A way to early look at Team Canada’s 2026 Olympic Roster
As like many international hockey tournaments, Team Canada will most likely be the favourites for this tournament due to their success at previous events and with the amount of star power that each team possesses. And for the team that will represent the country in 2026, it will surely contain tons of skill and excitement for our fans to watch at home.
Forward Lines
The top forward lines of this squad are absolutely nasty. On the top line, you have the 2020 NHL draft's top prospect in Alexis Lafreniere, playing alongside 2 of the top 4 players in the world in Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. Lafreniere is basically guaranteed to be an impact player in the NHL in the near future and pairing him with two fast skaters like McDavid and a MacKinnon will only benefit this team in the long run. On the 2nd line, I have Connor Bedard, Shane Wright and Mitch Marner. Connor Bedard was granted exceptional status by Hockey Canada earlier this year to play in the WHL a year earlier. He’s a dangerous offensive threat who can shoot the puck from anywhere on the ice. Having him play with 2 playmakers in Wright and Marner will only allow this team to score more goals in this tournament. Bedard is eligible for the 2023 NHL draft. If you don’t know who Shane Wright is, he’s the top ranked prospect for the 2022 NHL draft. He has the potential to contend for the best player in the world title at some point in his career, so having him gain valuable experience at a young age will surely benefit him. He’s a really good playmaker who will be able to set up Bedard for many goals due to his amazing hockey sense and playmaking ability. Having Mitch Marner on this line provides valuable speed and energy that will allow him to cut around guys to make plays, setting up Bedard and Wright to put a lot of goals past the other teams netminder. Marner will be the oldest player on this line, so him mentoring the kids will only help them grow as hockey players. On the third line, I have Quinton Byfield, Brayden Point and Mathew Barzal. Byfield is the 2nd best Canadian in the 2020 NHL draft. He’s 6’4 and can make plays at a high level. He has untapped potential in the physical side of his game. If he starts to hit guys, boy oh boy will you have to watch out fellas. I have Brayden Point as the 3rd line center. He’s a reliable 2 way player that can play in all three zones. He can win draws, kill penalties, make plays etc. He’ll be a perfect player to be Canada’s 3rd line center at the 2026 Winter Olympics. I have Mathew Barzal playing alongside these 2. Barzal has really good skating ability, as well as playmaking ability. Having him skate down the ice at a very high speed with guys like Byfield will only benefit the team moving forward. On the 4th line, I call this the veteran line. You have guys like Huberdeau, Couturier and Stone who are 2 way machines. They will be veterans on this team because they’ll be in their 30s and will be able to do things like kill penalties, play against the other teams top lines, etc. Some honourable mentions are guys like Matthew Savoie and Sidney Crosby. Matthew Savoie is the 3rd member of the 3 headed monster in the 2022 NHL draft. He just missed this list and will probably be on the roster for Canada at the 2030 Olympics. You may think this is crazy, but Sidney Crosby could still make the 2026 Winter Olympics, if he doesn’t fall off in his play. He will bring valuable experience to this team with all the accomplishments that he’s won.
Defensive Pairings
Team Canada’s blueline for the 2026 Winter Olympics will be stacked. You’ve got the top pair of Thomas Chabot and Cale Makar. Chabot can play in all situations and will be relied upon to be an effective 2 way defender for this Canadian team. I think we all know how good of an offensive defenseman Cale Makar is. He will most likely quarterback Canada’s top power play at this tournament and will be relied upon to deliver. On the second pair, I have Bowen Byram and Brandt Clarke. Bowen Byram will be another 2 way defender who may be a part of one of Canada’s power plays at this tournament. I have Brandt Clarke being Byram’s partner and also as the 2nd best player available in the 2021 NHL draft. I believe that he’s an A+ prospect that you shouldn’t pass up on (unless it's Jesper Wallstedt) in the 2021 draft. Him and Byram will form a dangerous threat for Canada at the 2026 games. On the 3rd pair, I have Morgan Rielly and Aaron Ekblad. These 2 will bring valuable experience and will be able to play on the penalty kill. Both defenders are the best on their team and will hopefully make the Canadian roster in 2026. Some honourable mentions include Tristan Luneau and Owen Power. Luneau is a part of the Gatineau Olympiques stacked young core and will surely be the best dman on their team. Owen Power is a massive 6’5 defender that can move incredibly well for his size. He may make the team and will be able to be an effective 2way player.
Goaltenders
For the 2026 Winter Olympics, it’s Carter Hart’s net to lose. He’ll be in his prime winning many games with the Philadelphia Flyers. He’ll probably win a Vezina or 2 before this tournament, which is scary because he has so much skill already in net at only 21 years of age. This was a fairly easy choice for me due to Hart’s upside and recent participation for Team Canada at events like the World Juniors. I think that Tristan Jarry will become the backup to Carter Hart for this tournament. Jarry is a reliable calm goaltender who will only keep getting better. For the third string goalie spot, I have Jordan Binnington taking that spot. He will bring experience to the goalies if they need it. Other potential candidates include guys like Matt Murray, Darcy Kuemper, Carey Price and Sebastian Cossa. If Matt Murray gets a fresh start with a new team in 2020-21, he can finally clear the nerves out of his brain and come back to being an effective goalie in the net. Darcy Kuemper was lights out for Arizona this season and may even have won the Vezina if he’d stayed healthy. He’s a strong goalie for the Yotes and may be a dark horse to make this team in 2026. You know, Carey Price may make the team in 2026. Although he’ll be 37, he can bring a tremendous amount of experience in net for Hart if he needs it. Price won’t be the starter, but he may make the team. The last goalie I will mention as a potential candidate for the 2026 team is Sebastian Cossa. Cossa was an effective goalie for the Edmonton Oil Kings this year and will be one of the top goalies taken in the 2021 NHL draft.
Leadership group predictions:
Captain - Connor McDavid
Assistant captain #1 - Nathan MacKinnon
Assistant captain #2 - Thomas Chabot
By: Luka Tkalcevic (Instagram: luka_tkalcevic, futurehockeystars)
Comments
Post a Comment