Canada honing in on players to fill out Olympic roster, GM Armstrong says

TORONTO -- Canada shortened its list of men’s hockey prospects for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 when the management group met for several hours Monday.

“I think we’re down to a much more manageable number of players that we’re going to really hone in on in the next month,” general manager Doug Armstrong said. “Our next meeting will be the first week of December. We’re hoping probably to have, I’d say, 80 percent of the team in pencil then and then use that last month to round out that roster.”

Each team’s 25-man roster is due Dec. 31, although how the rosters will be announced has yet to be decided. Armstrong said Canada would scout potential replacement players in January in case of injuries. The tournament will be Feb. 11-22.

“We went obviously by forwards, [defensemen], goalies,” Armstrong said. “Had a good debate on everyone. Confirmed our locks that were there, and not many were added to that, because the competition was so great.”

Armstrong said Canada’s list of prospects now numbers in the high 30s or low 40s.

“The way that I view it is that if you’re not on that list, we’re not going to go out [and find you],” he said. “You have to find us now. … [But] I wouldn’t be shocked that if we get to December there’s somebody that plays so well this month that we’ll hone back in on for that last part.”

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Perhaps the most interesting debates concern young players.

Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard has 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in 16 games, tied for second in the NHL in scoring. San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini has 24 points (10 goals, 14 assists) in 16 games, fourth in the League.

Bedard, the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, is 20. Celebrini, the No. 1 pick of the 2024 NHL Draft, is 19.

“You just look at the way they’re playing right now,” Armstrong said. “They’ve got our attention. But more importantly, they’ve got other participants on Team Canada’s attention, the coach’s attention and hockey in general’s attention, which is great not only for Team Canada. It’s great for the game.”

New York Islanders defenseman Matthew Schaefer is attracting attention too with 11 points (five goals, six assists) in his first 15 NHL games, tied for second among rookies.

Schaefer, the No. 1 pick of the 2025 NHL Draft, is 18. He played only 73 games for Erie of the Ontario Hockey League over the previous two seasons.

“You look at his history, like, I don’t think he played [many] games over the last two years of junior hockey, and now what he’s doing in the NHL, it’s fantastic to watch,” Armstrong said. “And he’s a player that I didn’t think you’d be asking me that question about right now, so kudos for him.”

Goaltending could be tricky.

Canada won the 4 Nations Face-Off last season with Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues as the starter. The backups were Adin Hill of the Vegas Golden Knights and Sam Montembeault of the Montreal Canadiens.

Binnington is 3-5-2 with a 3.34 goals-against average and an .859 save percentage. Hill hasn’t played since Oct. 20 due to a lower-body injury and is 1-0-2 with a 2.73 GAA and an .888 save percentage. Montembeault is 4-3-1 with a 3.46 GAA and an .864 save percentage.

Other candidates include Scott Wedgewood of the Colorado Avalanche and Logan Thompson of the Washington Capitals.

Wedgewood is 9-1-2 with a 2.37 GAA and .906 save percentage. Thompson is 6-4-0 with a 1.61 GAA and .930 save percentage.

Armstrong, the Blues GM, said he would lean on David Alexander, the Blues director of goaltending and Canada’s goalie consultant.

“I think it’s a wide-open competition right now,” Armstrong said.

Canada’s management group met from about 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. ET with NHL general managers in Toronto for the Hockey Hall of Fame induction Monday and the NHL GM meeting Tuesday. (The United States management group was meeting on the same floor of the same downtown hotel.)

Detroit Red Wings GM Steve Yzerman -- who led Canada’s management group to gold at the last two Olympics to involve NHL players, in Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014 -- attended the meeting even though he doesn’t have an official role with Canada at this Olympics.

Assistant coaches Pete DeBoer and Misha Donskov also attended the meeting. DeBoer has traveled to Italy to tour the arena, which is still under construction.

“The next month will really give us an indication on where players are at,” Armstrong said.