Canada’s Olympic plans center on a Four Nations pipeline, led by Crosby, McDavid, Reinhart, Point, MacKinnon and Makar, with the roster built to win and finalized after a Calgary orientation camp. Cooper compares the process to fine-tuning a Ferrari as Armstrong weighs a wide pool and a three-goalie race featuring Binnington, Hill and Montembeault. The Olympic return of NHL stars is framed around front-of-net play and depth, with a January roster reveal ahead of Milan’s Feb. 12 opener against Czechia.

Goaltending remains the most open competition, while the 25-man Canada squad will blend veteran leadership with high-end talent. The setup balances NHL club commitments with international success, aiming for a gold-medal performance in Milan-Cortina and signaling a new era of Canada at the Games after 2014.

News from Calgary emphasizes a structured, competitive process: players must earn their spots nightly, lines will be tested, and scouts will parse an eligible group of 50-plus names. The strategy centers on winning battles around the net and ensuring goaltending consistency, all under a clear mandate to excel on the international stage.

A fresh NHL draft ranking probes every slot (1-224) since 1967, blending talent, hardware, and legacy to name one essential pick per slot. Wayne Simmonds lands at No. 61 as the ultimate late-second-round steal for the Los Angeles Kings, a sign that impactful pros can emerge well after the top picks. The piece threads through a who’s-who of legends—Lemieux, Crosby, Ovechkin, McDavid, Jagr, Lidstrom and more—highlighting era-adjusted value and the lasting fantasy implications of every draft slot.

Canada’s Olympic orientation camp in Calgary brings together 92 players across NHL, women’s, and para hockey to prep for Milan-Cortina 2026. Edmonton captain Connor McDavid anchors the discussion, embracing a moment bigger than club teams and stressing country-wide unity. Crosby, Reinhart, MacKinnon, Point, and Makar join the early group as potential 25-man Olympians, with 36 others aiming for January’s roster cut. The NHL returns to Olympic play after 2018 and 2022, and the camp emphasizes environment and logistics rather than on-ice work for the NHL group, with women’s and para squads skating after the NHL players depart. Canada opens February 12 against Czechia, and Crosby notes the pace and structure will be fast, much like 4 Nations. It’s about peaking for the Olympics while chasing another Oilers playoff run next spring.

Senior leadership, including the veterans and rising stars, sets a path for uncharted waters as the men build toward Olympic gold. The camp’s message blends national pride with practical preparation, suggesting stability in top-line roles for the best Canadian talent and a focus on conditioning and systems ahead of a high-stakes, best-on-best tournament. For fantasy and bettors, the energy around McDavid, Crosby, Reinhart, MacKinnon, Point, and Makar signals premium upside on the table, tempered by the grind of a long season and the Olympic break looming mid-February.

Rutger McGroarty tops Pensburgh’s 2025 Top 25 Under 25 as the Penguins’ No. 1 prospect. The 21-year-old forward, acquired from Winnipeg in 2024, flashed leadership and a strong two-way game after a 39-point AHL season and a late-season NHL surge that included his first goal against St. Louis.

He projects as a power-forward capable of anchoring Pittsburgh’s top six with net-front presence and secondary scoring, especially if Dan Muse’s development-focused approach accelerates his NHL transition. With Crosby still guiding the way, McGroarty represents a cornerstone in a patient rebuild for the franchise.