Of the 42 NHL players who attended Team Canada’s Olympic orientation camp in August, forwards Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini stood out as the youngest.
While five other players at camp were also born in the 2000s, Bedard and Celebrini are the only ones still on their three-year, entry-level contracts. Bedard, 20, is entering the final year of his while Celebrini, 19, is set to enter his second.
Doug Armstrong, the general manager for the Canadian men’s Olympic team, said the pair, who both hail from North Vancouver, B.C., are firmly in the mix to be on the final roster for February.
“It was great to watch them,” said Armstrong on TSN Radio 1050 Monday morning. “They were both at the World Championships, Bedard last year and Celebrini this year. I think just getting them associated with this level of players, Crosby and MacKinnon were there for Celebrini this year [at the Worlds], that’s the next generation.
“Obviously, the competition is going to be great to make this team, but they were there based on their play over the last couple of years and where we project them to go this year.”
Bedard, who was selected first overall by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2023, had 23 goals and 67 points in 82 games last season. He scored 22 goals with 61 points in 68 games to capture the Calder Trophy as the NHL’s rookie of the year in 2023-24.
Celebrini, the No. 1 pick by San Jose in 2024, finished third in Calder Trophy voting last season after he led the Sharks in scoring with 63 points in 70 games.
Both players have also previously suited up internationally for Canada. Bedard has enjoyed more success in a Canadian jersey, winning back-to-back gold medals at the 2022 and 2023 World Junior Championships and gold at the 2021 U18s. He captured World Junior MVP and best forward honours in 2023 after notching 23 points in seven games.
Celebrini helped Canada win bronze at the 2023 U18s, scoring the overtime winner against Slovakia. He made his senior debut at this year’s Worlds, scoring three goals with six points in eight games but Canada was upset in the quarter-finals by Denmark.
Unlike with Team Canada, where there are enormous expectations to win gold in February, Bedard and Celebrini are in a much different situation with their NHL teams. The Sharks and Blackhawks finished as the bottom-two teams in the standings last season and both clubs are in the midst of extensive rebuilds.
There were 19 Stanley Cup champions, 12 World Championship gold medalists and three Olympic gold-medal winners at the Canadian camp. Armstrong said it’s important for Bedard and Celebrini to get familiar in a best-on-best environment.
“I think they enjoyed it, any time you can rub shoulders with McDavid, Crosby and MacKinnon and Makar,” said Armstrong. “Especially for those guys, we want them if they are good enough and make the team, we want them they have to get there ready to perform and sort of not be awestruck by their teammates. And I think this was a good first step in that.”