Typically, the Edmonton Oilers superstars would be among those who would not head to the World Hockey Championship, one of the many international tournaments organized by the IIHF. Instead, they would compete in the later rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs if they were to advance that far.
But this year is different. While the Oilers were eliminated in the first round to the Anaheim Ducks, which marks the first time since their 2021 first-round series against Winnipeg that they have exited this early, their top players will earn a chance to represent their country at the World Championship.
Defensemen Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse will be two of those players, as they were today named to Team Canada's roster ahead of the start of the tournament.
Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse added to Team Canada’s roster for the Men’s World Hockey Championship.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) May 5, 2026
This will be Bouchard's first appearance at the World Championship and his first international action since playing at the 2019 World Juniors, where he helped Canada to a sixth-place finish while also recording three assists.
Meanwhile, Nurse will be returning to the World Championship after a seven-year absence from the tournament. He joined Connor McDavid and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins during the 2018 tournament, where Team Canada finished third in their preliminary round group while bringing home a fourth-place finish. Nurse would return for the 2019 edition for the tournament, helping Canada to an appearance against Finland in the gold medal game.
Bouchard enjoyed his best offensive performance during this past campaign, recording 95 points through 82 games played. His 21 goals and 74 assists were both career-bests, while his +25 plus/minus rating was second to his score of +34 during the 2023-24 campaign.
While Nurse hasn't been able to find the same level of success as Bouchard, he has nonetheless been able to contribute on the offensive side of the ice. He did record 24 points during the 2025-26 regular season, a total that included seven goals and 17 assists, but this season was the first since the 2017-18 campaign where Nurse failed to record at least 30 points.
The 2026 edition of the World Championship will take place from May 15 to May 31, 2026. Canada will enter the tournament through Group B of the preliminary round. Group B includes Canada, Norway, Sweden, Czechia, Denmark, Slovakia, Slovenia, and Italy.
The 2025 edition of the World Championship was won by the United States, with Switzerland finishing as the runner up. Canada exited the tournament during the quarterfinal round, losing to the eventual fourth-place finishers Denmark by a 2-1 scoreline.
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