Team Canada unveils roster for 2026 Winter Olympics

All eyes were on Hockey Canada Wednesday, as the men’s roster for the upcoming Olympics in Cortina, Italy in February.

There were a few surprises — one young star made the cut, while another didn’t.

Nineteen-year-old Macklin Celebrini, who sits third in league scoring behind superstar Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche is one of six additions to the group that won the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament last February.

Joining the San Jose Sharks centre as newcomers up front are Nick Suzuki of the Montreal Canadiens, Bo Horvat of the New York Islanders and Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals.

Canada, which plays its first game at the Olympics on Feb. 12 against Czechia, is keeping its 4 Nations defence corps intact, but is switching out two of the three goaltenders, with Washington’s Logan Thompson and Darcy Kuemper of the Los Angeles Kings joining Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues.

Some of the notable omissions include Chicago Blackhawks centre Connor Bedard, who’s currently out with a shoulder injury, and Winnipeg counterpart Mark Scheifele.

Washington defenseman Jakob Chychrun and Islanders rookie blueliner, Stoney Creek’s Matthew Schaefer have also had strong starts to the season, but were left out.

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