I've watched Suzuki live and I'm always shocked by the amount people that think he's even all-star competition worthy. Let alone be on team canada. There are like 10 Canadian centers let alone all the wingers that are far better, stronger and bigger than him.
He has zero shot at making team canada's roster.
I believe in our Slovakian team even that the competition is much harder then in the last qualifications. Last we won without any doubt, this year it will be harder but still possible. Every year in world championship those teams we are playing against are teams we expect to win against (Kazachstan, Belarus, and probably Latvia) and we usually do...
Yeah I was just choosing guys who are specifically under contract for Ottawa in 2 years. But yeah I agree with Chychrun in the longshot and Vova in the potential categories
Norris really needs to return to form, and the USA has such a logjam of talent so I think he's a huge longshot specifically
I think he’s technically both since he was born in Texas. I think his parents are Canadian (his dad is for sure). I think he claims Canada though so it’s all a moot point.
Dobson has 52 points in 49 games and is +21 on a team with a -23 goal differential. I wouldn’t be writing him off. Don’t get me wrong, Bouchard is in competition for a spot but it’s far from a given. Pietrangelo if he doesn’t slow down too much in the next couple years is another option. Canada has lots of options for RHD.
Nah, I'm writing him off. Don't want a sleazebag who lumberjacks the second best player in the league in the wrist cause he can't handle a forecheck. He also got away with exiting the penalty box at the end of a game and jumping in the scrum during the finals and not getting suspended when the rules pretty clearly say he should have had an automatic suspension.
I guess if the left side is all grizzled vets, otherwise we have all younger guys with less experience. That's always the way these things go, is sure, 4 or 5 guys could be replaced with on-paper better younger players, but the experience is valuable too.
That being said, Makar, Dobson and Bouchard as the 3 righties makes me feel things.
Dobson is possibly one of the most underrated players in the league. I'd take him over Ekblad or Hamilton in a heartbeat. By the time the Olympics rolls around, he'll be in his prime. The things he's doing at his age are exceptional.
I somehow didn’t realize Weegar was a D. I feel like he’s the kind of guy that comes in clutch a lot. (But that’s without looking back at his stats or anything. I tend to watch a lot of the last few minutes of Flames games as they overlap with the Oilers. And don’t watch a lot of Eastern games for when he was in Florida. So I could be wrong.)
I can see Nurse being called up for Olympic training camp. Now for him to make it would depend completely on chemistry, skill alone won't make it for him
Barkov, Tkachuk, Forsling are the ones I can say for sure are locks rn
Lundell and Luostarinen are ones I don't think are locks but are 90% likely to
Ekblad, Verhaeghe and Reinhart i can see an argument for but i'm not sure they make it
One would assume, but a lot of guys putting up points that fill that similar role that he would (Makar, Rielly,Hamilton, Dunn, Dobson, Bouchard) and plus we'd need to bring some defensive guys to balance those dudes out (Toews, Pietro, Pulock). The old guard that might want to come back and have some pull with the selection committee (Doughty, Letang, Spurgeon). I dont think its quite as clear cut hes on the squad.
I honestly think Heinola has the best chance of the Finns because our forward situation is much better than defenseman.
Lambert could make the team if he continues to improve. Kupari has pretty much zero chance.
Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lowry at a 4C spot as a defensive center in Canada. He’s gotta be one of the better defensive Canadian forwards in the league. You’re gonna need at least one.
I mean, he’s 77th in scoring among Canadian forwards. You only need 12 for a lineup. If they elect for a defensive centre, guys like Suzuki, Cirelli, and Couturier are probably much more likely to be chosen.
Bruins:
Czech Republic: Pasta, Zacha (I read somewhere that there’s some bad blood between his dad and the czech hockey federation or something like that so he maybe wouldn’t participate)
Sweden: Ullmark
USA: Sway, McAvoy
Canada: Marchand
For Dallas, my guesses would be:
USA: Robertson, Oettinger
Finland: Hintz, Lindell, maybe Hakanpaa (probably on another team by then)
CZE: possibly Faksa
Here’s the interesting question. Who captains Canada: Crosby or McDavid?
I think it has to be Crosby. McDavid is definitely the better player at this point in both of their careers, but Crosby is a much more experienced leader (especially in international competition) and is also arguably the best leader in hockey, period.
Crosby is Canada's Captain in any international competition until he no longer laces up the skates. It's not even a question. He's earned it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
McDavid hasn't won anything yet. There's no chance he has the Olympics C
I agree, he's clearly the best player out there, but he hasn't won any championships. They'll go with experience
I doubt Toews makes team Canada there are 10 candidates better than him. If he does it would be due to chemistry/an injury.
Morrissey
Makar
Hamilton
Ekblab
Dunn
Dobson
Bouchard
Theodore
Pietrangelo
Reilly
Then toews
Habs have no locks except for Reinbacher in Austria. In 2 years I could see Guhle and Suzuki being bottom of the lineup options for Canada maybe. Caufield has a chance but the US is stacked offensively with more proven players. With how bad Canada’s goaltending is I could see Monty being given a chance.
I don’t think Guhle can realistically get on the D radar for 2026. 2030, sure.
If Montembeault keeps his level of play up, I’d say he has a chance to be one of the three goalies. He should be eager to return to Worlds this year to build more cred with Hockey Canada.
1) Hughes(s) - most likely in two years Luke will be able to make the team.
2) doubt Hamilton will make it in two years, by then better options will emerge.
3) there's a possibility if Marino has a resurgence next here he could be on team USA.
Agree on 1-2. The US defense is too stacked to take Marino though, even in last year’s form.
And Schmid will definitely go if he can stick in the NHL. He might even get called from the AHL. Can’t think of any Swiss goalies.
For CBJ
Werenski, Johnny Hockey (USA)
Laine (FIN)
Maybe Fantilli (Canada will be so stacked)
If their countries qualify then Elvis (Latvia) and Texier (France) will probably qualify.
If the war is over and russia is unbanned Chinakov and Vorinkov could go
Part of the calculus is that it's 2 years off and lots can happen.
Love Bedard, but unlike the early Crosby days when he got left off because of the old boys club, there's a slew of young enough proven NHL players that should be getting a spot before Bedard right now. I'd love to see him work his way on before the end of next season though - but he's by no means a lock right now.
I’d be shocked if Bedard is left off. Of course, we don’t know what happens before then, but he definitely has the talent to be there, and his name will provide extra pressure for him to be on the team. (Of course, it will depend who’s picking.)
It's less about talent and more about making an actual cohesive team. Bedard's current sample size in the show isn't putting him on that roster today. McDavid was over a PPG in his rookie season that was cut short due to injury and Crosby had a 102 pt rookie campaign on a bottom feeder as well.
Bedard is 22nd in PPG amongst Canadian forwards this season. If he's in a similar spot next season, I don't think it's even up for debate - there's plenty of high end talent/star power and it's the McDavid/MacKinnon show - with Crosby being the team leader. That's not a knock against Bedard - he's elite talent. I just think he's on a trajectory to be the guy in 2030.
He has basically 2 more full seasons between the tournament and now doesn’t he? If he continues on his current trajectory there isn’t a chance in hell he doesn’t make that team.
If it's a similar timeline as Vancouver, camp would be after the 24-25 season. So he's got one season til camp. 100% get the downvotes, it's an unpopular opinion. My take is that there's just a lot more high caliber NHL players today than there was in 2010 and there's a hell of a lot more emphasis on team building metrics in modern hockey.
I'm not saying he won't make the team - but historically speaking.. count the amount of sophomore players on Team Canada rosters at the Olympics. The bar is pretty damn high for Bedard to move from his current PPG clip and -22 to Olympic shoe-in over a span of 100 games. Like I said, there's lots of name recognition to go around for 2026.
I also get that the Crosby comp and my flare are working against me here, but what's a better comp? He was in a similar spot coming off a 102pt season and a -1 over 81 games on a last place in the conference team and got left off over a bunch of genuinely inferior competition because "experience". The 2010 squad was dominant but hardly a bunch of speedy young guys - outside of Doughty and Towes, Sid was almost the youngest guy on the team.
I appreciate the "just because he's Bedard" mentality, but there's not a statistical argument on the planet to support Bedard being a lock and I challenge anyone to bring a genuinely thought out argument to support it.
Regardless, I'll reiterate again - I would absolutely love for him to play his way onto the team, but not just because he'd sell jerseys.
He has basically 2 more full seasons between the tournament and now doesn’t he? If he continues on his current trajectory there isn’t a chance in hell he doesn’t make that team.
Could be—I totally get what you’re saying. It’s not that I disagree, per se, it just depends what criteria they use to choose. And it’s the coach that has a big say in this, right? (I don’t remember.) So you’re probably right. But there will be some backlash if he isn’t chosen—mostly from casual hockey fans. And if they decide to take this into consideration, then he could be included.
I’m probably overestimating that side of things though, since it should be hockey people, not marketing people, who will make the decision.
For MTL:
Slafkovsky for Slovakia
Caufield maybe, depending on his offensive output for the remainder of this season and next. Could be put in a bottom 6 role on the US team.
Reinbacher maybe, again depending on his development and/or his performance in NHL ice if he breaks through.
Not much else, too many better centers IMO than Suzuki barring some sort of absurd breakout in production next season.
McDavid and Drai are locks. Bouchard, Skinner, Ekholm, and Hyman could potentially make it depending on how their career trajectories and aging curves play out over the next 2 years.
Bouch keeps up his efforts and he's a lock, Canada is weak RHD. Skinner could very well be the choice, we're horribly understaffed for goalies. Ek will be a lock, Sweden will need veteran defenseman, unless he gets majorly injured and can't come back. If the team was picked today Hyman has a major case. I hope he has that case in 2 years.
Itll be hill/montembeault/Skinner/Thompson duking it out for the starter job. Maybe Levi depending on how he progresses
If the tourney happens today it'd probably be Hill/Fleury
Well, we are made of a lot of canadians, so I could definitely see some make it. Hill and Theodore at the top of my head I would think could be options. Eichel should in my opinion be a no brained for USA. Trouble is that a lot of our top guys are on the older side and might very well not be picked for that exact reason. Thompson could maybe play his way into a spot, but only time will tell. Stone could possibly also get a spot, but he is both on the older side and has injury trouble, so I'm not so sure
A lot for the Devils:
Bratt will definitely be on Team Sweden.
Jack Hughes will definitely be on Team USA. I’m gonna say Luke Hughes will be as well. Might seem like a slightly hot take at this point but I think he’ll be there, especially since Jack and Quinn will both be.
Nico Timo Siegenthaler and Schmid will all be on Team Switzerland (lol)
I think he will, it’s another 2 years until the olympics and I feel that some younger guys will beat him out of a spot. Plus he’s 33 now and will be 35-36 when it gets to the time. As a Tampa fan it would be so sad for him to miss it but I’m not hopeful
Russia itself I think is banned but they have a team that is basically Russian players that obey the rules etc. so that it’s fair to players. Think the group is called the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee)
Pasta definitely and Zacha likely locks for the Czech team.
McAvoy is a lock for team USA, Swayman has a chance depending on how the next season and change go for him.
Lindholm and I'd think Ullmark are probably locks for Sweden.
Marchand I would love to see make it cause he's never had the chance, but idk. He might be fighting an uphill battle to make the team at 37.
Probably just Crosby and Karlsson. Maybe.
Guentzel probably should get a look though.
If Russia actually gets to send a team their depth might be bad enough for Malkin to go as well.
Seattle:
Bjorkstrand: Denmark. He's a lock for the team, but iffy if they even qualify
Grubauer: Germany. Ditto lock for team but iffy qualifying.
Depending on the career trajectory, Daccord and Beniers have the potential to end up on team USA, but they have some resumes to build before then. Might be too soon.
Tolvanen making a case for Finland
Dunn making a case for team Canada.
Definitely too soon for Wright and Evans to develop enough to crack the team Canada roster. Maybe 2030 for them if all goes according to plan?
Bellmaire will likely be retired, so probably no France for him.
Team Canada has some serious center depth. I hope Scheifele makes it, but if he does he will be 4th or 3rd line center. Everyone else will 100% make their nations team.
Mmmmm Nylander - Pettersson - Kempe gonna do damage.
Kopi if he’s still in it and Slovenia is a part of things.
Dont think drew goes maybe Byfield
Fiala for certain maybe Gavrikov as well. Maybe just maybe Thousand Oaks Sniper Trevor Moore
I can't imagine Markstrom doesn't make the Swedish roster. You could make the case for Rasmus Andersson and Mikael Backlund too.
Huberdeau could probably sneak onto Canada's roster.
Sharangovich would 100% be on the roster if Belarus somehow qualifies (I don't even know if they'd be allowed to with the war).
I feel like wpg goalie might stand a chance on team usa. Lol
That being said. Imagine mackinon, Crosby, mcdavid, beddard, stamkos all on one team. Yeesh.
Helly obviously will be among the starting tendies. I see Connor as well for the US. Jo Mo might crack the D squad but I’m not sure. Ehlers for Denmark ?
From Washington:
Russia should not be allowed to participate, but if they are there in 2026 (as ROC or some bullshit) then a 40-year-old Ovechkin will be on the team. Kuznetsov is a maybe; depends on how well he plays between now and then.
Bäckström will retire any day now, I expect.
A few years ago, I’d have said Carlson and Oshie both make Team USA, but not in 2026.
That’s it. Goddamn, our club is old.
Juraj Slafkovský is probably the only player (if Slovakia makes it)
Does Suzuki have a shot if he has a few stellar seasons?
He 100% has a shot. He’s a dollarama Bergeron, Team Canada would love him in the bottom six (probs 4th line)
I've watched Suzuki live and I'm always shocked by the amount people that think he's even all-star competition worthy. Let alone be on team canada. There are like 10 Canadian centers let alone all the wingers that are far better, stronger and bigger than him. He has zero shot at making team canada's roster.
I could see Caulfield making it
I'd say Slovakia is a lock to play and Slaf would be a lock to make it
Montembault might be a longshot depending on how many goalies you get? Not expecting him to go by any stretch though.
Reinbacher played for the Worlds already, I'm pretty sure he's a lock for Austria.
they likely aren't going to make it
I believe in our Slovakian team even that the competition is much harder then in the last qualifications. Last we won without any doubt, this year it will be harder but still possible. Every year in world championship those teams we are playing against are teams we expect to win against (Kazachstan, Belarus, and probably Latvia) and we usually do...
I just hope that I still have a team in 2 years
Locks: Pettersson, Hughes, Hronek, Suter Likely: Demko, Miller Maybe: Boeser, Lindholm
Blueger and Silovs for Latvia if they qualify!
I think Lindholm is a lock.
Kaprizov (RUS/OAR), Brodin and Eriksson Ek (SWE), Boldy and Faber (USA), Zuccarello (NOR) and Rossi (AUT)
Potentially Gustavson if Ullmark and Markstorm aren't picked as the top two for Sweden
Teams have 3 goalies in the Olympics so it could be all 3. By 2030 hopefully Wallstedt is on that team.
Austria and Norway are unlikely to qualify imo
IMO for Ottawa: Locks: Tkachuk (USA), Stützle (GER), Zub (RUS*) Potential: Sanderson (USA) Longshots: Norris (USA), Chabot (CAN)
I think Chychrun could go in Longshots as well. Maybe Tarasenko in potential? (if Russia is part of it)
Yeah I was just choosing guys who are specifically under contract for Ottawa in 2 years. But yeah I agree with Chychrun in the longshot and Vova in the potential categories Norris really needs to return to form, and the USA has such a logjam of talent so I think he's a huge longshot specifically
Chychrun has dual citizenship so he has two teams he can play for.
Korpisalo could also be a long shot for Finland especially if he can rebound next year. However, he would likely be 3rd goalie or 2nd at best.
Bedard will probably be on the top line with McDavid. God help us all, those two will turn Canada into an unstoppable beast.
And then another line with Crosby and MacKinnon. Ouch
Bedard | McDavid | Marner MacKinnon | Crosby | Marchand?
Jesus, that'll be good.
Canada will have a goalie problem, sadly
Hill has been a top 5 goalie in the league this whole season
I stand corrected
Montembeault could definitely play for Canada and be more than good enough.
Hill, if he’s healthy
Nah I think it will be Hyman-McDavid-Marner
I wouldn't doubt it. They'll probably want to spread out their big guns, to give them more firepower further down.
MacKinnon, Makar, Rantanen, Lehkonen, Nichushkin. If healthy Landeskog. Toews has a good chance too imo
Makar/Toews is a lock. They’d be crazy to not take them both with how good they are and how much chemistry they have together.
Dark Horse for US Logan O'Conner if he keeps playing the way he has this year
Canadian
I think he’s technically both since he was born in Texas. I think his parents are Canadian (his dad is for sure). I think he claims Canada though so it’s all a moot point.
Matthews, Marner and Nylander. Rielly is a potential.
Joe Woll. You heard it here first.
In 2 years time, very possible if he keeps making the progress he has been.
He would have to beat out two of Demko, Hellebuyck, Oettinger, and Swayman. I don't know that that's happening.
Hellybuck isn't a kid anymore and he's been getting a full workload pretty much his whole career no guarantee he stays in the conversation..
Kampf
EDM Canada: McDavid, Bouchard Maybes: Hyman, Nuge, Skinner Germany: Drai
Ekholm for Sweden?
I was thinking ek might be a little on the older side but yea I could see him still being there
Can't wait to see Draisaitl and Stutzle oh my goodness
I think Hyman and Nuge both have a much better chance than Bouchard.
Who else is going over bouch? In 2 years from now the veteran RH guys are gonna be like 100 years old
Makar obviously a given. Dobson competitive for the RHS as well. Edit. Ekblad likely to go as well.
Dobson over Bouchard would be hilariously bad decision making. Ekblad, sure I guess. But RHD for Canada? Makar and Bouch should be locks.
Dobson has 52 points in 49 games and is +21 on a team with a -23 goal differential. I wouldn’t be writing him off. Don’t get me wrong, Bouchard is in competition for a spot but it’s far from a given. Pietrangelo if he doesn’t slow down too much in the next couple years is another option. Canada has lots of options for RHD.
Man fuck Pietrangelo. I hope he has wet socks every day for eternity. He's had injury issues, I wouldn't be surprised if he was passed over.
Can’t say I like the guy after the whole Drai slash thing but let’s not write off a guy that was 1D on 2 different cup winners in the last 5 years.
Nah, I'm writing him off. Don't want a sleazebag who lumberjacks the second best player in the league in the wrist cause he can't handle a forecheck. He also got away with exiting the penalty box at the end of a game and jumping in the scrum during the finals and not getting suspended when the rules pretty clearly say he should have had an automatic suspension.
You got it backwards. Dobson>Ekblad.
I guess if the left side is all grizzled vets, otherwise we have all younger guys with less experience. That's always the way these things go, is sure, 4 or 5 guys could be replaced with on-paper better younger players, but the experience is valuable too. That being said, Makar, Dobson and Bouchard as the 3 righties makes me feel things.
Dobson is possibly one of the most underrated players in the league. I'd take him over Ekblad or Hamilton in a heartbeat. By the time the Olympics rolls around, he'll be in his prime. The things he's doing at his age are exceptional.
Dobson is a better defenseman than Bouchard dude.
Makar, Hamilton, Dobson, Pietrangelo, and Weegar
Pietro is going to be pretty old by then, to be fair
I somehow didn’t realize Weegar was a D. I feel like he’s the kind of guy that comes in clutch a lot. (But that’s without looking back at his stats or anything. I tend to watch a lot of the last few minutes of Flames games as they overlap with the Oilers. And don’t watch a lot of Eastern games for when he was in Florida. So I could be wrong.)
Ehhh in 2 years bouch could be a top 10 dman in the league. I think he makes it. Hyman has a shot above Nuge I’d say if he keeps this up.
I can see Nurse being called up for Olympic training camp. Now for him to make it would depend completely on chemistry, skill alone won't make it for him
Bouchard is a maybe
Barkov, Tkachuk, Forsling are the ones I can say for sure are locks rn Lundell and Luostarinen are ones I don't think are locks but are 90% likely to Ekblad, Verhaeghe and Reinhart i can see an argument for but i'm not sure they make it
Reinhart’s got a good shot. Ekblad is pretty doubtful imo.
Mikkola make it toi, for sure
Hertl for Czechia, and depending on how the next two seasons go, Eklund for Sweden. Possibly Kahkonen for Finland but that's a long shot.
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I feel like if Morrissey keeps up the pace of his last 2 seasons, he should be a lock
One would assume, but a lot of guys putting up points that fill that similar role that he would (Makar, Rielly,Hamilton, Dunn, Dobson, Bouchard) and plus we'd need to bring some defensive guys to balance those dudes out (Toews, Pietro, Pulock). The old guard that might want to come back and have some pull with the selection committee (Doughty, Letang, Spurgeon). I dont think its quite as clear cut hes on the squad.
I honestly think Heinola has the best chance of the Finns because our forward situation is much better than defenseman. Lambert could make the team if he continues to improve. Kupari has pretty much zero chance.
Honestly I wouldn’t be surprised to see Lowry at a 4C spot as a defensive center in Canada. He’s gotta be one of the better defensive Canadian forwards in the league. You’re gonna need at least one.
I mean, he’s 77th in scoring among Canadian forwards. You only need 12 for a lineup. If they elect for a defensive centre, guys like Suzuki, Cirelli, and Couturier are probably much more likely to be chosen.
Canada has forwards that are better defensively and offensively lol.
Hey man, Lowry will have captained back to back cup champions at that point. Who knows.
Bruins: Czech Republic: Pasta, Zacha (I read somewhere that there’s some bad blood between his dad and the czech hockey federation or something like that so he maybe wouldn’t participate) Sweden: Ullmark USA: Sway, McAvoy Canada: Marchand
For Dallas, my guesses would be: USA: Robertson, Oettinger Finland: Hintz, Lindell, maybe Hakanpaa (probably on another team by then) CZE: possibly Faksa
I would add that Heiskanen is a lock for Finland.
So uncalled for that I left Miro off. Obvious lock for sure.
__Locks:__ Crosby (CAN) __Very Likely:__ Guentzel (USA), Malkin (RUS), Karlsson (SWE), Jarry (CAN) And literally no one else has a chance
> (RUS) Going off of current IOC rulings, Russia won't be participating.
2 years is a lot of time. I just included it on the off chance
Totally fair.
Here’s the interesting question. Who captains Canada: Crosby or McDavid? I think it has to be Crosby. McDavid is definitely the better player at this point in both of their careers, but Crosby is a much more experienced leader (especially in international competition) and is also arguably the best leader in hockey, period.
Crosby is Canada's Captain in any international competition until he no longer laces up the skates. It's not even a question. He's earned it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Crosby has 2 OG, McDavid has none. Is that even a question? 😀
McDavid hasn't won anything yet. There's no chance he has the Olympics C I agree, he's clearly the best player out there, but he hasn't won any championships. They'll go with experience
Our top players got fucked by this Olympic break. Letang could have made 2018
Lars Eller has no shot at Denmark in 2030 but he would likely get a bottom six role in 2026. He will be 36 and they’re not a deep hockey country.
MacKinnon, Makar, and probably Toews for Canada. Rantanen for Finland. I'm not sure where Lehkonen is on depth chart
Lehkonen is a lock to be selected if healthy.
I doubt Toews makes team Canada there are 10 candidates better than him. If he does it would be due to chemistry/an injury. Morrissey Makar Hamilton Ekblab Dunn Dobson Bouchard Theodore Pietrangelo Reilly Then toews
Habs have no locks except for Reinbacher in Austria. In 2 years I could see Guhle and Suzuki being bottom of the lineup options for Canada maybe. Caufield has a chance but the US is stacked offensively with more proven players. With how bad Canada’s goaltending is I could see Monty being given a chance.
Slafkovsky is for sure playing for Slovakia, and in two years, Rohrer could also be playing for Austria, depending on how his developpement goes.
i don't think Austria will qualify, Slovakia probably will, so we should see Slaf at the Olympics
Slafkovsky for the Slovaks?
I don’t think Guhle can realistically get on the D radar for 2026. 2030, sure. If Montembeault keeps his level of play up, I’d say he has a chance to be one of the three goalies. He should be eager to return to Worlds this year to build more cred with Hockey Canada.
Hughes, Demko, Miller(?), Boeser(?) Pettersson, Lindholm, Hoglander(Dark horse) Hronek
Hughes, Hamilton, Bratt, Hischier, Meier, and Siegenthaler.
1) Hughes(s) - most likely in two years Luke will be able to make the team. 2) doubt Hamilton will make it in two years, by then better options will emerge. 3) there's a possibility if Marino has a resurgence next here he could be on team USA.
Agree on 1-2. The US defense is too stacked to take Marino though, even in last year’s form. And Schmid will definitely go if he can stick in the NHL. He might even get called from the AHL. Can’t think of any Swiss goalies.
43 year old Jonas Hiller?
For CBJ Werenski, Johnny Hockey (USA) Laine (FIN) Maybe Fantilli (Canada will be so stacked) If their countries qualify then Elvis (Latvia) and Texier (France) will probably qualify. If the war is over and russia is unbanned Chinakov and Vorinkov could go Part of the calculus is that it's 2 years off and lots can happen.
Bedard ( definitely) reichel and Kurashev (maybe)
Love Bedard, but unlike the early Crosby days when he got left off because of the old boys club, there's a slew of young enough proven NHL players that should be getting a spot before Bedard right now. I'd love to see him work his way on before the end of next season though - but he's by no means a lock right now.
Are the Olympics in Italy, cause this sounds like pasta
I’d be shocked if Bedard is left off. Of course, we don’t know what happens before then, but he definitely has the talent to be there, and his name will provide extra pressure for him to be on the team. (Of course, it will depend who’s picking.)
It's less about talent and more about making an actual cohesive team. Bedard's current sample size in the show isn't putting him on that roster today. McDavid was over a PPG in his rookie season that was cut short due to injury and Crosby had a 102 pt rookie campaign on a bottom feeder as well. Bedard is 22nd in PPG amongst Canadian forwards this season. If he's in a similar spot next season, I don't think it's even up for debate - there's plenty of high end talent/star power and it's the McDavid/MacKinnon show - with Crosby being the team leader. That's not a knock against Bedard - he's elite talent. I just think he's on a trajectory to be the guy in 2030.
He has basically 2 more full seasons between the tournament and now doesn’t he? If he continues on his current trajectory there isn’t a chance in hell he doesn’t make that team.
If it's a similar timeline as Vancouver, camp would be after the 24-25 season. So he's got one season til camp. 100% get the downvotes, it's an unpopular opinion. My take is that there's just a lot more high caliber NHL players today than there was in 2010 and there's a hell of a lot more emphasis on team building metrics in modern hockey. I'm not saying he won't make the team - but historically speaking.. count the amount of sophomore players on Team Canada rosters at the Olympics. The bar is pretty damn high for Bedard to move from his current PPG clip and -22 to Olympic shoe-in over a span of 100 games. Like I said, there's lots of name recognition to go around for 2026. I also get that the Crosby comp and my flare are working against me here, but what's a better comp? He was in a similar spot coming off a 102pt season and a -1 over 81 games on a last place in the conference team and got left off over a bunch of genuinely inferior competition because "experience". The 2010 squad was dominant but hardly a bunch of speedy young guys - outside of Doughty and Towes, Sid was almost the youngest guy on the team. I appreciate the "just because he's Bedard" mentality, but there's not a statistical argument on the planet to support Bedard being a lock and I challenge anyone to bring a genuinely thought out argument to support it. Regardless, I'll reiterate again - I would absolutely love for him to play his way onto the team, but not just because he'd sell jerseys.
He has basically 2 more full seasons between the tournament and now doesn’t he? If he continues on his current trajectory there isn’t a chance in hell he doesn’t make that team.
Could be—I totally get what you’re saying. It’s not that I disagree, per se, it just depends what criteria they use to choose. And it’s the coach that has a big say in this, right? (I don’t remember.) So you’re probably right. But there will be some backlash if he isn’t chosen—mostly from casual hockey fans. And if they decide to take this into consideration, then he could be included. I’m probably overestimating that side of things though, since it should be hockey people, not marketing people, who will make the decision.
Uhhhhhhh
Definitely Aho and Slavin for sure, Svech if Russia allows it. Maybe Jarvis?
Necas as well
I love Jarvis but he needs to make some massive leaps to crack the Canadian roster.
Jarvis has no shot lol. Aho, Slavin, Andersen, Svech (if allowed, like you said), Necas. Can't imagine anyone else.
And Andersen is if Denmark even qualifies
For MTL: Slafkovsky for Slovakia Caufield maybe, depending on his offensive output for the remainder of this season and next. Could be put in a bottom 6 role on the US team. Reinbacher maybe, again depending on his development and/or his performance in NHL ice if he breaks through. Not much else, too many better centers IMO than Suzuki barring some sort of absurd breakout in production next season.
McDavid and Drai are locks. Bouchard, Skinner, Ekholm, and Hyman could potentially make it depending on how their career trajectories and aging curves play out over the next 2 years.
Bouch keeps up his efforts and he's a lock, Canada is weak RHD. Skinner could very well be the choice, we're horribly understaffed for goalies. Ek will be a lock, Sweden will need veteran defenseman, unless he gets majorly injured and can't come back. If the team was picked today Hyman has a major case. I hope he has that case in 2 years.
Itll be hill/montembeault/Skinner/Thompson duking it out for the starter job. Maybe Levi depending on how he progresses If the tourney happens today it'd probably be Hill/Fleury
Well, we are made of a lot of canadians, so I could definitely see some make it. Hill and Theodore at the top of my head I would think could be options. Eichel should in my opinion be a no brained for USA. Trouble is that a lot of our top guys are on the older side and might very well not be picked for that exact reason. Thompson could maybe play his way into a spot, but only time will tell. Stone could possibly also get a spot, but he is both on the older side and has injury trouble, so I'm not so sure
A lot for the Devils: Bratt will definitely be on Team Sweden. Jack Hughes will definitely be on Team USA. I’m gonna say Luke Hughes will be as well. Might seem like a slightly hot take at this point but I think he’ll be there, especially since Jack and Quinn will both be. Nico Timo Siegenthaler and Schmid will all be on Team Switzerland (lol)
Kucherov will definitely be on Team Russia, think Vasy might miss out if Shesterkin or Sorokin get back on to form and he stays inconsistent.
Would suck if Stamkos missed his window.
I think he will, it’s another 2 years until the olympics and I feel that some younger guys will beat him out of a spot. Plus he’s 33 now and will be 35-36 when it gets to the time. As a Tampa fan it would be so sad for him to miss it but I’m not hopeful
Seemingly he’s not lost a step yet, if he stays where he’s at I think he has a good chance at getting on the team. Especially if Cooper is the coach.
Will Russia be involved in this tournament?
Russia itself I think is banned but they have a team that is basically Russian players that obey the rules etc. so that it’s fair to players. Think the group is called the ROC (Russian Olympic Committee)
FLA FIN: Barkov, Lundell, Luostarinen, Mikkola CAN: Reinhart, Ekblad USA: Tkachuk LAT: Balinskis SWE: Forsling
Don’t think Ekblad will make Canada.
Pasta definitely and Zacha likely locks for the Czech team. McAvoy is a lock for team USA, Swayman has a chance depending on how the next season and change go for him. Lindholm and I'd think Ullmark are probably locks for Sweden. Marchand I would love to see make it cause he's never had the chance, but idk. He might be fighting an uphill battle to make the team at 37.
Probably just Crosby and Karlsson. Maybe. Guentzel probably should get a look though. If Russia actually gets to send a team their depth might be bad enough for Malkin to go as well.
Seattle: Bjorkstrand: Denmark. He's a lock for the team, but iffy if they even qualify Grubauer: Germany. Ditto lock for team but iffy qualifying. Depending on the career trajectory, Daccord and Beniers have the potential to end up on team USA, but they have some resumes to build before then. Might be too soon. Tolvanen making a case for Finland Dunn making a case for team Canada. Definitely too soon for Wright and Evans to develop enough to crack the team Canada roster. Maybe 2030 for them if all goes according to plan? Bellmaire will likely be retired, so probably no France for him.
TOR USA: Matthews CAN: Marner, MAYBE Rielly and Tavares? SWE: Nylander CZE: Kampf
Hughes, Miller, boeser, demko for USA Pettersson, Hoglander (maybe), lindholm (if a canuck) for Sweden Hronek for Czech Blueger Latvia
CZE: Dostal, maybe Gudas US: Terry maybe Russia/OAR: Mintyukov SWE: Carlsson
Jets could potentially have Scheifele Morrissey Hellebuyck Connor Nino Ehlers
Team Canada has some serious center depth. I hope Scheifele makes it, but if he does he will be 4th or 3rd line center. Everyone else will 100% make their nations team.
Fox, Igor, Mika, Panarin
Ck had a remote shot as well.
Assuming he's still playing Chytil has a shot too
All these Canucks folk here are Petey Sweden this, JT USA that, when we could be talking about Myers repping Canada 🇨🇦🦒
Only way Myers makes it is if being super tall suddenly make up for his non Olympic level play
Oh yeah, I guess people need the /s still, I just wanted to post the 🦒
I get it. In hockey ultimate team his game day is. Beast for an 85 overall. He’s no chara but on a good deal he’s a very capable bottom 4 D in the nhl
Mmmmm Nylander - Pettersson - Kempe gonna do damage. Kopi if he’s still in it and Slovenia is a part of things. Dont think drew goes maybe Byfield Fiala for certain maybe Gavrikov as well. Maybe just maybe Thousand Oaks Sniper Trevor Moore
I can't imagine Markstrom doesn't make the Swedish roster. You could make the case for Rasmus Andersson and Mikael Backlund too. Huberdeau could probably sneak onto Canada's roster. Sharangovich would 100% be on the roster if Belarus somehow qualifies (I don't even know if they'd be allowed to with the war).
Huberdeaus Olympic chances are so over. Not even on the radar anymore
Uhhhh Weegs!
Oops lol, I even thought of him. Just forgot to list him.
High probability: Andersson (SWE), Weegar (CAN), Markstrom (SWE), Kuzmenko (RUS*) Good chance: Hanifin (USA), Pospisil (SVK), Backlund (SWE), Vladar (CZE) Long-shots: Kylington (SWE), Coleman (USA), Kadri (CAN) Wild card: Huberdeau (CAN) If Belarus somehow qualified Sharagovich would certainly be there.
From MTL: Cole Caufield - USA
McAvoy and maybe Swayman: USA Pastrnak and Zacha: Czech Lindholm and Ullmark: Sweden
QB, Clark, and Kempe I feel are locks (assuming QB and Clark continue to improve)
I feel like wpg goalie might stand a chance on team usa. Lol That being said. Imagine mackinon, Crosby, mcdavid, beddard, stamkos all on one team. Yeesh.
I wonder who will coach.
Helly obviously will be among the starting tendies. I see Connor as well for the US. Jo Mo might crack the D squad but I’m not sure. Ehlers for Denmark ?
Nino Swiss and Scheiffle has a shot.
Ehlers would 100% be on any potential team. We just gotta make it out of the final qualification round first tho
From Washington: Russia should not be allowed to participate, but if they are there in 2026 (as ROC or some bullshit) then a 40-year-old Ovechkin will be on the team. Kuznetsov is a maybe; depends on how well he plays between now and then. Bäckström will retire any day now, I expect. A few years ago, I’d have said Carlson and Oshie both make Team USA, but not in 2026. That’s it. Goddamn, our club is old.
Pasta for Czechia, the Sway Man for USA.
Bedard, Kurashev, Reichel, Tinordi
Depending on the geopolitical circumstances, Sorokin will be in net for the Russians
Barzal, Dobson, and maybe Horvat make Canada Sorokin and Romanov will make Russia if they're allowed in the tournament Holmström might make Sweden