Seeing best-on-best hockey at the 4 Nations Face-Off for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Olympics, fans got a glimpse of what could be for Milan-Cortina in 2026.
While all of Canada‘s 4 Nations squad is among the 42 invitees to orientation camp, general manager Doug Armstrong won’t necessarily roll with the same roster and instead will be looking for a certain style of play.
“We want strong, hard [defence]that can play in front of our net and we want to be able to play and get inside,” Armstrong said Wednesday on Sportsnet’s The FAN Pregame. “We want big strong players that can play in hard areas. As Brian burke said, ‘arrive with ill will.’ That’s the type of player that we want to have.
“Everyone has great skill, we just want to play with great determination.”
Of the 42 players, two young stars are looking to break through in the professional international circuit. Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini — two first-overall picks — were left off the 4 Nations roster, though they remain on Armstrong’s radar for the Olympics.
The two centremen are viewed as the future for Canadian hockey. The 20-year-old Bedard has 128 points (45 goals, 83 assists) in 150 games, while the 19-year-old Celebrini recorded 63 points (25 goals, 38 assists) in his rookie campaign.
The GM views the invite to camp as a chance to meet not just Bedard and Celebrini the players, but Bedard and Celebini the people.
“I’m looking forward to spending more time with them, to get to know them,” Armstrong said. “… I’m looking to build relationships. It’s like anything in life. If you have a personal relationship with somebody, it’s more natural you’re going to pull and dig a little bit harder for them.”
For Armstrong, one of those players you “pull and dig” for is goalie Jordan Binnington. The St. Louis Blues netminder not only backstopped Armstrong’s Blues to a Stanley Cup in 2019, but also the 4 Nations gold-medal winning squad.
Binnington quieted questions surrounding Canada’s goaltending with his performance last February. He silenced the doubters in big games time and time again — something Armstrong admires in the 32-year-old, and is a quality that has him as the favourite to man the crease in Milan-Cortina.
“He’s an ultimate competitor and a big game player, Armstrong said of his goalie. “I wasn’t surprised at what he did at the 4 Nations and I know that he’s going to be putting his best foot forward to claim the No. 1 spot for that Olympic team.”
Of the 42 NHLers invited to the orientation camp, only three were goalies. Binnington, alongside Samuel Montembeault and Adin Hill, represented Canada at the 4 Nations.
While Armstrong has a previous relationship with the trio, the GM insisted more goalies are in contention for the roster.
“That’s the most wide open competition on our team right now. There’s probably eight or nine goalies that are fighting for three spots, but it just didn’t make sense to bring that many,” Armstrong said. “… I talked to those other goalies that aren’t there and they understand that and they understand being on the long list is like being at camp. If they’re the best goalies come Jan. 1 they’re going to be on the team.
It’s unclear who the other five or six goalies are, but the likes of Stuart Skinner (Oilers), Mackenzie Blackwood (Avalanche), Darcy Kuemper (Kings) and Logan Thompson (Capitals) figure to be names to watch.
