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With just over one month until the start of the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics, Hockey Canada announced the roster it will bring to Italy in pursuit of a gold medal. The Canadians faced some tough decisions, but they settled on a team that is set to the be the gold medal favorite.

Canada had already announced six players -- Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Sidney Crosby, Brayden Point, Sam Reinhart and Cale Makar -- which left 19 spots up for grabs. Budding stars Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard made an impressive push for the right Olympic roster spots, although the latter is dealing with a shoulder injury. Celebrini got the nod and Bedard will be staying at home.

Another youngster who built an impressive case in his first 39 NHL games was New York Islanders rookie defenseman Matthew Schaefer. The 18-year-old has been stupendous in his young NHL career, but he just missed out on joining Team Canada.

The real question for Canada was what it would do in goal. Jordan Binnington, who started and won the 4 Nations Face-Off final less than a year ago, is off to a miserable start in 2025-26. Meanwhile, players like Logan Thompson and Darcy Kuemper played their way into Olympic consideration.

Here is the full roster Team Canada will take to the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics:

*denotes player was previously announced

Forwards

Defensemen

Goalies

  • Jordan Binnington, Blues
  • Darcy Kuemper, Kings
  • Logan Thompson, Capitals

Bedard, Schaefer among snubs

Connor Bedard and Matthew Schaefer are among the best young players in the league right now, and they're both in the midst of exceptional seasons. Bedard's shoulder injury may have had some impact on this decision by Canada, but by leaving him in North America, the Canadians will leave behind a ton of offensive upside. Bedard is on an 82-game pace for 50 goals and 116 points. His game has hit another level in 2025-26, but it wasn't enough for him to punch his ticket to Italy.

When it comes to Schaefer, Hockey Canada was probably always going to be hesitant about throwing an 18-year-old into the Olympic fire. Having said that, Schaefer hasn't really been playing his age. The Calder Trophy favorite, Schaefer has more than held his own against the best in the world at five-on-five, and I think he may have been a better choice over Harley or Sanheim.

Binnington makes the cut

While Binnington did lead Canada to gold in the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year, he's done everything he can to play his way off the Olympic roster in 2025-26. His 15.5 goals allowed above average are last among 85 goaltenders, per Natural Stat Trick. His .747 high-danger save percentage is also among the worst in the league. Canada must have a lot of faith he can turn it around by the time the team plane lands in Italy.

That's especially the case because there were more intriguing options, like either of the Colorado Avalanche goalies. Scott Wedgewood has been a revelation this season, and Mackenzie Blackwood has quietly put together an impressive resume over the last two or three years. If the decision was based strictly off NHL performance, either one of those goalies would have gone over Binnington, but the 4 Nations Face-Off clearly made a big impact.

Canada running it back on defense

The Canadians are rolling with the same defensive group that helped them win the 4 Nations. On the one hand, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Then again, there may have been some possible upgrades out there for Team Canada.

Sanheim brings stability and reliability, but he provides little in the way of offensive upside. Harley, despite a breakout 2024-25 season, has been woefully ineffective this season. That's why I'm a little surprised that the Canadians didn't take one of Evan Bouchard or Jakob Chychrun. The former may have some defensive lapses, but he is an offensive wizard. The latter is currently building a Norris Trophy candidacy with 30 points and spectacular underlying numbers. Even the rookie Schaefer could have provided a stronger two-way game.