Brandon Hagel will be in tough to make Team Canada
For any season in which the NHL sends their players to the Olympics, the first few months of that season serve a dual purpose. Sure, teams are still fighting for points and jockeying for playoff positioning, but players are also auditioning to make their respective nations’ Olympic teams, trying to make their resume as attractive as possible. With final 25-man rosters for Milano Cortina 2026 due on December 31st, time is running short for players to make their case for that February trip to Italy.
An interesting case for Team Canada is Brandon Hagel of the Tampa Bay Lightning. He’s played well this season, with 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points in 21 games. He was a member of Canada’s championship team at last February’s 4 Nations Face-Off, and his coach in Tampa Bay, Jon Cooper, will be Canada’s head coach at the Olympics. While all of these factors should work in Hagel’s favor, competition for Canadian Olympic roster spots is always steep. Young stars like Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard have put up undeniable numbers, while veterans like John Tavares and Mark Scheifele, who weren’t on the 4 Nations team, are playing their way into strong consideration.
On Tuesday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discussed whether or not Hagel will ultimately make Team Canada for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Tyler Yaremchuk: Three points for Brandon Hagel last night. He’s one of those guys who’s maybe been pushed a little bit more to being a bubble guy on Team Canada. He was obviously a part of the 4 Nations team. Do you think Brandon Hagel makes Team Canada?
Carter Hutton: This is my concern with Brandon Hagel. I know there’s a little bit of bias because it is Jon Cooper’s player, and Jon Cooper is the head coach. But all being equal, I feel like it’s going to come down to a sitaution where, who are you taking and what role are they fitting? Yes, he had that famous fight in that game against Tkachuk, and he did a lot during that series. My concern right now is the Tom Wilson factor. I think Tom Wilson is playing great hockey. I think Tom Wilson is a guy you could see in that lineup with the way he is producing right now. He’s just scored his 12th goal last night, he’s got 23 points. He’s been a big factor. Which guys are you taking? Are you taking a guy that can be productive offensively? Points being out the window, you talk about Sam Bennett, you talk about Brandon Hagel, Tom Wilson. Which guy are you going with? Because then you’ve got to start to add in the Macklin Celebrini’s and the Connor Bedard’s of the world. For my money right now, Tom Wilson is the guy.
You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…