Olympic men's hockey roster predictions for Canada and USA

The tournament doesn’t begin until February, but hockey fans are already champing at the bit for the 2026 Olympics.

Milano Cortina 2026 will mark the first time since 2014 that we’ve seen NHL players participate in the Olympics, which has excitement levels from fans across the world at an all-time high.

Both Canada and the U.S. have released their respective rosters for upcoming orientation camps, and suffice to say, those making the player personnel have some difficult decisions on their hands.

While player performances early in the 2025-26 season will play a big part in who winds up making this team, here is a projected list of what Canada’s roster may look like once they are formally announced in early January.

* = Players who have already been named to the team

Team Canada

Forwards (14)

Zach Hyman – Connor McDavid* – Mitch Marner
Sidney Crosby* – Nathan MacKinnon* – Sam Reinhart*
Brandon Hagel – Anthony Cirelli – Brayden Point*
Brad Marchand – Sam Bennett – Robert Thomas

Extras: Seth Jarvis, Nick Suzuki

Snubs: Mark Stone, Travis Konecny, Mark Scheifele, Macklin Celebrini, Connor Bedard, Tom Wilson

The obvious snub here is Mark Stone, who is a great two-way player but may lack the boots to play in this type of tournament. Travis Konecny is the other forward who made the 4 Nations roster that comes up on the wrong end here. Replacing them are Nick Suzuki, Robert Thomas, and Zach Hyman.

Hyman’s inclusion may be ridiculed, as he is by no means an elite skater himself. That said, there is no other Canadian forward in the NHL who has better chemistry with Connor McDavid.

Defencemen (8)

Devon Toews – Cale Makar*
Josh Morrissey – MacKenzie Weegar
Thomas Harley – Drew Doughty

Extras: Evan Bouchard, Shea Theodore

Snubs: Colton Parayko, Travis Sanheim, Noah Dobson, Aaron Ekblad

Colton Parayko and Travis Sanheim are the two players from the 4 Nations roster who fall short this time around, being replaced by MacKenzie Weegar and Evan Bouchard. Weegar is quietly turned into one of the game’s best defencemen with the Calgary Flames, while Bouchard’s offensive abilities could prove beneficial against certain opponents.

The one eyebrow-raising pick is Drew Doughty, who will be 36 by the time the tournament begins. He’s a player very familiar to Hockey Canada, which gives him the upper hand, but if he struggles to begin the 2025-26 season, his role could instead be handed to Parayko.

Goalies (3)

Jordan Binnington
Logan Thompson

Extra: Darcy Kuemper

Snubs: Adin Hill, Sam Montembeault, MacKenzie Blackwood

Considering Canada’s orientation camp only included three goalies in Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, and Sam Montembeault, it feels safe to assume that those making these selections feel strongly about bringing back the same three they had at their disposal at 4 Nations.

That said, based on stats alone, it should instead be Logan Thompson and Darcy Kuemper getting the call to play behind Jordan Binnington, who is the undoubted No. 1 option after winning gold for Canada this past February. If Hill and/or Montembeault struggle, either Thompson or Kuemper could get the call.

Team USA

Forwards (14)

Jake Guentzel – Auston Matthews* – Tage Thompson
Matthew Tkachuk* – Jack Eichel* – Brady Tkachuk*
Kyle Connor – Dylan Larkin – Jack Hughes
Clayton Keller – Vincent Trocheck – Matt Boldy

Extras: Cole Caufield, J.T. Miller

Snubs: Jason Robertson, Chris Kreider, Brock Nelson, Brock Boeser, Matthew Knies, Patrick Kane, Alex Tuch

Albeit not to the same degree as Canada, the U.S. is also loaded up front. Three forwards from the U.S. 4 Nations roster are being left off this time around in Brock Nelson, Vincent Trocheck, and Chris Kreider, while Tage Thompson rightfully gets on after his surprising omission last time around, as does Clayton Keller.

Defencemen (8) 

Quinn Hughes* – Charlie McAvoy*
Zach Werenksi – Brock Faber
Jaccob Slavin – Adam Fox

Extras: Jake Sanderson, Seth Jones

Snubs: Noah Hanifin, Lane Hutson, Ryan McDonagh, Luke Hughes, Neal Pionk

It will be interesting to see when the decision comes out, given all the flak he’s taken as of late, but this list is still going to include 2020-21 Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox, despite his struggles at the 4 Nations.

Instead, it’s Noah Hanifin who is being removed for Quinn Hughes, who was unable to participate in the best-on-best last February due to injury. Also securing a spot as an extra defenceman is Seth Jones, who has revitalized his career since being acquired by the Florida Panthers.

Goalies (3)

Connor Hellebuyck
Jake Oettinger

Extra: Jeremy Swayman

Snubs: Thatcher Demko, Dustin Wolf, Joey Daccord

Goaltending is USA’s biggest advantage at this stage, though Connor Hellebuyck’s struggles in high-stakes games can’t be ignored. Luckily, they have Jake Oettinger ready to go should he be needed.

Meanwhile, a Jeremy Swayman bounce-back season should be more than enough to secure him the third-string role. If he struggles again, however, it could be Dustin Wolf’s time to shine, though it’s also impossible to rule out Thatcher Demko if he can stay healthy.