3 biggest snubs from Team Canada's Olympic roster.

Hockey Canada has locked in what will be their roster for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy but the major announcement was not without controversy.

There are of course only a limited number of spots available on the Olympic roster and with so many talented hockey players emerging from the country of Canada there was a guarantee that some big names would have to be left off. Not everyone however agrees with the names that have been left off the roster with many expressing their displeasure at the choices made by Hockey Canada this time around.

With that in mind I will be taking a look at what I consider to be the 3 biggest snubs this time around, doing so in ascending order.

#3 Matthew Schaefer - New York Islanders.

If you've watched Schaeffer play this season then you already know that he will be one of the stand out defensemen for the nation of Canada for many, many years to come. Schaeffer has almost single handedly revived the Islanders franchise and appears to be a lock for the Calder Memorial Trophy as the National Hockey League's rookie of the year for the 2025-26 season.

Through 41 games this season Schaeffer has 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points and currently boasts a plus minus rating of +20 on the season despite playing nearly 24 minutes a night on average as a rookie NHL defenseman.

Schaeffer is the future of Canada's blue line and leaving him at home for what would be his first taste of Olympic level competition is in my estimation a big mistake for both the present and future.

#2 Sam Bennett - Florida Panthers.

One of the most hotly debated names when it came to the lead up to Canada's roster announcement was that of Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett. Bennett got off to a slow start this season but his pedigree as a winner had many believe that he should have been a lock for the roster regardless of potential struggles this season.

Bennett has however turned things around and despite his Florida Panthers being decimated by injuries he is once again producing offensively with 13 goals and 17 assists for 30 points in 40 games this season.

More importantly though Bennett has proven that he is a winner at the highest levels of hockey and has shown that when the pressure is on he is the kind of player that can be consistently relied upon in big moments. Bennett is fresh off of 3 straight trips to the Stanley Cup Finals and 2 consecutive Stanley Cup championships, but perhaps more importantly he also played a pivotal role in helping Canada claim gold at the Four Nations Face-Off.

The last several years have seen nothing but success after success for Bennett and for this reason I believe leaving him off the roster was a mistake, a feeling many have expressed since the announcement.

"I cannot believe this Sam Bennett exclusion from this team," said former NHL president and general manager Doug MacLean on Real Kyper and Bourne."What is going on here that this guy doesn't make this team? I'm sorry. I think they made a great job in the selections but I don't get this one."

#1 Connor Bedard - Chicago Blackhawks

If Matthew Schaeffer is Canada's future on the blue line than Connor Bedard may very well be the countries future at the forward position. The Blackhawks superstar earned a fair number of doubters after his first two relatively underwhelming seasons in the NHL, but Bedard has come out for the 2025-26 NHL season in a way that has proven all of his doubters wrong.

Bedard has looked like one of the very best forwards in the league at times this season and has the numbers to back that up with 19 goals and 25 assists for 44 points in just 31 games played with the Blackhawks this season.

Bedard hasn't played since December 12th however due to injury and it may be the unfortunate reality that this injury not only derailed the incredible momentum he had going for himself this season, but it may have also damaged his chances of making the final roster for Team Canada.

Bedard will no doubt be a fixture of Canadian rosters for international competitions for many years to come and it will be a tremendous shame if he misses out on his first opportunity to play Olympic hockey.