Three Canadiens Invited To Team Canada Olympic Camp

Among the 42 players invited to Team Canada's Olympic Orientation Camp, set for late August, three Montreal Canadiens players have been recognized for their strong, consistent play, earning a spot and a step in the right direction in their bid to represent the country at the 2026 Olympics.

Captain Nick Suzuki has been discussed many times as an option, thanks to his versatility and two-way play. It isn't just offence with No. 14; he is also dominant defensively, which could translate to a penalty killing role and a shutdown center role in the bottom six.

But he shouldn't be viewed as a one-trick pony either, since he has been a cog and a big reason for the Canadiens' first line's dominance and the overall growth of the organization, on and off the ice. Suzuki set a career high with 89 points in 2024-25 and hopes to hit the ground running in 2025-26, securing a regular role on Canada's Olympic team.

The Canadiens' newest addition, Noah Dobson, also received an invite, and despite having a down year in 2024-25 (39 points in 71 games), in his view, after scoring 70 points in 2023-24, Dobson's great offensive abilities and physical attributes stood out.

Dobson is a lock for 10 goals, and he piles up the assists also, a fact that Canada is hoping can come to life on the ice, in a short tournament where the next goal could be the one that secures a win, and books a ticket to the medal rounds. Dobson is a general on the blueline, leveraging fantastic skating, vision and instincts to pick apart opposing defenses.

The third invitee, and perhaps one of the most important Canadiens' players, goaltender Samuel Montembeault, is looking to use his great 2024-25 season and previous experience with Hockey Canada to claim his place on his home country's squad.

Montembeault posted a 31-24-7 record, along with a 2.82 goals against average, and a .902 save percentage, numbers that don't exactly leap off the chart, but he backstopped a Canadiens squad that many believed would never make the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs.

But he made many game preserving saves and kept the Canadiens in the thick of a fight for a win each night.

No. 35 between the pipes for the Canadiens has represented Team Canada at the professional level before, and he is the likeliest of the three invitees to play for Canada in 2026.

For Canadiens fans, the thought of having one player represent the team on the international stage should be plenty exciting, but three could give the Canadiens some tremendous experience added to their squad, in their bid for a second consecutive playoff berth, but first a Gold Medal.