Canada head coach Cooper says he expects ‘excruciating’ Olympic roster choices

Jon Cooper expects there will be “excruciatingly tough” decisions when it comes down to formalizing Canada’s roster for the NHL’s Olympic return.

The Tampa Bay Lightning head coach and bench boss of the country’s men’s hockey team at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games added the likes of Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard are making life difficult for the program’s brain trust.

The 19-year-old Celebrini sat second in NHL scoring with 43 points (15 goals, 28 assists) — behind only Nathan MacKinnon — heading into Monday night’s action.

The 20-year-old Bedard, meanwhile, occupied the No. 4 spot with 40 points (18 goals, 22 assists), just two back of Connor McDavid.

MacKinnon and McDavid have already been named to Canada’s roster along with Sidney Crosby, Cale Makar, Sam Reinhart and Brayden Point.

Those six players and Cooper helped Canada win the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off back in February, which represented an appetizer ahead of the league rejoining the Olympic setup following a 12-year absence. The roster deadline for the 2026 Games in Italy is Dec. 31.