It’s official, Montreal Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki will represent Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, set to take place in Milan and other areas in Northeast Italy. He has 13 goals and 31 assists to his credit this season, putting him on pace for a career-best 92-point campaign.
Suzuki, 26, is among the most well-rounded players in Canada, not to mention the NHL, but his presence in the lineup was far from a guarantee.
We tend to be a little slow to update our opinions in hockey, at least compared to many other sports, and some desperately clung onto the idea that Suzuki was nothing but a decent player featuring in a bad lineup.
Of course, his consistent improvements and impressive leadership are only part of the reason why Canada decided to include him on their roster. Suzuki has produced more points than almost every other player hailing from Canada in 2025, which was enough to convince Hockey Canada that he deserved a spot.
In that vein, it’s particularly notable that Suzuki made the team, because Hockey Canada is usually very unhurried when it comes to recognizing players on the rise.
The only Canadian 🇨🇦 players with more points than Nick Suzuki (97) this calendar year:
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) December 31, 2025
• Nate MacKinnon (121)
• Connor McDavid (115) pic.twitter.com/ba8lGp4PQ1
Team Canada Roster
Canada will be looking for redemption at the 2026 Winter Olympics, after failing to medal in 2022.
Sweden eliminated Canada 2-0 in the quarter-finals, but in the end it was Finland that reigned supreme, beating Russia 2-1 to secure their first gold medal in Olympic history. Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky (Slovakia) led all players in scoring, with seven points.
Team Canada Forwards
Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Brayden Point, Sam Reinhart, Brad Marchand, Mitch Marner, Nick Suzuki, Macklin Celebrini, Brandon Hagel, Mark Stone, Tom Wilson, Bo Horvat, and Anthony Cirelli
Team Canada Defencemen
Cale Makar, Devon Toews, Drew Doughty, Thomas Harley, Josh Morrissey, Colton Parayko, Travis Sanheim, and Shea Theodore
Team Canada Goaltenders
Jordan Binnington, Darcy Kuemper, and Logan Thompson.
Here are the 2⃣5⃣ players who will wear the 🍁 at #MilanoCortina2026! 🇨🇦
— Hockey Canada (@HockeyCanada) December 31, 2025
Voici les 2⃣5⃣ joueurs qui porteront la 🍁 à Milan-Cortina! 🇨🇦
ROSTER: https://t.co/5I8Uz2Psfa
FORMATION : https://t.co/zbOWuEgdPQ@TeamCanada | @Equipe_Canada pic.twitter.com/dTc1YKengx
