The NHL will return to the Winter Olympics in 2026 and 2030. By the time their top prospects and young players have developed and are playing in the NHL, the Montreal Canadiens will be very well represented in 2030. However, 2026 will be a different story. The team might be under-represented in the short term, but there should be some Habs to watch at the Games.
Team Canada
There is a slight chance that three Canadiens will make Team Canada, but it’s more likely to be one or two, namely Nick Suzuki, Michael Matheson, and Sam Montembeault.
Nick Suzuki plays a ton and is relied on in Montreal, but he hasn’t had the right players around him to put him over the top yet. He is only 24 years old and will have two more years before he enters his prime. This could work in his favour to at least get an invite.
Suzuki is the Canadiens’ number one centre, but on other teams around the league, he would be a solid second-line centre. He isn’t a point-per-game player, but he is getting there. The team captain is the closest he’s been, with 13 goals and 42 points in 49 games this season, while logging over 21 minutes a night for a second straight season. I could see him as the fourth-line centre for Team Canad in two years.
Matheson is less likely to make Team Canada, given how strong the roster tends to be, but that doesn’t take anything away from how good he’s been since the start of last season. He is producing offensively and is very clearly the team’s number one defenceman right now, logging over 25 minutes a night. He isn’t a top-tier defenceman and will be 31 years old by the time the Olympics roll around, but he is on pace for 57 points and plays in all situations against the toughest matchups. There is a chance he gets a call, but not a great one.
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I want Montembeault to have a similar chance as Suzuki of making Team Canada in 2026. While there will be lots of options to at forward, there will also be several goalies to choose from. Right now, it would be a tossup between over seven Canadian NHL goalies. It all depends on how each of them, including Montembeault, plays until then. The Canadiens’ starter does have solid numbers, considering the young and banged-up team he has played behind the past two seasons, but he needs to maintain this level of play and improve as he gets more acclimated to being an NHL starter.
Team U.S.A.
Team U.S.A. is going to have a very good team, so it will be tough to see Cole Caufield outplay the competition to make the team. But there is a chance. When he scores, he dominates. We saw that last season before his injury when he potted 26 goals in 46 games. That’s a 46-goal pace over a season and would be among the best that will make Team U.S.A. in 2026.
He wouldn’t make the team based on his production this season, with only 17 goals and 39 points in 49 games, but the Canadiens will improve, and the 23-year-old will be 25 by the time the tournament rolls around. He has time to grow and improve his consistency in that time. He has a chance, but either way, some good players will be left off the team.
Team Slovakia
Unlike the top hockey nations, like Canada and the U.S.A., Team Slovakia won’t be well represented by NHL players. That gives one up-and-coming Slovakian a very good chance of making the team. We have already seen positive strides from Juraj Slafkovsky this season, especially playing in the top-six alongside better players.
Among active Slovakian forwards in the NHL, he ranks third in points behind Tomas Tatar and Adam Ruzicka. I would rank his talent above Ruzicka, however – Slafkovsky isn’t currently playing in the American Hockey League (AHL) and Ruzicka is. From the Canadiens, Slafkovsky should be the safest bet to represent his country at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The success of the team and these players over the next two years will impact their selections to the international tournament. It will be worth keeping in the back of your mind as you cheer for the Canadiens to improve as a team and for certain players to continue to develop.
