42 Players Invited to Team Canada's Olympic Orientation Camp, Two Notable Leafs Snubbed

The 2026 Winter Olympics will feature NHL players for the first time since 2014 when Canada defended their gold medal in Russia by defeating Sweden in the final match.

It's been a long time coming for the NHL and the IIHF to come to terms and in that time we've missed 2 Olympic Games that would have featured the best on best.

The 4-Nations Face-Off was the perfect appetizer as it highlighted exactly what we've missed over the last decade with national pride on the line. With that being said, representing your nation is high on the list of every player in the NHL, but it seems like some notable members of the Toronto Maple Leafs won't get that opportunity this time around.

Hockey Canada invited 42 NHL players to their orientation camp for the men's team in preparation for the Olympic Games. The list included 3 goaltenders, 26 forwards, including former Leafs captain John Tavares, and 13 defensemen. Morgan Rielly and Chris Tanev did not receive an invite.

Prior to the off-season, the Maple Leafs had one player that was going to be an automatic choice for Team Canada in Mitch Marner. However, after his move to Vegas this summer, the Leafs might not be represented at all.

Those in charge of constructing the roster include the GM Doug Armstrong, assistant GMs in Julien BriseBoise, Jim Nill, and Don Sweeney, as well as Kyle Dubas, who is the director of player personnel.

Defensemen like Evan Bouchard, Noah Dobson, and MacKenzie Weegar got the call, despite not being apart of Team Canada's original roster for the 4 Nations. Thomas Harley was also omitted at the time but was called up as an injury replacement for Shea Theodore and is now in their plans for the Olympics.

While this list can change at any point from now to when the rosters need to be finalized, it's a strong indication of where both defensemen stand in the eyes of Hockey Canada.

Perhaps a very strong start to the 2025-26 season for Rielly and Tanev can change their minds when it comes to the final roster, however at least for the time being, it sounds like they're not part of the plan.