MacKinnon, Makar Among Team Canada’s First Six For 2026 Olympics

Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar are heading to the 2026 Winter Olympics with Team Canada.

The Avalanche’s pair of superstars will represent their nation once again following a successful 4 Nations Face-Off Gold Medal this past February.

MacKinnon, 29, won the Four Nations MVP after scoring four goals in as many games. He also played for Canada again at the World Championships following the Avs’ early playoff elimination. In that tournament, the Halifax, Nova Scotia native recorded seven goals and 13 points in eight games.

After the First Six launch, bettors immediately installed Team Canada as the betting favorite at numerous sportsbettingsites.com.

Makar, 26, was a key piece of Team Canada’s Four Nations roster. He had one assist in three games but led the team with 28:06 of ice time while playing alongside Avalanche teammate Devon Toews. The reigning Norris Trophy winner is Canada’s top defenseman.

Both MacKinnon and Makar were among the six preliminary roster selections for the Four Nations nearly a year before that tournament took place. The duo is regarded as two of the best hockey players in the world.

Twelve nations will participate in the 2026 Winter Olympics from Feb. 6-22. Each nation is revealing the first six names of their preliminary roster throughout the day on Monday.

Each nation’s roster is listed below.

Canada

• Sidney Crosby, C, Pittsburgh Penguins
• Nathan MacKinnon, C, Colorado Avalanche
• Cale Makar, D, Colorado Avalanche
• Connor McDavid, C, Edmonton Oilers
• Brayden Point, C, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Sam Reinhart, RW, Florida Panthers

Czechia

• David Pastrnak, RW, Boston Bruins
• Pavel Zacha, C, Boston Bruins
• Martin Necas, RW, Colorado Avalanche
• Ondrej Palat, RW, New Jersey Devils
• Radko Gudas, D, Anaheim Ducks
• Lukas Dostal, G, Anaheim Ducks

Denmark

• Nikolaj Ehlers, LW, Winnipeg Jets (UFA)
• Frederik Andersen, G, Carolina Hurricanes
• Lars Eller, C, Washington Capitals
• Oliver Bjorkstrand, RW, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Jonas Rondbjerg, RW, Vegas Golden Knights
• Jesper Jensen Abo, D, EC-KAC (ICEHL)

France

• Yohann Auvitu, D, HC Vítkovice (Czechia)
• Jules Boscq, D, HPK (Liiga)
• Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, C, HC Ajoie (NL)
• Hugo Gallet, D, Tappara (Liiga)
• Jordann Perret, RW, Mountfield HK, (Czechia)
• Alexandre Texier, C, St. Louis Blues

Finland

• Sebastian Aho, C, Carolina Hurricanes
• Mikko Rantanen, RW, Dallas Stars
• Aleksander Barkov, C, Florida Panther
• Miro Heiskanen, D, Dallas Stars
• Esa Lindell, D, Dallas Stars
• Juuse Saros, G, Nashville Predators

Germany

• Lukas Reichel, LW, Chicago Blackhawks
• Nico Sturm, C, Florida Panthers
• Leon Draisaitl, C, Edmonton Oilers
• Tim Stutzle, C, Ottawa Senators
• Moritz Seider, D, Detroit Red Wings
• Philipp Grubauer, G, Seattle Kraken

Italy

• Diego Kostner, F, HC Ambrì-Piotta (NL)
• Daniel Mantenuto, F, HC Bolzano (ICEHL)
• Tommy Purdeller, F, HC Pustertal (ICEHL)
• Luca Zanatta, D, HC Pustertal (ICEHL)
• Thomas Larkin, D, Schwenninger Wild Wings (DEL)
• Damian Clara, G, San Diego Gulls (AHL)

Latvia

• Rodrigo Abols, C, Philadelphia Flyers
• Zemgus Girgensons, C, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Teddy Blueger, C, Vancouver Canucks
• Uvis Balinskis, D, Florida Panthers
• Elvis Merzlikins, G, Columbus Blue Jackets
• Arturs Silovs, G, Vancouver Canucks

Slovakia

• Martin Pospisil, C, Calgary Flames
• Tomas Tatar, LW, EV Zug (NL)
• Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, Montreal Canadiens
• Simon Nemec, D, New Jersey Devils
• Erik Cernak, D, Tampa Bay Lightning
• Martin Fehervary, D, Washington Capitals

Sweden

• Gabriel Landeskog, LW, Colorado Avalanche
• Lucas Raymond, LW, Detroit Red Wings
• William Nylander, RW, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Adrian Kempe, RW, Los Angeles Kings
• Rasmus Dahlin, D, Buffalo Sabres
• Victor Hedman, D, Tampa Bay Lightning

Switzerland

• Kevin Fiala, LW, Los Angeles Kings
• Nico Hischier, C, New Jersey Devils
• Timo Meier, RW, New Jersey Devils
• Nino Niederreiter, RW, Winnipeg Jets
• Roman Josi, D, Nashville Predators
• Jonas Siegenthaler, D, New Jersey Devils

United States

• Jack Eichel, C, Vegas Golden Knights
• Quinn Hughes, D, Vancouver Canucks
• Auston Matthews, C, Toronto Maple Leafs
• Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston Bruins
• Brady Tkachuk, LW, Ottawa Senators
• Matthew Tkachuk, LW, Florida Panthers