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Team Canada cutting down Olympic hockey roster and here’s who’s projected to be on it

Preston Hodgkinson
Preston Hodgkinson
|
Nov 11 2025, 10:01 pm
Team Canada cutting down Olympic hockey roster and here’s who’s projected to be on it
Brian Fluharty/Imagn Images

We are inching closer every day to Team Canada announcing the roster for the men’s Olympic hockey team.

With the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics set to open in February, Hockey Canada has under three months to finalize its roster. Meetings to determine who will make the team and who will be left off were held earlier, with TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reporting the shortlist has been reduced to between 35 and 40 players.

A total of seven players have already been named to the team in Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Sam Reinhart, Brayden Point, and Cale Makar. As for the rest, the debate is still raging, though there is an expectation that members of the 2025 4 Nations squad will have an inside track.

Here is a prediction on how the team could wind up looking once the Olympics begin…

Team Canada roster predictions

Forwards:

  • Connor McDavid (EDM)*
  • Sidney Crosby (PIT)*
  • Nathan MacKinnon (COL)*
  • Sam Reinhart (FLA)*
  • Brayden Point (TBL)*
  • Mark Stone (VGK)
  • Mitch Marner (VGK)
  • Macklin Celebrini (SJS)
  • Sam Bennett (FLA)
  • Brad Marchand (FLA)
  • Brandon Hagel (TBL)
  • Nick Suzuki (MTL)
  • Connor Bedard (CHI)
  • Tom Wilson (WSH)

A total of nine players still need to be added to Canada’s forward group, and there will be a few surprises.

The biggest additions could come in the form of young stars Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini, both of whom have gotten off to stellar starts this season. They rank second and third in scoring, respectively, and have looked like two of the very best players in the league so far. If that continues, they will make it very hard for Canada to ignore them.

Nick Suzuki has also looked like a man possessed this season and offers a good mix of offensive punch and defensive responsibility that Canada will covet in the bottom-six. Tom Wilson would be added to give the team a bit of snarl without sacrificing much in the way of offensive power.

Returning from the 4 Nations squad would be Mark Stone, Mitch Marner, Sam Bennett, and Brad Marchand. All four of those players have done nothing to play themselves off the roster and should be relative locks.

This means that Travis Konecny, Anthony Cirelli, and Seth Jarvis would be the only players not returning from the 4 Nations team in this scenario. Mark Schiefele would, once again, be on the outside looking in.

Defence:

  • Cale Makar (COL)*
  • Devon Toews (COL)
  • Thomas Harley (DAL)
  • Josh Morrissey (WPG)
  • Travis Sanheim (PHI)
  • Drew Doughty (LAK)
  • Shea Theodore (VGK)
  • Colton Parayko (STL)

“It ain’t broke, don’t fix it” should be the mantra of Canada’s defensive group.

This is, by and large, the same group that helped propel Canada to a 4 Nations championship earlier this year. Harley was a late addition due to injury, but the eight defensive spots at the Olympics should allow him to join the team from the get-go.

It feels like Canada wants to lean heavily on experience, thus allowing Drew Doughty another shot at wearing the Maple Leaf. Canadian GM Doug Armstrong also seemed to be impressed with veteran Colton Parayko and has had a front-row seat for his play, as he is also the GM of the St. Louis Blues.

Rookie Matthew Schafer has made a lot of noise, but it would be shocking if Canada enlisted an 18-year-old on the Olympic squad. Evan Bouchard could provide another PP option in case of injury, but his early-season struggles may cost him a spot.

Goalies:

  • Jordan Binnington (STL)
  • Logan Thompson (WSH)
  • Darcy Kuemper (LAK)

Canada’s goaltending is the biggest hot topic going into the Olympics.

Jordan Binnington proved to be exactly what the Canadians needed in the 4 Nations tournament, but he has gotten off to a brutal start to the new NHL season. Still, he gained a lot of goodwill for his performance earlier this year and feels like a lock to make the Olympic squad as a result.

As for who will join him, it isn’t exactly clear. Logan Thompson has been one of the best goalies in the entire league, sitting second in the NHL in save percentage (.930), first in goals-against average (1.61), and fourth in goals-saved above expected (+9.2). Right now, he seems like an obvious pick for Canada.

The third goaltender could be more of a veteran option in 35-year-old Darcy Kuemper. He was a Vezina finalist last season and is off to another impressive start with the LA Kings, posting a .905 SV% and +8.9 GSAx.

Neither Adin Hill nor Samuel Montembeault have done nearly enough to earn a spot on the Olympic team after being there during the 4 Nations.

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