What could Team Canada look like in 2022?

Hockey fans across Canada will always talk about how their team will look when it comes to the next Winter Olympics. It’s too bad we didn’t get to see NHL players in the 2018 Olympics, so we are hoping it happens in two years! The team at #N6ix has come up with their projections on how Team Canada could look entering the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Pictured above: The 2014 Men's Olympic Team in Sochi, Russia; winning gold in men's hockey.

Forwards

There are many players that can make this team, so this made it very difficult to narrow it down to four lines. Here are the reasons why some of these players have made it on our projected 2022 Team Canada roster. (Age is two years from now)

Jonathan Huberdeau – One of the most underrated players in the National Hockey League. Looking at the past two seasons, he ranks top 10 in points (170 points in 151 games played). This puts him at a 1.13 points per game average. Giving him the opportunity to play on a line with Connor McDavid and Nathan Mackinnon, arguably 2 of the top 3 players in the world, he will do just fine.

Sean Couturier – Another player people don’t talk about much but is one of the most talented two-way players in the league. This season, with at least 60 games played, Couturier is ranked #1 in face-off percentage (59.6) in the National Hockey League. This would give Canada a reliable centre that can win draws at important parts of the game.

Matthew Barzal – With a big ice surface, Barzal is going to excel with his great skating ability. He has great tremendous puck-handling and vision that allows him to be in the right areas on the ice. When John Tavares left the Islanders, Barzal played a huge role in leading this team into the playoffs. Sitting with 122 points in his past 150 games, Barzal leads the Islanders in that category. Night in and night out, Barzal can play with the best in the National Hockey League.

Defense

It can become tricky when choosing the six defense-men for Team Canada especially when there are a lot of options. Here are the six defense-men below that have a real shot at making Team Canada.

Thomas Chabot – Watching him since junior, especially in the World Junior Tournament, you knew he was going to be something special in the National Hockey League. Chabot ranks #6 with most points as a defense-man in the past two seasons with 94 in 141 games played. Once the Ottawa Senators start to turn it around, you will start to see Chabot’s defensive stats move in the right direction. He currently sits at a -18 in the plus/minus department with 2.9 goals against per 60 minutes.[1] Two years from now, he will become one of the elite defenders in the league and a great candidate for Team Canada at the 2022 Winter Olympics.

Josh Morrissey – A name people might not have thought of when putting together Team Canada’s Blue Line. He is an exceptional two-way defense-man that plays for the Winnipeg Jets. In his five-year career, he has never had season in the negative plus/minus category. When the Olympics start, Morrissey will be in year two of his new 8-year deal with the Jets. Canada will need someone who is confident with the puck and be able to move it 200 feet and Josh Morrissey can fit that role.

[1] https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/c/chaboth01-advanced.html

Goalies

Goalies can be very difficult to pick especially if they go downhill for the next two seasons, then it can be anyone’s game for Team Canada. If these three goalies play the way they do or better in the next couple seasons, expect them to be on the Team Canada roster.

Jordan Binnington – A goalie that proved to the world that he belongs in the National Hockey League. Binnington and a few other factors brought the St. Louis Blues out of the grave in January 2019 and brought them their first Stanley Cup in franchise history! People may think it was a fluke that he won a Stanley Cup in his first year, but he is still proving people wrong with 30 wins and a 2.56 Goals Against Average in the 2019-20 season.[1] He keeps this up for the next two seasons, he’s got a spot on the Team Canada roster.

[1] http://www.nhl.com/stats/goalies

On the Bubble

Players who also have a great chance of cracking the 2022 roster. These talented all-stars didn't quite make our projected 2022 team but don't be surprised if their name is on the Team Canada roster when they go to China in 2022.

Forwards:, Claude Giroux, Tyler Seguin, Mark Scheifele, Ryan O’Reilly, Mark Stone, and Jonathan Toews

Defense: Brent Burns, Kris Letang, Aaron Ekblad, Ryan Ellis, Shea Weber, and Darnell Nurse

Goalies: Marc Andre Fleury, Braden Holtby, Mackenzie Blackwood, and Tristan Jarry

Overall, if the NHL and the IOC come to an agreement to allow NHL players in the Olympics, it's going to be very hard for Hockey Canada to choose their team. There are many great Canadians that play in the NHL today that should get their shot at Olympic Gold in 2022.