Team Canada looking to get back on podium at IIHF World Championship
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, the Canadians were upset by Denmark in the quarterfinals, placing them fifth overall. In 2024, Canada lost to Sweden in the bronze medal game.
While the last couple years have not gone Canada’s way, it’s been a strong decade for the country at men’s hockey worlds. Canada has played in the gold medal game seven times since 2015 and, prior to last year’s quarterfinal loss, had qualified for the semifinals every year since then.
The United States enters this year’s tournament as the defending champions. The Americans defeated Switzerland in last year’s gold medal game to capture their first world title since 1960.
The 2026 tournament begins Friday, May 15 and ends Sunday, May 31. Games will be split between Zürich and Fribourg.
Who is playing for Team Canada at the 2026 IIHF World Championship?
Team Canada’s roster for the world championship looks much different from the team that wore the red and white at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games. That comes as no surprise given that most of Canada’s Olympians are either still participating in the NHL’s Stanley Cup Playoffs or recovering physically from a busy season.
Nineteen-year-old forward Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks is the lone member of Canada’s Milano Cortina 2026 contingent that will play at the men’s worlds. Celebrini had a breakout 2025-26 season that saw him record 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 be Team Canada’s captain 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 be 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 has 18 goals and 18 assists in 31 career games at the men’s worlds.
Twelve of the 23 players named to the roster have suited up for Canada at previous world championships. Along with Celebrini, Tavares and O’Reilly, that list includes Matthew Barzal, Connor Brown, Dylan Cozens, Darnell Nurse, Morgan Rielly, Mark Scheifele, Cam Talbot, Gabriel Vilardi and Zach Whitecloud.
Canada’s defence core is headlined by Evan Bouchard, who led all NHL defencemen 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 the under-17 and under-20 levels, will be making his first appearance with the senior men’s national team.
The mix of youth and experience is certainly seen on the backend. The group includes the likes of 32-year-old Rielly and 33-year-old Dylan DeMelo while also featuring 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 a .940 save percentage to help Canada capture gold. Talbot will be joined by University of Michigan goaltender Jack Ivankovic, who has played in the past 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 Fribourg, alongside Sweden, Czechia, Denmark, Slovakia, Norway, Slovenia and Italy. Group A, based in Zürich, will consist of the United States, Switzerland, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Austria, Hungary and Great Britain.
Canada will be tested early in the tournament with their first game taking place on Friday, May 15 against Sweden, who captured bronze at the last two world championships. The Canadians 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 Fribourg and Zürich. The remainder of the tournament will be held inside Zürich’s Swiss Life Arena where the semifinals will take place May 30 followed by the bronze and gold medal games on May 31.
All of Team Canada’s games will be broadcast by TSN.
Team Canada 2026 IIHF World Championship Roster
Goaltenders (3)
Jet Greaves
Jack Ivankovic
Cam Talbot
Defensemen (8)
Evan Bouchard
Dylan DeMelo
Sam Dickinson
Denton Mateychuk
Darnell Nurse
Morgan Rielly
Zach Whitecloud
Parker Wotherspoon
Forwards (12)
Mathew Barzal
Connor Brown
Macklin Celebrini
Dylan Cozens
Emmitt Finnie
Dylan Holloway
Fraser Minten
Ryan O’Reilly
Mark Scheifele
John Tavares
Robert Thomas
Gabriel Vilardi
