Centers Connor McDavidNathan MacKinnon and McLean Celebrini, who will be teammates on Team Canada at the Milan Winter Olympics in Cortina next month, were named the best players. NHL three stars for December.
Also, Montreal Canadiens Forward Ivan Demidov was named rookie of the month.
McDavid, Edmonton Oilers captain, led the league with 34 points (13 goals, 21 assists) last month.
He enters the new year on a 14-game hitting streak, with the most points in a month since Pittsburgh Penguins legend Mario Lemieux in December 1995 (12 goals, 22 assists in 14 games).
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MacKinnon was second in the league with 14 goals and 12 assists in 14 games for the league-leading Colorado Avalanche.
Celebrini finished fourth in the NHL with 25 points (8 goals, 17 assists) in 14 games and ended the month on a nine-game hitting streak with the San Jose Sharks.
McDavid and MacKinnon were two of the first six players selected to Canada's Olympic roster in June. Celebrini, a sophomore forward, was added to the team Wednesday when Hockey Canada released its full Olympic roster.
McDavid and MacKinnon entered 2026 tied for the league lead with 70 points, eight more than third-leading scorer Celebrini.
Canada will play its first game at the Olympics on Feb. 12 against the Czech Republic. NHL players will compete in the Winter Games for the first time since the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
Demidov led rookies in December with 14 points (four goals, 10 assists) in 15 games.
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