Crosby or Celebrini? Why the World Championship Could Be An Audition for the Four Nations Face-Off

Maybe it's because they occur at the same time as the Stanley Cup playoffs and don't always feature the greatest rosters, but the World Hockey Championship don't usually get the recognition they would otherwise deserve — especially in North America.

There are, of course, exceptions.

Back in 2016, Team Canada sent a star-studded roster that featured Connor McDavid, Brad Marchand, Taylor Hall and several other household names to Russia, where they won gold in a tournament that many NHL fans made sure to watch. It helped that no Canadian-based team had qualified for the playoffs that year. And that undrafted players, such as Auston Matthews and Patrik Laine, were representing the U.S. and Finland, respectively.

But the bigger reason had to do with the World Cup of Hockey, which was looming in the distance and which many players were essentially auditioning for.

As then Team Canada head coach Mike Babcock told me at the time: "You can’t state your case when you’re not playing.”

With the 4 Nations Face-Off less than a year away, next month's World Hockey Championship could provide a similar springboard for Team Canada hopefuls.

It's perhaps the reason many expect to see not only Sidney Crosby in Czechia next month, but also Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli and projected No. 1 overall pick Macklin Celebrini.

For Crosby, who has yet to play with Connor McDavid, this might be his only chance to play internationally with Bedard — while also proving that at the age of 36 he still has the skills to be among the best in the world.

"You have to earn it," Crosby said at the All-Star Game in January, when asked about playing at the 2026 and 2030 Olympics. "It's not something that's given to you."

For Bedard, Fantilli and Celebrini, the World Hockey Championship is basically an audition for what's to come. All three players might end up playing together at the 2030 Olympics when they are bit older. But if any of them hope to be part of Team Canada's roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Olympics in Italy, they will first have to prove it in Czechia the same way that Marchand proved it in Russia back in 2016.

That tournament was where Marchand essentially put himself on the map, going from a pest to a playmaker, finishing with four goals and seven points in 10 games. Several months later, he then joined Crosby and Patrice Bergeron on the top line at the World Cup of Hockey, where he helped Canada win gold with five goals and eight points in six games.

Who knows, maybe someone like Bedard or Celebrini can do the same.

Here is a look at what Team Canada's roster could look like like next month in Czechia:

Michael Bunting — Sidney Crosby — Connor Bedard

Adam Fantilli — Mathew Barzal — Jonathan Huberdeau

Nazem Kadri — Robert Thomas — Jordan Kyrou

Mason McTavish — Nick Suzuki — Macklin Celebrini

X - Drake Batherson, Kent Johnson

Owen Power — Noah Dobson

Bowen Byram — Dougie Hamilton

Mike Matheson — Colton Parayko

X - Kevin Korchinski

Jordan Binnington

Samuel Montembeault

X - Tristan Jarry