Connor Bedard an Olympic option despite 4 Nations snub - ESPN

Team Canada general manager Don Sweeney indicated that Chicago Blackhawks star Connor Bedard is still in consideration for the 2026 Winter Olympics despite being snubbed from Canada's NHL 4 Nations Face-Off roster this week.

Bedard, 19, was the NHL rookie of the year last season. He had dominating performances for Canada at the 2023 world juniors (23 points in seven games) and the 2024 IIHF world championships (5 goals in 10 games). That sparked speculation that Bedard would make the roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off, a four-team exhibition tournament that's replacing the NHL All-Star Game this season, to better prepare him for the 2026 Olympic tournament in Italy.

But Bedard has struggled in his second NHL season, with five goals in 26 games after scoring 22 goals in 68 games as a rookie. He has 19 points for the Blackhawks.

Sweeney, who is the general manager of the Boston Bruins, said that Bedard is part of «the next wave of great players» for Canada but one who needs to gain experience before making the leap to the national team.

«It's his second time around the league. There's some challenges associated with that. He's working through that, in a situation where he gets all the attention possible from the best players that he's playing against each and every night,» said Sweeney. «So I think he's living and breathing it right now and it's only going to help him to continue to build his résumé, and we're excited about that.»

Sweeney, who will be the assistant to GM Doug Armstrong for the Canadian men's hockey Olympic team, and Team Canada coach Jon Cooper both expected Bedard would push for a roster spot in 2026.

They also said the 4 Nations Face-Off roster, which features just one player born after 1998, was built