AP Photo/Sergei Grit
Team Canada will look to return to the podium at the 2026 IIHF World Championship in Switzerland.
Canada hasn’t won a medal at the annual men’s hockey tournament since 2023 when they captured gold. After going 6-0-1 in the preliminary round of last year’s event, Canada was defeated by Denmark in the quarterfinals, placing them in fifth place overall. In 2024, Canada lost to Sweden in the bronze medal match.
While the last few years haven’t gone Canada’s way, it’s been a strong decade for the country in the world of men’s hockey. Canada has played in the gold medal game seven times since 2015 and, before last year’s quarterfinal loss, they had qualified for the semifinals every year since then.
The United States entered this year’s tournament as defending champions. The Americans beat Switzerland in the gold medal match last year to capture their first world title since 1960.
The 2026 tournament begins Friday, May 15 and ends Sunday, May 31. The match will be split between Zürich and Friborg.
Who is playing for Team Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Championship?
Team Canada’s roster for the world championships looks much different than the team wearing the red and white uniforms at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics. This is not surprising considering that most of Canada’s Olympic athletes are still participating in the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs or are recovering physically from a busy season.
Nineteen-year-old forward Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks is the only member of Canada’s Milano Cortina 2026 contingent who will play in the men’s world. Celebrini had a great 2025-26 season recording 45 goals and 115 points in 82 games with the Sharks. He also had an impressive Olympic performance, posting five goals and five assists to finish second behind teammate Connor McDavid in tournament scoring.
Celebrini will captain Team Canada in Switzerland. The team’s leadership group also includes veteran forwards Ryan O’Reilly of the Nashville Predators and John Tavares of the Toronto Maple Leafs, both of whom will serve as alternate captains.
Tavares was part of Canada’s gold medal-winning team at Sochi 2014 and will be playing in his fifth world championship. The 35-year-old player scored 18 goals and 18 assists in 31 career matches in the men’s world.
Twelve of the 23 players named to the list have played for Canada in previous world championships. In addition to Celebrini, Tavares and O’Reilly, the list also includes Matthew Barzal, Connor Brown, Dylan Cozens, Darnell Nurse, Morgan Rielly, Mark Scheifele, Cam Talbot, Gabriel Vilardi and Zach Whitecloud.
Canada’s defensive core is led by Evan Bouchard, who leads all NHL defensemen in points this season, recording 21 goals and 74 assists in 82 games with the Edmonton Oilers. The 26-year-old, who played for Canada at U-17 and U-20 level, will make his first appearance with the senior men’s national team.
The combination of youth and experience is certainly visible in the backend. The group includes 32-year-old Rielly and 33-year-old Dylan DeMelo, as well as 21-year-old Denton Mateychuk and 19-year-old Sam Dickinson.
In net, Talbot will look to replicate what he did at the 2016 worlds when he went 7-1 with a 1.25 goals-against average and .940 save percentage to help Canada capture gold. Talbot will be joined by University of Michigan goaltender Jack Ivankovic, who has played in the last two IIHF World Junior Championships, and Columbus Blue Jackets netminder Jet Greaves.
What is Team Canada’s schedule at the men’s world hockey championship?
Team Canada will play in Group B, based in Friborg, alongside Sweden, Czechia, Denmark, Slovakia, Norway, Slovenia and Italy. Group A, based in Zurich, will consist of the United States, Switzerland, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Austria, Hungary and the United Kingdom.
Canada will be tested early in the tournament with their first match taking place on Friday, May 15 against Sweden, who have taken bronze at the last two world championships. Canada will face Italy the next day, followed by Denmark (May 18), Norway (May 21), Slovenia (May 22), Slovakia (May 24) and Czechia (May 26).
The quarterfinals will take place May 28 and will be split between Friborg and Zürich. The remainder of the tournament will be held inside the Swiss Life Arena Zürich where the semifinals will take place on May 30 followed by the bronze and gold medal matches on May 31.
All Team Canada games will be broadcast by TSN.
Team Canada’s 2026 IIHF World Championship Roster
Goalkeeper (3)
Jet Greaves
Jack Ivankovic
Cam Talbot
Defenders (8)
Evan Bouchard
Dylan De Melo
Sam Dickinson
Denton Mateychuk
Nurse Darnell
Morgan Riley
Zach White Cloud
Parker Wotherspoon
Forward (12)
Mathew Barzal
Connor Brown
Macklin Celebrini
Dylan Cozens
Emmit Finnie
Dylan Holloway
Fraser Minten
Ryan O’Reilly
Mark Scheifele
John Tavares
Robert Thomas
Gabriel Vilardi
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