Projecting Canada’s 2022 Olympic Hockey Team

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Canada’s roster for the 2018 PyeongChang Olympic Games was one of the oldest among countries participating in the Men’s Hockey tournament. They could once again be one of the oldest teams at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.

Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid
Pittsburgh Penguins Sidney Crosby and Edmonton Oilers Connor McDavid (THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP/Gene J. Puskar)

With the next Winter Games quickly approaching, what might Canada’s roster look like? Let’s dive in.

Projected 2022 Canadian Olympic Team Roster

Here’s how Canada’s 2022 Men’s Hockey team might look:

LW C RW
Steven Stamkos Sidney Crosby Nathan MacKinnon
Mitch Marner Connor McDavid Mark Schiefele
Brayden Point Ryan O’Reilly Mark Stone
Brad Marchand Patrice Bergeron John Tavares
Jonathan Huberdeau Sean Couturier  
LD RD G
Morgan Rielly Dougie Hamilton Carey Price
Cale Makar Shea Theodore Marc-Andre Fleury
Aaron Ekblad Alex Pietrangelo Darcy Kuemper
Thomas Chabot Drew Doughty  

Olympic Roster Breakdown

Most on the roster have some sort of international experience, but for Cale Makar, Brayden Point, and Dougie Hamilton, this will be their first major tournament with the world watching.

  • Players from 2014 Olympic Games: 8
  • Players from 2016 World Cup of Hockey (Team Canada): 10
  • Players from 2016 World Cup of Hockey (Team North America): 6
  • Players with no international experience*: 6

*Excluding World Junior Championship tournaments and year-end World Championships.

Team Canada’s Forwards

This team can score. While Crosby and Patrice Bergeron bring the leadership, Connor McDavid, Mark Scheifele, and Nathan MacKinnon will lead the team offensively. Imagine those three and Crosby on the power play with Cale Makar or Shea Weber up top. Beijing’s rink will need a new red light after each of Canada’s games.

Carey Price, Nathan MacKinnon, Shea Weber,
Colorado Avalanche’s Nathan MacKinnon moves in on Montreal Canadiens Carey Price as Canadiens captain Shea Weber defends. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes)

Still, the entirety of Canada’s forward group can bring the heat in the offensive zone. Any of the four lines could be the “top line” if needed.

They can cover well defensively, too. Each of Canada’s centers is regarded as a terrific two-way player. The same goes for Mark Stone, who figures to be one of the team’s top penalty killers.

Canada’s Blue Line

Shea Theodore, Morgan Rielly, Cale Makar, and Dougie Hamilton represent the top, young Canadian blueliners with Drew Doughty serving as a veteran mentor. This quartet will likely play the tough minutes with Doughty, Aaron Ekblad, Alex Pietrangelo, and Thomas Chabot contributing mostly on special teams. Regardless of who’s out there, Canada’s power play will have someone to bomb heavy shots from the point.

Toronto Maple Leafs Mitch Marner Morgan Rielly
Toronto Maple Leafs centre Mitch Marner celebrates with teammate Morgan Rielly (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Thornhill)

One noticeable difference with this group compared to previous Olympic teams is the handedness distribution. Rielly and Theodore are the only left-handed defensemen in the starting lineup. Typically, there’s an even split between righties and lefties. Not to worry, though – there’s no way something as trivial as handedness could become a hot button issue on social media and with the media.

Onto the goalies. Based on his resume, Carey Price figures to start for Canada, though his two backups could easily subplant him. Both Marc-Andre Fleury and Darcy Kuemper can be unbeatable at times.

Just Missed Out

Kris Letang, Ryan Ellis, Mat Barzal, Claude Giroux, Travis Konecny, Tyler Seguin, Alexis Lafreniere, Jake Muzzin, Jordan Binnington, Carter Hart, Sean Monahan.