Olympics: Team Canada 2026

[waitin425]

We are a year and a bit out from this tournament, and we will know who is on this team, this time next year.

There are various spots where I have seen predictions for Team Canada 2026 -- but there doesn't appear to be a dedicated thread.

4 Nations should be a good testing ground for some of the bubble players that they selected. I for one am hoping that Bedard and Celebrini play their way onto the Olympic squad.

Here is my prediction/hope at this time.

Crosby (C) - McDavid (A) - Bedard -- Pass the torch line. We deserve to see this.
Celebrini - MacKinnon (A)- Marner -- Disgusting amount of speed and skill.
Barzal - Point - Reinhart -- Again....Speed can kill and Reinhart can finish. Three killer lines.
Suzuki - Schiefele - Stone -- Defensive unit with a little bit of scoring prowess.
Konecny

Toews - Makar -- Keep the Avs two together.
Morrissey - Pietrangelo (A) -- Solid shut down pair with offensive capabilities and great breakout pass.
Theodore - Parayko -- another solid pair.
Bouchard -- Can be brought into lineup for booming shot and PP speciality.

Binnington
Hill
Montembault

This is a winning team and a team I can get behind. Much better than the dogs breakfast 4 Nation tournament

Click to read more...

 

[Mathieukferland]

This is a projection rather than who I would have right now:

Celebrini-McDavid-Reinhart
Crosby-MacKinnon-Bédard
Hagel-Point-Marner
Vilardi-Thomas-Cirelli
McMichael

Harley-Makar
Theodore-Pietrangelo
Morrisey-Clarke
Chychrun

Hill
Thompson
Montembault

 

[waitin425]

This is a projection rather than who I would have right now:

Celebrini-McDavid-Reinhart
Crosby-MacKinnon-Bédard
Hagel-Point-Marner
Vilardi-Thomas-Cirelli
McMicheal

Harley-Makar
Theodore-Pietrangelo
Morrisey-Clarke
Chychrun

Hill
Thompson
Montembault

I really like your Brandt Clarke choice. Kid is a very good player.

 

[HFpapi]

I don't want a "safe" roster. For 4 nations it's fine but I don't want to see Cirelli over Celebrini for example.

Celebrini, Bedard, maybe Johnston, who knows who else steps up. Let our talent shine. WJC shows what happens when you over think.

 

[dmac7719]

None of these rosters having Blackwood.

Think people are going to start realizing over the next year and a bit that he will be the best option in goal for Canada.

 

[GangGreen]

We are a year and a bit out from this tournament, and we will know who is on this team, this time next year.

There are various spots where I have seen predictions for Team Canada 2026 -- but there doesn't appear to be a dedicated thread.

4 Nations should be a good testing ground for some of the bubble players that they selected. I for one am hoping that Bedard and Celebrini play their way onto the Olympic squad.

Here is my prediction/hope at this time.

Crosby (C) - McDavid (A) - Bedard -- Pass the torch line. We deserve to see this.
Celebrini - MacKinnon (A)- Marner -- Disgusting amount of speed and skill.
Barzal - Point - Reinhart -- Again....Speed can kill and Reinhart can finish. Three killer lines.
Suzuki - Schiefele - Stone -- Defensive unit with a little bit of scoring prowess.
Konecny

Toews - Makar -- Keep the Avs two together.
Morrissey - Pietrangelo (A) -- Solid shut down pair with offensive capabilities and great breakout pass.
Theodore - Parayko -- another solid pair.
Bouchard -- Can be brought into lineup for booming shot and PP speciality.

Binnington
Hill
Montembault

This is a winning team and a team I can get behind. Much better than the dogs breakfast 4 Nation tournament

We need to see Logan Thompson. Pretty clearly the best Canadian goalie in the NHL this season.
I keep hoping to see guys like Byfield and Lafreniere prove they deserve to be there. And I feel like Konecny deserves a regular spot over Stone, and maybe Chycrun over Bouchard. Love the forwards and D though!

 

[Saskatoon]

None of these rosters having Blackwood.

Think people are going to start realizing over the next year and a bit that he will be the best option in goal for Canada.

I could see him playing his way on for sure now that he is on a winning team

 

[dmac7719]

I could see him playing his way on for sure now that he is on a winning team

Should have been heavily considered from the get go, anyone that watch SJS at least once over the past 2 seasons could definitely tell

 

[vancityluongo]

what i think it will be based on hockey canada (derogatory)

point - mcdavid - reinhart
crosby - mackinnon - marner
hagel - scheifele - konecny
cirelli - dubois - stone
strome / thomas

toews - makar
theodore - parayko
morrissey - montour
chychrun

hill
binnington
skinner

they will heavily overweight towards guys older than 25, based on performances this current season vs picking on potential, load up on centers / ignore guys who mostly play the wing. and the goaltending will be disastrous, especially as they ignore recent track record in net (montembeault, thompson, blackwood) and go with the "pedigree" picks

 

[The Gr8 Dane]

what i think it will be based on hockey canada (derogatory)

point - mcdavid - reinhart
crosby - mackinnon - marner
hagel - scheifele - konecny
cirelli - dubois - stone
strome / thomas

toews - makar
theodore - parayko
morrissey - montour
chychrun

hill
binnington
skinner

they will heavily overweight towards guys older than 25, based on performances this current season vs picking on potential, load up on centers / ignore guys who mostly play the wing. and the goaltending will be disastrous, especially as they ignore recent track record in net (montembeault, thompson, blackwood) and go with the "pedigree" picks

Do we know who is in charge for Olympic roster selection ?

 

[Rob]

What are the chances Canada will have a number one goalie by then?

 

[LeafChief]

Logan Thompson should absolutely be in over Montembeault. It's insane that Thompson isn't on this 4 Nations roster.

 

[WarriorofTime]

What are the chances Canada will have a number one goalie by then?

Well there will be someone there certainly, question is without a super obvious option, to what extent do you ride the hottest hand versus going off a more established multi-year track record? For instance, right now, Blackwood is probably playing the best, but coming into the season, wouldn't have even been an option.

 

[Connor McConnor]

Should have been heavily considered from the get go, anyone that watch SJS at least once over the past 2 seasons could definitely tell

Yeah the guy who played 50 games for SJ over 2 seasons really stamped his ticket onto the Canadian roster. Calm down my guy. He's played well for you for 10 games and now he's the runaway starter lmao.

 

[Nucks2001]

Logan Thompson should absolutely be in over Montembeault. It's insane that Thompson isn't on this 4 Nations roster.

I HATED the selection process for 4 Nations. Brad Marchand making it in the first 6 (likely due to Don Sweeney), Logan Thompson not making it due to issues with Bruce Cassidy, Nick Suzuki being snubbed because he didn’t attend the World Championships, Colton Parayko likely making it due to Army.

Why can’t we just select the best players! Too many politics with Hockey Canada and it shows

 

[vancityluongo]

Do we know who is in charge for Olympic roster selection ?

almost certainly the same guys in charge of the four nations roster

 

[Crosby2010]

I think the goaltending has always been underrated with Canada. Yeah there isn't Roy/Brodeur/Luongo/Joseph and even some good goalies after that, but we do have two Cup winners, we have a goalie who keeps getting better in Montembault (I have to admit I've become impressed by him) and we have another one who won a Cup as well in Thompson albeit a back up role, but a guy who is on the best team in the Eastern Conference. Skinner is still there too. I know Carter Hart is in the middle of what he's in the middle of now and Jarry hasn't had the best year this year but we'll be fine. As you can see with the World Juniors if you aren't scoring it doesn't matter if your goalie is playing well. You need to score.

We need to make sure we have a mobile defense and some star power on at least the top 3 lines with an energy/checking line as the 4th, but also guys who play a 200 ft. game that can score too. None of this nonsense of having too many chiefs pick the team and having a struggle over it. Pat Quinn sat Curtis Joseph after the first game of the 2002 Olympics and he was his coach in the NHL. Yzerman didn't initially pick Martin St. Louis. He had his reasons I am sure, and good for him for not being bias. In those cases both players left their teams after that. But hey, check your ego at the door if you want to play on Canada. And it starts with team selection.

 

[Hamilton Bulldogs]

None of these rosters having Blackwood.

Think people are going to start realizing over the next year and a bit that he will be the best option in goal for Canada.

You riding that post fourgiev high.

I'm not sure you're judgement is as stout as it ought to be.

 

[Nucks2001]

I think the goaltending has always been underrated with Canada. Yeah there isn't Roy/Brodeur/Luongo/Joseph and even some good goalies after that, but we do have two Cup winners, we have a goalie who keeps getting better in Montembault (I have to admit I've become impressed by him) and we have another one who won a Cup as well in Thompson albeit a back up role, but a guy who is on the best team in the Eastern Conference. Skinner is still there too. I know Carter Hart is in the middle of what he's in the middle of now and Jarry hasn't had the best year this year but we'll be fine. As you can see with the World Juniors if you aren't scoring it doesn't matter if your goalie is playing well. You need to score.

We need to make sure we have a mobile defense and some star power on at least the top 3 lines with an energy/checking line as the 4th, but also guys who play a 200 ft. game that can score too. None of this nonsense of having too many chiefs pick the team and having a struggle over it. Pat Quinn sat Curtis Joseph after the first game of the 2002 Olympics and he was his coach in the NHL. Yzerman didn't initially pick Martin St. Louis. He had his reasons I am sure, and good for him for not being bias. In those cases both players left their teams after that. But hey, check your ego at the door if you want to play on Canada. And it starts with team selection.

Back to your point about mobile defenders. It seems that the Parayko selection was pretty good. He’s playing amazing right now and is a key part of that blueline. I don’t think people watch enough of Parayko, but he’s so fast for his size and was one of the top shutdown defenders in the league prior to his injuries.

The Sanhiem and Bennett selections raise more eyebrows. I think those selections could have been used on players with more skill. As does the Jarvis selection. The Jarvis selection isn’t as bad in my eyes, if you want to add some youth and he’s incredible defensively already, has the ability to play both PP and PK and C and RW. I would have liked to see some more firepower though. Whether that would be Scheifele, Bedard or someone else.

 

[Crosby2010]

Back to your point about mobile defenders. It seems that the Parayko selection was pretty good. He’s playing amazing right now and is a key part of that blueline. I don’t think people watch enough of Parayko, but he’s so fast for his size and was one of the top shutdown defenders in the league prior to his injuries.

The Sanhiem and Bennett selections raise more eyebrows. I think those selections could have been used on players with more skill. As does the Jarvis selection. The Jarvis selection isn’t as bad in my eyes, if you want to add some youth and he’s incredible defensively already, has the ability to play both PP and PK and C and RW. I would have liked to see some more firepower though. Whether that would be Scheifele, Bedard or someone else.

Team Canada has pretty much always picked those types of players dating back to the Summit Series in 1972. My question is did they pick too many of those grinder types and leave off good talent? They did this in 2006 and it didn't work. The Olympics will be on big ice so I think they may add some more skill by then while the 4 Nations is on small ice.

 

[Nucks2001]

Team Canada has pretty much always picked those types of players dating back to the Summit Series in 1972. My question is did they pick too many of those grinder types and leave off good talent? They did this in 2006 and it didn't work. The Olympics will be on big ice so I think they may add some more skill by then while the 4 Nations is on small ice.

I don’t think anyone is making as much noise about the 4-Nations roster for a couple reasons:

1. The 2006 Team did not have a McDavid, MacKinnon, Crosby or Makar.

2. 4-Nations is being played on smaller NHL ice and I believe the 2026 Olympics is also being played on NHL ice from my understanding unlike the 2006 games.

3. Canada is not as deep as it once was and other countries (especially the USA) have gotten deeper. Still a lot of Canadian snubs, but not as many or the quality of past Canadian rosters. People know this and probably won’t criticize HC as much if Canada loses.


Now, if the 4-Nations team loses, people will definitely question the roster selections as it’s not the most skilled team that Canada could have iced, but also not the most grinder-esque team. An aging Marchand and Sam Bennett probably weren’t the best choices. Scheifele probably should have been on the team. The ‘06 snubs were much worse with Spezza, Staal, Kariya, and Savard. Crosby wasn’t that much of a snub, but he clearly should of been on the team looking back at it now. You would have liked to see Bedard or another young gun on the team, but overall it’s not the worst team forward-wise. Depending on goaltending, Logan Thompson will the loudest cry from fans if we botch it. Defensively, the ‘06 team’s main criticism was a lack of puck-moving D. We have Makar, Morrisey, Theodore, Pietrangelo instead of Bouwmeester, Foote, Regher, and McCabe (safe to say that won’t be an issue).

Unlike the 2006 team and I don’t want to jinx it, so I won’t say it. Our *Ahem* PlAYER AVAILABILITY is looking pretty good, fingers crossed. The 2006 team was missing a lot of players that were selected or would have otherwise made the team had they been available.

 

[Nucks2001]

Team Canada has pretty much always picked those types of players dating back to the Summit Series in 1972. My question is did they pick too many of those grinder types and leave off good talent? They did this in 2006 and it didn't work. The Olympics will be on big ice so I think they may add some more skill by then while the 4 Nations is on small ice.

Great point about this going back to the Summit Series.

 

[5 14 6 1]

What are the chances Canada will have a number one goalie by then?

Considering they have multiple playing well in the NHL right now, I'd say yes.

(Hill, Thompson, Skinner, Montembault, Blackwood, Kuemper all playing good hockey right now - Kuemper, Thompson and Blackwood are top 5 in SV%)