Team Canada Thoughts: The Case For Both
I hated writing this, but Bedard or Celebrini.
In two months, the 2026 Winter Olympics begin. Until then, fans will debate on who should make which team. After the Four Nations Face-Off earlier this year, I imagine there’s going to be a lot of interest in a Team Canada vs. Team USA rivalry. The difference (other than there being more than four teams) is the ice the Olympics play on. With more playing surface, there’s less physical play. New hockey fans intrigued by the Four Nations could be in for a disappointment.
Anyway, let’s take an early look at Team Canada’s forwards, shall we?
Teams have until Dec. 31 to narrow their rosters to 22 skaters and three goaltenders. Canada has a lot of offensive power to choose from. Connor McDavid might center Mark Stone (injury dependent) and Mitch Marner. Marner could also slot in somewhere else, and Brayden Point could play on the first line. Sidney Crosby will be on the team, and Nathan MacKinnon will probably be the 2C.
Brandon Hagel will probably feature on wing somewhere in the middle six. Nick Suzuki and his impressive season make a strong case for 4C. Anthony Cirelli and Mark Scheifele can either be the 3C or an extra. Those are who I could consider as almost sure fires for Team Canada. And there are still more out there (Seth Jarvis, Sam Reinhart, etc.). All of that to say, it’s looking a bit crowded for both Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard.
I hate comparing Bedard and Celebrini because both players play a different game, and Sharks fans have an infatuation with comparing the two (despite both players being in different draft classes). But comparing the two for the sake of making Team Canada is fair.
There could be a world where Team Canada brings on both players (like in the lineup linked above). And both are certainly making the decision a difficult one. For Macklin Celebrini, he played great in the Men’s Worlds this summer with Crosby. Celebrini is known for more of his complete 200-foot game. We’ve seen that at the NHL level.
Connor Bedard was drafted for his goal scoring and offensive power. Bedard has 16 points through 13 games and is shooting the puck at a much higher rate than last season (15.98 shot attempts/60 compared to 14.50 last year). Celebrini has 18 points through 13 games. He could play in a scoring role alongside Crosby or fit into a bottom-six role due to his defensive ability.
I’m not going to make any declarations as of yet. And it might be a soft take to say “I want both.” But my gut is telling me that if one of the two were going to make the team as of right now, it would be Celebrini. He’s scoring at an insane rate on a horrid team, and his 200-foot game better suits a bottom-six role. Bedard (who doesn’t have help either), is best suited for a pure offense role. Which Team Canada has a prime picking of.
Of course, the most realistic scenario is that Celerbini gets into the starting lineup and Bedard is brought on as the extra.
Again, this is all too early to say and is just pure speculation. We’ll revisit this soon.