Celebrini joins McDavid, MacKinnon, Crosby on Team Canada's Olympic hockey roster

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CALGARY, Alberta (AP) — Macklin Celebrini, the 19-year-old star for the San Jose Sharks, is going to the Winter Olympics.

Celebrini was among 19 players named to Canada’s 25-player men’s hockey roster Wednesday ahead of the NHL’s return to the Olympics in Milan, Italy, in February.

Celebrini, who entered Wednesday's action third in league scoring behind fellow Canadians Connor McDavid of the Edmonton Oilers and Nathan MacKinnon of the Colorado Avalanche, is one of six additions to the group that won the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament last February. Other newcomers at forward: Nick Suzuki of the Montreal Canadiens, Bo Horvat of the New York Islanders and Tom Wilson of the Washington Capitals.

Celebrini said he received the call from Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong early Wednesday, and the first thing he did was call his parents. He said it's an honor to represent Canada, regardless of the tournament.

“It’s all surreal," Celebrini said after posting a goal and an assist in the Sharks' 4-3 shootout win over Minnesota on Wednesday. "I’m just really excited and focused on how special it is to represent my country at the Olympics.

“When you think about representing Canada at the Olympics, you realize you’re one group representing the entire country. So many athletes work their whole lives for that chance, and it means something extra to be part of that.”

Celebrini said it was difficult to refocus on San Jose's game after getting the news about the spot on the Olympic team, but he realizes the work for success in Milan starts now.

“He (Armstrong) told me I was on the team and that he was excited for the group,” Celebrini said. “The work starts now, building chemistry and looking toward Milan.”

Canada, which plays its first game at the Olympics on Feb. 12 against Czechia, is keeping its 4 Nations defense corps intact, but is switching out two of the three goaltenders, with Washington’s Logan Thompson and Darcy Kuemper of the Los Angeles Kings joining Jordan Binnington of the St. Louis Blues. They replace Adin Hill of the Vegas Golden Knights and Montreal’s Sam Montembeault.

The 4 Nations forwards who did not make the Olympic team: Sam Bennett of the Florida Panthers, Travis Konecny of the Philadelphia Flyers and Seth Jarvis of the Carolina Hurricanes.

McDavid, MacKinnon, Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby, Colorado defenseman Cale Makar, Tampa Bay Lightning center Brayden Point and Florida winger Sam Reinhart were named to the Olympic roster in June.

They will be joined by returning forwards Anthony Cirelli (Tampa Bay), Brandon Hagel (Tampa Bay), Brad Marchand (Florida), Mitch Marner (Vegas) and Mark Stone (Vegas). The blue line led by Makar includes Drew Doughty (Los Angeles), Thomas Harley (Dallas), Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg), Colton Parayko (St. Louis), Travis Sanheim (Philadelphia), Shea Theodore (Vegas) and Devon Toews (Colorado).

The 38-year-old Crosby and 36-year-old Doughty are the only players with past Olympic experience. At 37, Marchand knew this was his last shot.

“It’s literally what has been the driving force of my training and what I’ve been focused on for the last 12 years, ever since I got a taste of Olympic camp before (Sochi 2014)," said Marchand, a two-time Stanley Cup champion. “It’s been the thing that I wanted to accomplish most — to be part of that team.”

Some notable omissions include Chicago Blackhawks center Connor Bedard, who is currently out with an upper-body injury, and Winnipeg forward Mark Scheifele. Washington defenseman Jakob Chychrun and New York Islanders rookie Matthew Schaefer were also left out.

The NHL is returning to the Olympics for the first time since 2014.

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This story has been corrected to fix the spelling of Jakob Chychrun’s first name.

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AP Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics