Hockey Canada announced its initial 15-player roster for the 2025 IIHF World Championship on Thursday.
The brass leading Team Canada into the tournament, however, left two of the most recognizable names out of the roster.
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Neither Pittsburgh Penguins captain Sidney Crosby nor Chicago Blackhawks phenom Connor Bedard were included in the early list, which was selected by general manager Kyle Dubas and a panel of NHL executives.
Though more players will be added in the coming days, the absence of Crosby and Bedard signals they have either declined participation or are still undecided.
Currently, Canada’s roster leans heavily on younger and Olympic-bubble talent, including Macklin Celebrini, Adam Fantilli, Kent Johnson, and Noah Dobson.
Dylan Garand, an AHL goaltender whose NHL rights belong to the New York Rangers, is the lone netminder listed so far.
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The full roster features forwards Celebrini (San Jose Sharks), Travis Konecny (Philadelphia Flyers), Bo Horvat (New York Islanders), Fantilli (Columbus Blue Jackets), Barrett Hayton (Utah), Will Cuylle (New York Rangers), Tyson Foerster (Flyers), Ryan O’Reilly (Nashville Predators) and Johnson (Blue Jackets).
Meanwhile, the blue line is comprised of Travis Sanheim (Flyers), Dobson (Islanders), Ryker Evans (Seattle Kraken), MacKenzie Weegar (Calgary Flames), and Brandon Montour (Seattle).
Chicago Blackhawks forward Connor Bedard (98) and Pittsburgh Penguins forward Sidney Crosby (87) chase the puck at United Center.Jamie Sabau-Imagn Images
Crosby, 37, just completed his 20th NHL season, leading the Penguins with 91 points in 80 games. The Penguins, however, missed the playoffs for the third consecutive season and ultimately fired head coach Mike Sullivan.
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Crosby has not played in a World Championship since 2015 and has not publicly stated if he’ll join the team for the Worlds.
Bedard, meanwhile, finished his second NHL season with 67 points in 82 games as the Blackhawks’ leading scorer.
The 19-year-old Calder Trophy winner addressed questions about his availability mid-April, saying, “Still kind of deciding on that, but we’ll see here in the next few days.”
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