Hockey Canada Fans Shocked As Roster For Four-Nations Face Off Officially Leaked By Insider
Hockey Canada made some shock calls in their recent world juniors selection, and now things have gotten worse with some major head scratchers for the 4 Nations.
For weeks now, speculation has been intense surrounding Team Canada's roster for the Four Nations Faceoff to take place in February, and while rosters are yet to be announced, one insider has reportedly leaked the team.
According to TSN's Chris Johnston, the roster has already been selected, with the forward group shaking out like this:
Overall, the usual names like Crosby, MacKinnon, McDavid and others will be there, but to leave the likes of Connor Bedard, Macklin Celebrini or John Tavares off for the likes of Travis Konecny and Sam Bennett is certainly a head-scratcher.
While Bedard and Celebrini may not be among the top forwards in Canada yet, the expectation is that when the 2026 Olympics roll around, they will be among the team's best, and giving them this exposure to the new group would be the best move to make.
However, they weren't the only shock omissions, as this is how the blue line group is reportedly set to line up:
Once more, question marks over these picks with Colton Parayko and Travis Sanheim especially questionable given that Mackenzie Weegar, Evan Bouchard, Drew Doughty and Owen Power are all likely more suited to this team.
In similar fashion, Power could be a key piece of this blue line for the Olympic Games, and with neither Sanheim nor Parayko dominating at the NHL level, their inclusions are certainly strange.
Next up is goaltending, and wouldn't you know it, there are more question marks over the group reportedly selected:
Once again, the decision to go with Montembeault was a shock one over the likes of Logan Thompson, Stuart Skinner and a final run for Marc-Andre Fleury, and given the lack of proven stars on this stage, goaltending could hold this team back in a huge way.
Ultimately, the roster still has the top end talent needed to compete with the best in the world, but given some of the shock selections, it doesn't inspire confidence for the selection team ahead of the 2026 Olympics.
