Next week in Toronto, in conjunction with the NHL’s general managers’ meeting, both Canada and the USA will conduct sessions for their respective Olympic hockey teams.
Needless to say, both groups have to cut down the more than 40 names closer to the 25 that will play at the Olympic Winter Games.
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The Winnipeg Jets’ Connor Hellebuyck, Josh Morrissey, Kyle Connor and Mark Scheifele are sure to be part of the conversations for their countries, with Scheifele probably generating more conversation than the other three, considering that trio all made February’s Four Nations rosters.
There is little doubt that No. 55’s start this season has made him a dynamic candidate for Team Canada.
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But here are some things to remember for Scheifele and any other players on the bubble for the Olympic team. Part of the discussion that will occur in those meetings is, how do stars like the Jets’ leading scorer react to becoming role players?
No longer will you play 20 minutes per game, but you might play half that time. No longer are you a lock to be on the number one power play unit, and you might be lucky to be on the number two unit.
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No longer is your roster spot guaranteed for every game; you might be a healthy scratch. Once a first-liner, and lucky to be a fourth-liner in Italy, you might not play your regular position.
Canada’s Josh Morrissey (44) is tripped by the United States’ Jake Guentzel (59) during the first period of 4 Nations Face-Off hockey action in Montreal on Feb. 15, 2025.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes
And oh yeah, 50-second shifts are 35 seconds long.
In many ways, part of the measure of being on Team Canada will be how you handle the disappointment of being just another player on a team of superstars. How does one handle that and still be a great teammate?
It is sometimes difficult to accept that even though you want to contribute, you might not be given a chance to.
Scheifele deserves to be on Team Canada, no doubt about it. But there are other Canadian-born players in that boat — Tom Wilson, Robert Thomas, Wyatt Johnston, Nick Suzuki — who are still on the outside looking in.
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The meetings next week will start to dig deeper into which stars can rethink their value to a team. Team chemistry is so vital in these short tournaments, those discussions are often as important as the ones about which player has more talent.
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