Teen Celebrini joins Crosby, McDavid on Canadian men’s Olympic hockey team

watch over as Hockey Canada announces the men’s Olympic hockey team up

Nineteen-year-old Macklin Celebrini testament get together Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon on the Canadian men’s Olympic hockey team, as NHLers return to the Winter Games for the first time in more than a decade.

They’re among 25 players who were named to the roster on Wednesday, a month and a half before Canada begins its Olympic tournament on Feb. 12 against the Czech Republic in Milan, Italy.

Only two players from that gold-medal winning 2014 squad will return to the Canadian Olympic team: its captain, Crosby, and defenceman Drew Doughty. Both also won gold in 2010 in Vancouver, where Crosby scored the Golden Goal in overtime.

The roster boasts a combined 22 Stanley Cups, and includes 19 players who propelled Canada to a tense overtime win over the Americans at the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year — a tournament that offered a taste of what the hockey world has missed without best-on-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 as part of Team Canada in Italy,” the team’s general manager, Doug Armstrong, said in a statement on Wednesday.

“It was a long and difficult process to finalize our roster, and I am proud of the tireless effort our management group has put in to select 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 look to bring a gold medal back to Canada."

Forwards Crosby, McDavid, MacKinnon, Brayden Point and Sam Reinhart, as well as defenceman Cale Makar, were the first six players named to the team in June.

Up front, they’re joined by 4 Nations returnees Anthony Cirelli, Brandon Hagel, Brad Marchand, Mitch Marner and Mark Stone.

Exclusive: Sidney Crosby on chasing 3rd Olympic gold, Canadian pride and 2010 golden goal

Celebrini is among several forwards who weren’t at the 4 Nations but have made the Olympic roster. Joining him will be Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki, Bo Horvat and Tom Wilson.

Drafted No. 1 overall at the 2024 draft by the San Jose Sharks, Celebrini has already established himself as one of the game’s best players as he sits third in the NHL points race behind McDavid and MacKinnon.

“I am honoured to be selected to Canada’s men’s hockey team together with so many great players and people, and I am excited to again have the opportunity to represent Canada in February and compete for a gold medal,” Crosby said in a statement. €œWe know how much pride comes with wearing the maple leaf, and our team understands the passion that comes with Olympic hockey.”

All eight Canadian defencemen who appeared in games at the 4 Nations tournament will return for the Olympics.

In addition to Makar and Doughty, Winnipeg Jets defencemen Josh Morrissey will be back, along with Devon Toews, Shea Theodore, Colton Parayko, Thomas Harley and Travis Sanheim.

In net, 4 Nations starter Jordan Binnington made the cut, despite a difficult season with the St. Louis Blues.

Entering Wednesday, Binnington’s save percentage of .870 ranked 44th in the league among goaltenders who’d played at least 15 games. Per Moneypuck, he allowed -9.7 goals above expected over that time.

But it was Binnington who stayed steady in the crease over four games at 4 Nations for Canada, including a nail-biting 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 have been among the best goaltenders in the NHL this season.

The most notable omissions might be young Chicago star Connor Bedard and Sam Bennett, who’s won back-to-back Stanley Cups with the Florida Panthers.

Bedard, the 2023 first-overall pick, did everything he could to make the roster ahead of an apparent shoulder injury that sidelined him in early December. He’s returned to practice, according to Sportsnet, but has not yet played a game.

Still, Bedard is seventh in the league in points per game on a bottom-dwelling Chicago team, and his absence will raise questions.

Bennett has shown that he can elevate his game when it matters most. He’s the reigning Conn Smythe winner as playoff MVP, recording 22 points in 23 playoff games last season. Bennett was on the 4 Nations team and scored a big goal in that tournament’s final.

But in a game played with stricter International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) rules, and with the hulking Wilson on the roster, Bennett may have become expendable.

Along with Bennett, other players from the 4 Nations roster who didn’t make the cut include forwards Travis Konecny and Seth Jarvis, and goaltenders Adin Hill and Sam Montembeault.

Eighteen-year-old defenceman Matthew Schaefer, who has made a statement in his rookie season with the New York Islanders, also came up short.

As of Wednesday, no rookie has logged more time on ice on average than the 2025 first-overall pick, who has put up 25 points in his first 40 NHL games.

The management group that selected the team was led by Armstrong. It also included assistant general managers Julien BriseBois, Jim Nill and Don Sweeney, and director of player personnel, Kyle Dubas.

There was also input from head coach Jon Cooper, player relations advisor and two-time Olympic gold medallist, Ryan Getzlaf, and Hockey Canada’s senior vice president of high performance and hockey operations, Scott Salmond, plus 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, as we believe there is no greater honour in sport than representing your country at the Olympic Games, and we wish to congratulate the players and their families for this incredible achievement,” Henderson said.

“We know this team of athletes will create lasting memories for Canadians across the country and around the world through their performance on the ice, but they will also represent Canada with a tremendous amount of pride off the ice as members of a larger Team Canada.”

Canada will compete in the Group A pool alongside the Czech Republic, Switzerland and France.

The gold-medal game is set for Feb. 22.

Add some “good” to your morning and evening.

Get up to speed on what's happening in sports. Delivered weekdays.

---

---