Team Canada announced the 42 NHLers invited to its orientation camp for the upcoming Olympics in Milano Cortina on Friday, and the list includes three Montreal Canadiens [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens]. Of the three Habs invited, two weren’t part of the national team for the 4 Nations Face-Off: Nick Suzuki and Noah Dobson. Dobson did, however, play for Canada at the World Championships in May. The final Montreal player invited was Samuel Montembeaul, who acted as Canada’s third-string goalie at the 4 Nations. What’s surprising, however, is the fact that out of the 42 players invited, only three are goaltenders. The netminding job sparked great debate ahead of the 4 Nations, with no one particularly standing out. In the end, the Canadian outfit elected to go with St. Louis Blues [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/st-louis-blues]’ Jordan Binnington, Vegas Golden Knights’ [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vegas-golden-knights] Aidan Hill, and, of course, Montembeault. Canadiens: Against Their Once-Upon-A-Time Big Rivals [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-against-their-once-upon-a-time-big-rivals] Canadiens: Have They Got The Best 25 And Under Core? [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-have-they-got-the-best-25-and-under-core] 3 Canadiens Invited To Canada's 2026 Olympic Orientation Camp [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/3-canadiens-invited-to-canada-s-2026-olympic-orientation-camp] Although Canada is no longer a major producer of goaltenders, 25 Canadian goaltenders played in the NHL last season. One would have expected the national team to keep the door open for alternates in case of injuries, at the very least. Washington Capitals’ [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/washington-capitals] Logan Thompson could have been a viable option. Still, he was reportedly left off the 4 Nations roster because assistant coaches Bruce Cassidy and Peter DeBoer didn’t have a good experience with him in Vegas. [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEAP-XOpp-w&t=4318s] Since they will both be part of the Olympics coaching team, the justification must be the same. Los Angeles Kings’ [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/los-angeles-kings] 35-year-old netminder Darcy Kuemper could also have been a possibility. He started 50 games with the Californian outfit last season and posted a 31-11-7 record with a 2.02 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage. Jet Greaves could also have been an intriguing alternative. The 24-year-old almost managed to lead the Columbus Blue Jackets [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/columbus-blue-jackets] to the playoffs last season when he joined them down the stretch. He only played 11 games, but had a 1.91 GAA and a .938 SV. Granted, he wasn’t exactly impressive when he joined the Cleveland Monsters for their playoff run in the AHL, but still. In any case, the fact that only three goaltenders were invited is good news for the Canadiens’ masked man; he will get plenty of valuable experience by just going to the Olympics, even if he doesn’t get to see any action. The Becancour native was over the moon with his experience at the 4 Nations. Montembeault enjoyed practising with the best-of-the-best and facing shots from the likes of Connor McDavid and Sidney Crosby every day. Making the Olympics is a much more prestigious achievement than being selected for an NHL-created event, though, and Montembeault will be living the dream if he boards the plane to Milan Cortina in February. Photo credit: Eric Bolte-Imagn Images -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwo-DfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen], never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains [https://x.com/KarineHains] Bluesky @karinehains.bsky.social [https://bsky.app/profile/karinehains.bsky.social] and Threads @karinehains [https://www.threads.net/@karinehains]. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/] for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens. Join the discussion by signing up to the Canadiens' roundtable [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens] on The Hockey News.
