The Olympic Games have begun, and the men’s hockey tournament will get underway on February 11th and last until the gold medal game on the 22nd. NHL players are allowed to participate in the Games for the first time since 2014. A select group of players, therefore, will get to call themselves gold medalists when they return to NHL action.
Who that will be is yet to be seen, but when roster construction, scoring depth, and physicality are taken into consideration, Canada stands out above the rest.
The country’s scoring depth is the best there is at the Olympics in 2026, with Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Sidney Crosby looking to take the reins. The three offensive weapons will look to put their team in their backs, creating chances up and down the lineup all tournament long.
Nathan MacKinnon, 30, has been on fire throughout the 2025-26 NHL campaign, leading the league with 40 goals through 58 games. The Colorado Avalanche veteran has made a case for the Hart Trophy alongside two other Canadian teammates, and will get to showcase his abilities in just a few days. The center will most likely be on a line with Brad Marchand and Nick Suzuki, allowing for the scoring to be split evenly across lines.
As for Connor McDavid, he will most likely be centering Macklin Celebrini and Tom Wilson. The 29-year-old recently penned a post for The Player’s Tribune describing what it would be like to win a gold medal, and it’s safe to say he wants to win. That’s not all, though—the center has more than enough skills to impact the game every time he’s on the ice. McDavid brings the kitchen sink to the table for Canada, so to speak, because his scoring ability and speed make him such a threat. Given that he’ll most likely be the most defended forward throughout the Games, his goal scoring could dip, but it’s unlikely McDavid will be kept down for long.
Sidney Crosby brings more than just goal scoring to the table, even though he’s doing plenty of that in year 21. The 38-year-old is one of the few players left in the NHL to have played in the Olympics before, giving Canada an edge when it comes to experience. The Pittsburgh Penguins captain was on the 2014 team that took home a gold medal in Sochi, and he’s looking to do so again in his third trip to the Games. Crosby will most likely skate alongside Mark Stone and Mitch Marner, so he’ll have plenty of chances to contribute once competition starts.
Canada will have no shortage of players willing to put their bodies on the line during the tournament, with Tom Wilson and Sam Bennett on the roster. The two players have all earned reputations for doing whatever it takes to win, making them all assets for a team that will need physicality to match its playing style.
Wilson, a 31-year-old from Toronto, has emerged as one of the game’s most prominent physical players over the past few seasons. While he can also be an offensive contributor, with 23 goals in 50 games this season, the veteran is most known for his ability to impact games physically. There’s speculation that he’ll lead the team in hits by the time the tournament is over, which is a solid bet considering that’s why he was named to the roster in the first place.
Bennett, a late addition to the roster, brings a lot of confidence to the Games in terms of physicality. The forward has been instrumental to the Florida Panthers season so far, in more ways than one.
The center had a bit of a slow start to open 2025-26 after winning the Conn Smythe Trophy last June, but Bennett brings so much to the team in terms of physical presence. The 29-year-old has 72 PIMs in 57 games for the Panthers this season, second to only A.J. Greer (88). Bennett’s willingness to be physical and take penalties will come into play often for Canada, especially considering there is no fighting at this tournament. The center is also more than capable of scoring at a high rate during winner-take-all tournaments, which is something to be on the look for throughout the Olympics.
Canada has done a really good job at putting together a roster that is capable of firing on all cylinders and bringing home a gold medal. The team has the perfect mix of scoring ability and physicality, which will make them very difficult to beat, especially given that the rink is smaller than regulation.
There are a lot of great teams at the Olympics in 2026, and anything can happen, so I can’t wait for the tournament to get underway. There’s a lot at stake during this tournament, from national pride to bragging rights, and I just can’t wait to see best-on-best hockey for the first time in a while.
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