The Edmonton Oilers could be very well represented at the 2026 Olympics for Team Canada as four players have been invited to the Men’s orientation camp roster. Hockey Canada released their inaugural list for their orientation camp roster for the Men's, Women's, and the Paralympics. The four players are; forwards Connor McDavid, Zach Hyman, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and defenseman Evan Bouchard,
This marks a big change from the 2014 Olympics where the Oilers only had three representatives in total; Anton Belov for Russia, Martin Marincin for Slovakia, and Ales Hemsky for Czechia. There were none for Canada though and there has not been since the 2006 Winter Olympics when both Chris Pronger and Ryan Smyth failed to medal.
Recently, at the 2025 4 Nations Faceoff, McDavid was the only player on the Oilers to make it for Canada and was nothing short of spectacular. He scored the golden goal for Canada in sudden death overtime against netminder Connor Hellebuyck and the USA team.
Oilers at the 2026 Olympics
We know from recent releases that at the very least Oilers captain Connor McDavid is a lock to make the cut but with the other three making the orientation camp, it seems they have a good shot in their own right. Bouchard notably seems to have a good chance, given he is one of the league's premier offensive defensemen. The 25 year old broke out in a big way in 2023-24, notching 82 points through 81 games and finishing the year fifth in James Norris Trophy voting.
Hyman and Nugent-Hopkins have outside chances with Hyman most likely of the two. He would make it if the Hockey Canada brass wants to fill a “Chris Kunitz” type of role -- A complimentary player who is there due to their high chemistry with a star. This is in reference to Kunitz making the Olympic games in 2014 due mostly to his chemistry with star player and Pittsburgh Penguins teammate, Sidney Crosby.
As of right now, the only locks to make the Olympics are McDavid and Leon Draisaitl for Germany.
Some other Oiler players with a good chance to represent their nations are; Mattias Ekholm for Sweden, Josh Samanski for Germany, and David Tomasek for Czechia.
We will find out more as the months go on and we approach closer and closer to the Olympics. As of right now, the Oilers seem like they will be well represented but could have at least a handful of players at the Olympics next February. This is a great sign for the health and depth of the franchise, a big step up from years ago.
The 2026 Olympic Winter Games will take place from February 6th to 22nd, 2026 in both Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. The Ice Hockey seems most likely to be held in Milan with Cortina as a destination for more of the outdoor games.