Nineteen-year-old McLean Celebrini will join Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon on Canada's men's Olympic hockey team as NHL players return to winter games for the first time in more than a decade.
They are among 25 players named to the list Wednesday, a month and a half before Canada begins its Olympic tournament Feb. 12 against the Czech Republic in Milan, Italy.
Only two players from the 2014 gold medal team will return to Canada's Olympic team: its captain, Crosby, and defenseman Drew Doughty. Both also won gold in 2010 in Vancouver, where Crosby scored the Golden Goal in overtime.
The team includes 22 Stanley Cup winners, as well as 19 players who led Canada to a tense overtime win over the Americans at the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year, a tournament that gave a taste of what the hockey world missed without the best men's hockey at the Olympics for so long.
“We believe we have assembled a highly skilled and deep roster that can compete for a gold medal with Team Canada in Italy,” team general manager Doug Armstrong said Wednesday.
“It has been a long and difficult process to build our roster, and I am proud of the tireless effort our management team has put into selecting our team. We know our entire group is excited and grateful for the opportunity to represent our country, and we look forward to making all Canadians proud and hearing our fans cheer us on as we strive to bring the gold medal back to Canada.”
Forwards Crosby, McDavid, MacKinnon, Brayden Point and Sam Reinhart and defenseman Cale Makar were the first six players named to the team in June.
They are joined up front by 4 Nations returnees Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, Brad Marchand, Mitch Marner and Mark Stone.
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Celebrini among those not participating in 4 Nations
Celebrini is among several forwards who did not participate in the 4 Nations tournament but made the Olympic squad. He will be joined by Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, Bo Horvat and Tom Wilson.
Selected first overall in the 2024 draft by the San Jose Sharks, Celebrini has already established himself as one of the game's best players, ranking third in the NHL points race behind McDavid and MacKinnon.
“I am honored to be selected to the Canadian Men's Hockey Team alongside so many great players and people, and I am excited to have the opportunity to represent Canada again in February and compete for a gold medal,” Crosby said in a statement. “We know the pride that comes from wearing the maple leaf, and our team understands the passion that Olympic hockey brings.”
All eight Canadian defenders who competed in the Four Nations tournament will return to the Olympics.
In addition to Makar and Doughty, Winnipeg Jets defensemen Josh Morrissey will return, as will Devon Toews, Shea Theodore, Colton Parayko, Thomas Harley and Travis Sanheim.
4 Nations starter Jordan Binnington ended up in goal despite a difficult season with the St. Louis Blues.
Entering Wednesday, Binnington's save percentage (.870) ranked 44th in the league among goaltenders with at least 15 games played. According to Moneypuck, he allowed -9.7 goals more than expected during that time.
But it was Binnington who remained a consistent leader throughout Canada's four games at the 4 Nations, including a stunning overtime win in the final.
Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson and Darcy Kuemper (Los Angeles Kings) will also be in Italy and should push Binnington for playing time. Both were among the best goalies in the NHL this season.
Earlier this month, Armstrong described the goaltending situation to CBC Sports as “volatile” with several players still on the team at the time.
Bennett from Florida among omissions
The most notable omissions may be Chicago's young star Connor Bedard and Sam Bennett, who won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Florida Panthers.
Bedard, the 2023 overall pick, did his best to make the roster despite an apparent shoulder injury that sidelined him in early December. He has returned to practice but has yet to play a game, according to Sportsnet.
However, Bedard ranks seventh in the league in points per game on a bottom-heavy Chicago team, and his absence will raise questions.
Bennett has shown that he can improve his game when it matters most. He is the reigning Conn Smythe winner and playoff MVP with 22 points in 23 playoff games last season. Bennett was in the Four Nations team and scored a big goal in the final of that tournament.
But in a game played under the stricter rules of the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) and with the hulking Wilson in the lineup, Bennett may become expendable.
In addition to Bennett, other Four Nations players not included in the list include forwards Travis Konecny and Seth Jarvis and goalkeepers Adin Hill and Sam Montembeault.
Eighteen-year-old defenseman Matthew Schaefer, who made a statement in his rookie season with the New York Islanders, also failed.
As of Wednesday, no rookie averaged more ice time than the 2025 No. 1 overall pick, who has 25 points in his first 40 NHL games.
“We don't pick a star team,” Canadian general manager Doug Armstrong told CBC Sports earlier this month. “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.”
The management group that selected the team was led by Armstrong. It also included assistant general managers Julien Brisebois, Jim Nill and Don Sweeney, as well as director of player personnel Kyle Dubas.
Also contributing were head coach John Cooper, player relations advisor and two-time Olympian Ryan Getzlaf and Hockey Canada's senior vice president of performance and operations Scott Salmond, as well as support from the organization's president and CEO Katherine Henderson.
“We are proud of the 25 men's hockey players who have been nominated to Team Canada because we believe there is no greater honor in sport than representing your country at the Olympic Games, and we want to congratulate the players and their families on this incredible achievement,” Henderson said.
“We know this group of athletes will leave lasting memories for Canadians across the country and around the world with their performances on the ice, but they will also represent Canada with great pride off the ice as members of the larger Team Canada.”
Canada will compete in Group A along with the Czech Republic, Switzerland and France.
The gold medal game is scheduled for February 22.
