Key Takeaways
- The Canadian men’s Olympic hockey team will be announced in one week, with six players already named to the roster: Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makkar, Connor McDavid, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart.
- Young B.C. players Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard are making a case for inclusion, but Bedard’s injury may impact his selection.
- The team’s roster is expected to be similar to the one seen at the Four Nations Face-Off Tournament, with some possible differences.
- Canada’s netminding is a concern, with all three goalies from the Four Nations roster struggling this season.
- The pressure is on Team Canada to bring home a gold medal, with the U.S. being a strong competitor.
Introduction to the Olympic Hockey Team
In exactly one week, the country will finally find out which players will represent Canada’s men’s Olympic hockey team at the upcoming Games in February. It will be the first time NHLers return to the Olympics in 12 years after last representing their country in 2014. Six players have already been named to the roster: Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makkar, Connor McDavid, Brayden Point, and West Vancouver’s Sam Reinhart. Sportsnet 650 Host Josh Elliott-Wolfe tells 1130 NewsRadio that there are a couple of young B.C. players making the conversation interesting.
Young Players Making a Case
Namely, North Vancouver’s Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard. Matthew Schaefer, last year’s first overall pick, is kind of making the waves now as well, but it might be too early because he’s only 18. But Elliott-Wolfe would say most of the attention is on Celebrini and Bedard. The issue is that Bedard has an injury. He’s week-to-week, so we don’t know if he’s going to end up making the team. But Celebrini is making a really good case. He’s third in the league for points right now and, in Elliott-Wolfe’s opinion, should be on the team. Fans have speculated that some young players won’t make the cut this time around because they’ll have many more chances to play at the Olympics, over others who may soon age out.
Experience vs. Youth
Elliott-Wolfe doesn’t agree with this speculation. He’s been of the mind that having the experience at the Olympics is more important than waiting for the next one. He thinks that there’s a benefit to having some youthful energy on the team. And also if you’re planning on these guys being on your team in 2030 and 2034, he thinks the experience of playing in an Olympic tournament can go a long way to helping those tournaments as well. When it comes to grit, one name that’s being floated is Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals, who has 34 points in 36 games so far this season (17g, 17a) and a +16 rating.
Roster Speculation
The physicality Wilson brings would help. He’s not going to fight, obviously. There are different rules, so he’s much less likely to fight at the Olympics. Elliott-Wolfe thinks based on merit, he deserves to be there and having the physical attributes as well can go a long way, even if you’re not fighting. Forward Brandon Hagel is another name Elliott-Wolfe thinks may be on the cusp. The ties for Hagel — Anthony Cirelli is another name he’d put there — they both have the ties to Team Canada Head Coach Jon Cooper, who’s also Tampa Bay’s head coach. The team Cirelli and Hagel play for. A lot of times the head coach is like, ‘I’m comfortable with these guys, and I want them to be on my team.’ That could be their in.
Netminding Concerns
Elliott-Wolfe says it’s likely the roster will mirror the line-up seen at the Four Nations Face-Off Tournament back in February, but he’s dubious about Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett’s chances. He might not be there, even though he scored a pretty big goal at the Four Nations too. He’d be surprised if it’s not super similar, but he thinks there will be a few differences in the roster and you can bring more players to the Olympics, so there should be more options for the team. He says he’s concerned with Canada’s netminding, with all three goalies from the Four Nations roster struggling so far, this regular season. He’d be surprised if Jordan Binnington didn’t make the team, but he doesn’t think he should be the starter.
Competition from the U.S.
Logan Thompson — he wasn’t on the Four Nations roster, mainly because there’s some drama related to his former coach in Vegas — Bruce Cassidy and Pete DeBoer — and there are questions about whether they want him on the team. But based on his play this season, Thompson is undeniably the best goalie Canada has. If he isn’t on the team, it would be a huge detriment to their roster, and he is easily the guy who should be the starter. The pressure on Team Canada to bring home a gold medal has mounted against the backdrop of geopolitical tensions with the U.S. Elliott-Wolfe thinks it’s going to be a two-horse race between Canada and the U.S. Sweden, Finland might make a case and the other countries like Czechia could be competitive, but outside of a major upset, he doesn’t see any big changes.
Conclusion
Elliott-Wolfe is warning Canadians that Team USA doesn’t have many weaknesses, if any. Their defence — and we’ve seen it in Vancouver — it’s going to have Quinn Hughes this time. They didn’t have him at the Four Nations. Zach Werenski has been playing really well. Connor Hellebuyck is the best goalie in the NHL, and he’s going to be their starter. Their forward group is stacked, although some of them are having off years — Auston Matthews isn’t playing as well as he usually does, so if he’s a key piece of them, maybe he’s a bit weaker this year. But Elliott-Wolfe would say both rosters are stacked. If he were to grade them, he’d maybe give the edge to the U.S., mainly because of who they have in net. Team Canada’s first preliminary game is against Czechia on Feb. 12.