Team Canada Projected Lines for 2026 Olympics: Predicting Forwards, Defense Pairs & Starting Goalie

Team Canada is among the favorites at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Head coach Jon Cooper and the rest of the coaching staff rolled out the lines for their first practice on Sunday, giving fans an idea about the projected lines.

Offensive Lines:

Macklin Celebrini – Connor McDavid – Tom Wilson

Brad Marchand – Nathan MacKinnon – Nick Suzuki

Mark Stone – Sidney Crosby – Mitch Marner

Brandon Hagel – Bo Horvat – Sam Reinhart

Seth Jarvis, Sam Bennett

Defensive Lines:

Devon Toews – Cale Makar

Josh Morrissey – Colton Parayko

Thomas Harley – Drew Doughty

Shea Theodore – Travis Sanheim

Team Canada Projected Lines: Offense

First Line: Leading the line will be the world’s best player and the NHL points leader, Connor McDavid. After missing out on the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament last year, Tom Wilson finds himself on the top line for Team Canada. He is joined by another new entry into the lineup, Macklin Celebrini, whose breakout season this year has made Cooper trust him in the left wing position.

Second Line: Team Canada’s wealth of star centers runs deep as Nathan MacKinnon gets to lead his own line. Joining him are two great competitors, Brad Marchand and Nick Suzuki. Marchand was crucial during Canada’s 4NFO gold-medal winning campaign, and Suzuki is already a Selke Trophy contender.

Third Line: Canada’s biggest name, Sidney Crosby, will be gunning for his third gold medal. Alongside Crosby, Cooper has gone for the familiar duo of Vegas Golden Knights teammates Mark Stone and Mitch Marner. The latter will be looking to his overtime assist from last year’s 4NFO final.

Fourth Line: Three enforcers who play as top-six forwards on their NHL teams constitute the last pairing. Bo Horvat took center duties during practice as Lightning-Panthers rivals Sam Reinhart and Brandon Hagel flanked him.

Team Canada Projected Lines: Defense

The defensive pairings seem evenly balanced throughout the lines. Cale Makar’s offensive upside is expected to be well complemented by Devon Toews’ gritty skills. Josh Morrissey and Colton Parayko are the only pairing aged more than 30, as the team banks on their experience. Thomas Harley’s swift movement and Drew Doughty’s blue line management will be key. Shea Theodore, who took up the quarterback duties of the second power play unit, is expected to be paired with Travis Sanheim.

Team Canada Projected Lines: Starting Goaltender

Looking at the stats from this season, Team Canada will be tempted to trust either Logan Thompson or Darcy Kuemper over the 4NFO primary goalie, Jordan Binnington. The St. Louis Blues netminder has an 8-17-6 record with a 3.65 Goals Against Average and a .864 Save Percentage. But Team Canada’s management has stressed continuity, and Binnington could take the goal for their opener against Team Czechia.