There appeared to be little chance of Hockey Canada naming San Jose Sharks rookie centerman Macklin Celebrini to the country’s 23-man roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.
The Canadian roster, announced Wednesday, is stacked with skilled and experienced forwards. There just wasn’t room for an 18-year-old on the 2025 team.
But judging by what Team Canada associate general manager Jim Nill said Thursday, the next generation of Canadian stars, including Celebrini, will most definitely be under consideration for the 2026 Olympic team.
Nill, a guest on TSN Radio in Toronto, said the members of Team Canada’s front office not only called players who made the 4 Nations roster but also reached out to others who didn’t make it to let them know that they’re not that far off, with the 2026 Winter Games just 15 months away.
“We started this (selection process) back in August, and it’s a process to get into February, and then the next step is the Olympics,” said Nill, the Dallas Stars general manager. “We’re seeing some of these younger players we’re evaluating — we’re going to continue to monitor them — you start seeing the Celebrini’s, (Connor) Bedard, (Nick) Suzuki, there’s a bigger picture out there than just this 4 Nations tournament.”
Don Sweeney, Canada’s general manager for the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and assistant GM for the 2026 Canadian Olympic team, echoed that sentiment.
While winning the 4 Nations event would be nice, the real prize, it seems, is Olympic gold.
“We definitely went in with a wider lens for that particular reason to identify players that are going to project out down the road, players that might not necessarily be ready for — I mean, they could play, they’re ready — but they weren’t pushing somebody out of a job that we felt earned it at this point in time, with a singular focus of going to the 4 Nations to win,” Sweeney said on a conference call with reporters.
“Selfishly: did we build out a database with all those players? Yeah, we did, because we’re going to have to continue to have those stack up on top of each other the next year and a half and make really hard decisions.”
The Sharks have a rich history of sending players to the Olympics, particularly Canadians. Those that have represented Canada include Patrick Marleau (2010, 2014), Joe Thornton (2006, 2010), Marc-Edouard Vlasic (2014), Dan Boyle and Dany Heatley (2010), and Owen Nolan (2002).
Perhaps Celebrini can be the next.
After his point streak ended in the Sharks’ 8-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday, Celebrini will enter Saturday’s game against the Florida Panthers with 15 points, fourth-most among all NHL rookies, in 17 games. Among advanced stats, Celebrini, before Tuesday’s games and per the NHL’s Mike Kelly, ranked as the league’s 14th-best forward after a player’s offense, defense, and puck-moving ability were considered.
Without question, if the Canadians have a subpar performance at the 4 Nations Face-Off, roster changes will be made. Considering most of the forwards on the 4 Nations roster will be in their late twenties or older by the time the 2026 Games begin, maybe there will be changes anyway.
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Hockey Canada is obviously familiar with Celebrini, a North Vancouver native who took part in last year’s IIHF World Junior Championships. He was also set to play for Canada at the World Championships in May, but he and Adam Fantilli of the Columbus Blue Jackets were replaced by some veteran NHL players once they became available.
Nill said while a player’s resume was a major factor in determining whether they would be part of Canada’s 4 Nations team, the Canadian front office was also cognizant of who was on the waiting list. The NHL has also committed to allowing its players to play in the 2030 Winter Games in France.
“On the flip side there were some young guys knocking on the door, and it’s becoming their time,” Nill said. “We haven’t had one of these tournaments (since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey), and there’s a turning of a guard, and we had to respect that.”