As the world of sport continues to grow, Canadians and their sports teams are front and centre as they make their mark around the globe — and in no small way. ​This past week, there were numerous major moments featuring Canadian talent, and some highlights from across pro sports that are just too good to ignore.

For starters, the Toronto Maple Leafs have now dropped five of their last six games, Jacob Fowler became the third youngest Canadiens goalie to record a shutout, and Reece Howden added to his legacy with a terrific showing in ski cross.

Also, the Toronto Raptors have found themselves in a rough stretch, Nikola Markovic became just the second Canadian to be drafted first overall in the MLS draft, and Jonathan David and Vanessa Gilles were named Canada Soccer’s players of the year for the second straight campaign.

With that being said, here’s an update on some of the things you might’ve missed from our Canadians last week, and what you should have marked on your calendar moving forward.

Leafs drop 5 of last 6 games, continue to falter out of playoff picture

There’s still a lot of season left, but so far, the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t looking like a team that will be in the playoffs come April.

Despite putting together a strong effort, the Leafs fell 5-1 to the Dallas Stars on Sunday. They’ve now lost five of their last six games, including a three-game skid on the road where they were outscored 14-4.

Currently, they sit 8th in the Atlantic Division, and seven spots out of a wild card spot in the Eastern Conference. Coming into 2025-26, the Leafs had made the postseason for nine straight seasons, the longest playoff streak by any team in the NHL.

The team’s rough breakup with Mitch Marner was heavily documented, and although his production was sure to be missed, this team was expected to still be in the mix going forward.

Unfortunately, a plethora of injuries, inconsistent efforts, and lackluster play have hindered Toronto from finding any sort of rhythm so far. Even William Nylander is feeling the struggle, with the forward saying he’s “never felt like this before” after Sunday night’s affair.

Craig Berube was initially hired by general manager Brad Treliving to help change the culture of this team. The head coach won a Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues just six years ago, but so far, he hasn’t been able to find a recipe for the Leafs’ woes.

Whatever the issue is, it’s clear that something will have to change immediately if the Leafs want to get anything going. If there’s a silver lining, Toronto will head back home for their next matchup, as they’ll take on the Pittsburgh Penguins on Tuesday.

Canadian Player of the Week: Macklin Celebrini

In just his second season in the NHL, Macklin Celebrini has emerged as one of the best players in the world.

The 19-year-old already has 54 points in 36 games, the third best mark in the league behind only Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon. Also, his 54 points are one shy of Sidney Crosby for the most points before Christmas by a teenager.

Celebrini’s awesome play is also doing wonders for the San Jose Sharks. Among the bottom of the Western Conference last season, the Sharks are currently in the middle of the pack so far this season, sitting 5th in the Pacific Division. Their standings point percentage of .514 is already a major improvement on their .317 mark last season, and a large part of that is thanks to the centerman’s play.

He’s currently on pace to reach 123 points this season, which would be behind only Wayne Gretzky (137) for the most points ever recorded by a teenager in a single campaign.

With the Milano-Cortina Olympic Games coming up, there’s been questions about who should make the final roster. But given his remarkable play, it looks like it would be a shocker if Celebrini didn’t crack Jon Cooper’s 25 player list by the new year.

Canadiens phenom Jacob Fowler joins rarified air with shutout over Penguins

It’s only been a few games, but it looks like Jacob Fowler is exactly what the Montreal Canadiens need as the 2025-26 NHL season continues.

Against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday, the 21-year-old made 31 saves against the Pittsburgh Penguins for his first career NHL shutout. With that, Fowler became the third youngest goalie in Canadiens history to record a shutout, behind only Patrick Roy and Carey Price. It’s a big accomplishment for the young netminder, considering Roy is in the Hall of Fame and Price will likely also join him someday.

Fowler was especially sharp in the third period of this game, recording 17 saves against a desperate Penguins effort. This was just the fourth league start in Fowler’s career, having just been called up from the AHL’s Laval Rocket nearly two weeks ago.

His trajectory to becoming a key part of the Canadiens’ goaltender rotation began with a strong start with the Rocket. Fowler was among the AHL’s best in most goaltender stats prior to his call-up, and after a rough 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning, Martin St. Louis made the decision to bring the prospect into the fold.

So far, the move has paid off for the Canadiens. Through four starts, Fowler has a 2-1-1 record, with a 2.49 goals allowed average and a .915 save percentage. It’ll be interesting to see if he can keep up the strong play as the season continues.

Reece Howden makes history, completes sweep at ski cross World Cup in Italy

Reece Howden continued his dominant tear in ski cross, earning a third straight World Cup victory headlined by a dominant showing in Italy.

On Tuesday, Howden became the winningest men’s ski cross athlete with his 19th career victory coming in Switzerland. He surpassed Jean-Frédéric Chapuis who held the record since 2019. It didn’t take long for Howden to build on the mark, earning back-to-back strong wins in Innichen to make it 21 career World Cup victories.

Just a day removed from his 20th win, the Chilliwack, B.C., native managed to shake off his tired legs to defeat Florian Wilmsmann and Evan Klufts to get the job done. This is also Howden’s 81st career World Cup start and 33rd career podium.

Coming off his third Crystal Globe title as the overall season champion, the 27-year-old got off to a slow start, placing fifth and 25th in France to kick things off.

However, he seems to have found his rhythm this past week, and it won’t be a shocker to see him remain on multiple podiums heading into the Milano-Cortina Games.

Raptors fall to Nets, drop to sixth in the Eastern Conference

Darko Rajakovic and the Toronto Raptors have fallen into a funk as of late.

For the second time in as many days, they fell to an Eastern Conference opponent, losing 96-81 against the Brooklyn Nets. The red-hot start that they were on earlier in the season has now disappeared, with the team losing seven of their last 10 games.

The last 12 games have been difficult for the Raptors, with the team holding the worst offensive rating in the association during that span. Their loss against the Nets is also their second straight game with under 100 points scored. To make matters even more difficult, Jakob Poeltl left the game with a lower back injury. It’s been a recurring issue for Toronto’s starting centre, and his timetable for return is currently unknown.

The Raptors now sit in the sixth and final official playoff spot in the East. On the bright side, RJ Barrett has resumed basketball activities, and looks to be on his way back after missing the last 13 games with a knee injury.

They’ll have a chance to get back into the win column tonight, when they take on the Heat in Miami.

Nikola Markovic becomes second Canadian to be drafted first overall in MLS Draft

Nikola Markovic entered some terrific company on Thursday, after getting drafted first overall by D.C. United in the MLS Draft.

The Gatineau, Que., native joins Cyle Larin as the only Canadians to be the top selection in the draft. Markovic will look to have a similar impact as Larin, with the latter going on to win the league’s rookie of the year award with Orlando City before moving on to Europe.

Standing at six-foot-four, Markovic should have an immediate impact for the Eagles, who finished at the bottom of the league last season.

Markovic is also no stranger to the big stage. The 21-year-old won the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) defensive player of the year award this past season, helping North Carolina State make a run to the college cup title game on Monday. He also won gold with Quebec at the 2022 Canada Games, and spent time with CF Montreal’s academy three years ago.

Jonathan David and Vanessa Gilles repeat as Canada Soccer’s player of the year

For the second straight time, Jonathan David and Vanessa Gilles were named Canada Soccer’s players of the year.

They were voted the top players in the nation by Canadian media members and Canada Soccer coaching license holders. The award was based on the players’ performances for both the national team, as well as their respective clubs.

David beat out Ali Ahmed and Tajon Buchanan to once again get the award. This is the third time that the Juventus striker has won the award, having earned the honour last season and in 2019.

With Canada, David scored six goals and added two assists in 14 appearances this year. As for his club work, the 25-year-old started the season off with France’s Lille, contributing with eight goals and seven assists. He then joined Juventus on a free transfer, scoring three goals with the storied club, including two in Champions League play.

On the women’s side, Gilles won the award over Adriana Leon and Jayde Rivere. The defender began the year with Olympique Lyonnais Feminin, recording four goals and an assist in 13 appearances.

The French side went on to win their league title, and also made the semi-finals of the UEFA Women’s Champions League. Gilles then went on to sign with Bayern Munich on a three-year contract. She also appeared in eight matches for Canada, starting in six of those games.