By the time Canada's men's national hockey team management team emerges from marathon meetings on Tuesday, up to 80 per cent of the roster heading to Italy next February should be written in pen.
In June, six players were named to the men's Olympic team: Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, Brayden Point and Sam Reinhart.
Management has since whittled down the longer list of players vying for the right to wear the maple leaf in the first Olympics involving NHL players since 2014.
That management group, led by general manager Doug Armstrong, will meet starting Sunday. Canada will play its first Olympic men's hockey game against the Czech Republic on February 12.
“We don't pick an all-star team,” Armstrong told CBC Sports on Wednesday.
“We're selecting a team, and in a team you have to look at all aspects. It's five-on-five, four-on-five, six-on-five. Every area needs to be addressed and we want to make sure we deliver [head coach] John Cooper has the right tools in his toolbox to be ready to play in any situation.”
In recent days, news has come into their lives that the new Santagiulia hockey arena under construction in Milan will have a smaller ice surface than expected.
The ice could be three to four feet smaller than an NHL-sized surface, Canadian assistant coach Peter DeBoer said on the Real Kyper and Bourne radio show on Sportsnet earlier this week.
“It won't affect how we choose the lineup, but it will be interesting,” Armstrong said Wednesday. “We’ll have to get out the old VHS tapes and look at the Oud and the old Boston Gardens to figure out how to play in this smaller barn.”
The GM said they know the size of the ice inside the 16,000-seat arena, but don't know which areas of the ice will be smaller.
The organizing committee for the Cortina Olympic Games in Milan has said for months that there is no backup plan in place if the Santagiulia hockey arena, which will host both men's and women's hockey games, is not ready on time.
Construction of the private arena began late, and it will not be ready for testing until January.
“The daily updates are coming in the sense that our team is working every day,” Andrea Franzisi, director of gaming operations at Milano Cortina, told The Associated Press last week. “The companies involved in the construction of the facility have significantly accelerated the work.”
“We let the players find us”
Armstrong isn't worried about whether the arena will be ready on time, pointing to construction delays ahead of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
His mentality? Block out as much white noise as possible and control what you can control.
Last summer, the management team started with a long list of players, including those who attended Hockey Canada's Olympic training camp in Calgary.
In the first month of the season, all players on this list were given the opportunity to prove themselves.
After whittling down that list at meetings in November, the group stopped searching for players.
“We let the players find us,” Armstrong said.
The two players most in contention to be included in the roster were young forwards McLean Celebrini (San Jose Sharks) and Connor Bedard (Chicago Blackhawks).
Hosts Carissa Donkin and The Athletic's Hayley Salvian discuss which of three promising Canadian stars could make the Milan Cortina 2026 men's hockey team.
Neither made the Canadian team that won the Four Nations under intense national pressure, but both made a statement earlier this season. Celebrini and Bedard were second and third in points heading into Wednesday night's NHL game.
Other young standouts include Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston and Matthew. Schaeferrookie defenseman who was selected first overall by the New York Islanders earlier this year.
“These players are doing everything they can,” Armstrong said. “They play outstanding hockey. They lead their teams. They play in all the right situations and make our job difficult. That's really what we want, those tough decisions.”
Celebrini turned heads at the World Championships in the spring when he earned a chance alongside Crosby.
Armstrong sees similarities between the longtime captain and the young forward from North Vancouver. He saw how the young Crosby was able to seamlessly integrate into a group of older, more mature players.
“He's very humble, but he's also not afraid to make a play when the puck drops,” Armstrong said of Celebrini. “Showing respect in the gym, but not showing respect on the ice, means he has to compete with these guys. He wants the job, and they don't want to give him the job.”
Celebrini joined Crosby and Wayne Gretzky this fall. only teenagers to score 30 points in first 20 games NHL season.
Unstable network situation
Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill and Sam Montembeault were the only three goalies invited to Hockey Canada's Olympic training camp in August.
But behind the scenes, there were many more goaltenders on the shortlist, as Armstrong told those who didn't get an invite to Calgary.
Currently, the best Canadian goalies in the NHL are Colorado's Scott Wedgwood and Washington's Logan Thompson.
Armstrong said competition for a spot in goal for Team Canada remains “volatile.”
“We've seen players like Wedgwood practically come out of left field this year. “He's been a good goalie in the NHL for a long time, but now he's playing at a new level for an extended period of time with the best team in the NHL in Colorado,” the general manager said.
In marathon meetings starting Sunday, a group of managers will discuss each name individually as they begin to put the pieces of the puzzle together. They will mix, match and move players around, discussing how they can help the players around them.
Once they leave Tuesday with part of the team complete, the focus will be on filling holes in the lineup as well as dealing with any injuries that may arise during the condensed NHL season.
Skills are important, and there's plenty of them in the forward group that Armstrong estimates Canada has built of late.
But since most games are won in front of each team's goal, size and the ability to play on the most difficult areas of the ice are just as important.
Crosby effect
In a process with many question marks, there is at least one certainty. This is Crosby, who has proven what he can do on the Olympic stage.
“He’s definitely on the Mount Rushmore of Canada,” Armstrong said.
Sidney Crosby sits down with Ariel Helwani to talk about his motivation this season as the 2026 Winter Olympics approach, what it takes to compete for Canada on the world stage again and the untold stories of the iconic 2010 golden goal.
Crosby told CBC Olympics host Ariel Helwani last month that he hopes 2026 won't be his last Olympics.
“But if that's the case, I hope I can make the most of this great opportunity,” the Pittsburgh Penguins captain said. “But who knows? I want to play as long as possible.”
It's an opportunity Armstrong wouldn't bet against.
“His preparation is second to none,” he said. “His attention to detail is second to none. His work ethic, his practice habits. He's exceptional. He's one of the best players to ever play our game.”
