% at the 2025 World Championship, he’d made himself an effective lock on the roster.

Joining Binnington between the pipes are Kuemper and Thompson, both of whom finished in the top four in Vezina Trophy voting last year and have both kept up their momentum into 2025-26. Thompson’s 22.9 GSAx leads the league heading into the New Year, while Kuemper has logged a pristine .917 SV% and 2.19 GAA in 23 starts for Los Angeles. They replace Adin Hill (Golden Knights), who’s spent most of the season on injured reserve, and Sam Montembeault, who’s lost his grip on the Canadiens’ starting job to Jakub Dobes.

There’s also some significant turnover among Canada’s forward group. Out from the 4 Nations roster are Sam Bennett, Travis Konecny, and the injured Seth Jarvis. Inserted into the group – as Canada can carry another forward to the Olympics – are Celebrini, Horvat, Suzuki, and Wilson.

Once again, it will be Canada’s forward group that will form its identity. They boast the league’s three leading scorers in MacKinnon, McDavid, and the 19-year-old Celebrini – arguably the front-runner for the Hart Trophy at the halfway point of the season. But beyond that, general manager Doug Armstrong opted to leave a good portion of the country’s top scorers this season at home, at least initially. Three players who are currently top 20 in the league in points – Wyatt Johnston, Mark Scheifele, and Connor Bedard – did not make the team.

It will be Canada’s reluctance to completely lean into its young talent, including Bedard and Calder Trophy frontrunner Matthew Schaefer on defense, that dominates the discourse in the coming days. Of course, injuries over the next month could pave the way for both to join their country in Milan. For some, it will be reminiscent of the 2006 Olympics, the last time Canada failed to medal with NHLers on its roster, when it opted to leave young offensive firepower in Sidney Crosby, Jason Spezza, and Eric Staal and was shut out by Russia in the quarterfinals.