Team Canada's Final Projected 2026 Olympic Men's Roster

Let the debates begin.

We're one day away from when Team Canada will announce its final roster for the 2026 Olympics in Milan — and we're nowhere near a consensus on who should or shouldn't be on the team.

That's not necessarily a bad thing.

The fact that there are so many difficult — and differing — decisions to be made is not only an indication of the level of talent that Canada has at its disposal, but also an indication of how many Canadians are having gold medal-worthy seasons so far this year.

As of Tuesday, the top three scorers in the NHL were born in Canada. The top-scoring defenseman and the top goal-scoring defenseman are both Canadian. And three of the top four goalies who lead the league in both goals-against average and save percentage (and who have made at least 20 starts) are also Canadian.

In other words, Canadian players have been bringing it. And yet, as you'll see with our final projected picks, there's going to be some talented players missing when Team Canada announces its 24-man roster on Dec. 31.

The Hockey News' senior digital correspondent Adam Proteau made his roster picks earlier this month, but here are managing editor of digital media Michael Traikos and editor in chief Ryan Kennedy's picks for who should make the team.

Players with asterisks were already named to the team, while players in italics are where our rosters are different.

Traikos' Forwards

*Sidney Crosby
*Nathan MacKinnon
*Connor McDavid
*Brayden Point
*Sam Reinhart
Sam Bennett
Macklin Celebrini
Anthony Cirelli
Brandon Hagel
Brad Marchand
Mitch Marner
Mark Scheifele
Nick Suzuki
Tom Wilson

Kennedy's Forwards

*Sidney Crosby
*Nathan MacKinnon
*Connor McDavid
*Brayden Point
*Sam Reinhart
Sam Bennett
Macklin Celebrini
Anthony Cirelli
Brandon Hagel
Brad Marchand
Mitch Marner
Mark Stone
Nick Suzuki
Tom Wilson

This might be the most talented forward corps we've ever seen — not just from Canada, but from every country that has ever played at the Olympics.

Where do we begin? Canada will be led down the middle by Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby, a trio of centers who belong on the Mount Rushmore of the best players of the modern era.

From there, the embarrassment of riches continues, with Macklin Celebrini having earned himself a spot on the team thanks to a sophomore surge where he ranks third in scoring with 60 points in 39 games.

That being said, there are some noticeable omissions.

Connor Bedard, who is tied for 14th in league scoring with 44 points in 31 games, is likely going to be left off the roster because he's currently nursing a shoulder injury. The same goes for Wyatt Johnston, who is tied for 10th overall with 45 points in 39 games, and Morgan Geekie, who is tied for second overall with 25 goals. Meanwhile, Seth Jarvis and Travis Konecny, who were part of Canada's 4 Nations Face-Off roster, were both left off Ryan's and my team.

I don't think that Mark Scheifele, who was famously snubbed at the 4 Nations Face-Off, will be left off this team again. But Ryan went with the more defensively responsible Mark Stone, who had a goal at the 4 Nations. It will also be interesting to see whether Nick Suzuki or Anthony Cirelli wins the job as the fourth-line center, and whether there is a need in the lineup for not only Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand, but also Tom Wilson.

Five Burning Questions Before The Olympic Hockey Roster Reveals Will Team USA be fully healthy? How many role players will the Canadians choose? Who will be Sweden's starting goalie? Here are the questions that remain before the men's Olympic hockey rosters are revealed.

Traikos' Defensemen

*Cale Makar
Jakob Chychrun
Josh Morrissey
Colton Parayko
Devon Toews
Travis Sanheim
Matthew Schaefer
Shea Theodore

Kennedy's Defensemen

*Cale Makar
Jakob Chychrun
Drew Doughty
Josh Morrissey
Travis Sanheim
Matthew Schaefer
Shea Theodore
Devon Toews

Canada's defense is led by Cale Makar, who leads all defensemen with 44 points in 38 games, but he's hardly their only offensive weapon.

Jakob Chychrun, who leads all NHL defensemen with 14 goals, has scored as much as two-time Rocket Richard Trophy winner Auston Matthews this season. Chychrun should get the nod over Dallas' Thomas Harley, who was an injury replacement at the 4 Nations Face-Off but has struggled since signing an eight-year contract extension with a $10.5-million cap hit.

Ryan and I differed on whether 36-year-old Drew Doughty or 6-foot-6 Colton Parayko will make the team, but with all the depth at their disposal, we could be looking at a couple of role players who end up as healthy scratches anyway.

2026 Olympics: Projected Team Canada Roster Before Dec. 31 Deadline The 2026 Olympics are almost here, and it's time to project Team Canada's Olympic roster. The Canadians have plenty of talent to pick from, of all ages, but who is making the final cut?

Traikos' Goalies

Jordan Binnington
Logan Thompson
Scott Wedgewood

Kennedy's Goalies

Jordan Binnington
Darcy Kuemper
Logan Thompson

Let's address the Blues-colored elephant in Canada's dressing room: Binnington has not been one of the country's best goalies this season.

With a 7-8-6 record and an .870 save percentage, he's not even the starting goalie anymore on St. Louis.

But because he led Canada to a win at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February — and because Blues GM Doug Armstrong is picking the team — he's likely to be the starting goalie when the Olympics begin.

That being said, don't be surprised if Logan Thompson, who has a 15-10-3 record with the Washington Capitals, replaces him. 

I gave the nod to Colorado's Scott Wedgewood, who is tied with an NHL-leading 17 wins and first in GAA and save percentage (among goalies who have made at least 20 starts), while Ryan went with the more experienced Darcy Kuemper, who ranks second in GAA and save percentage. 

For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.