Seventeen-year NHL veteran Eric Staal and Owen Power, the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, are among those who have been named to Canada’s final men’s Olympic ice hockey roster, sources told The Athletic. Kent Johnson, the No. 5 pick in last July’s draft, is also confirmed as a member of the final squad.
Staal, 37, joined the AHL’s Iowa Wild on a professional tryout agreement last week. The forward split last season between the Buffalo Sabres and Montreal Canadiens. He has previous Olympics experience, helping lead Canada to a gold medal in 2010 with a goal and five assists in seven games.
The Sabres drafted the 19-year-old Power No. 1 in July. He was on Canada’s 2022 world juniors team and became the first Canadian defenseman to score a hat trick when he potted three goals in the team’s opening game against Czechia before the tournament was canceled due to COVID-19.
Johnson, 19, was picked fifth by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2021 draft. Like Power, he attends the University of Michigan.
The full roster is expected to be announced early this week. Here are the names confirmed by The Athletic so far:
Forwards
- Daniel Carr
- Adam Cracknell
- David Desharnais
- Landon Ferraro
- Kent Johnson
- Eric Staal
- Daniel Winnik
Defensemen
- Mark Barberio
- Jason Demers
- Owen Power
The Athletic previously confirmed 29 names on Canada’s long list for the Games.
(Photo of Staal: Alex Livesey / Getty Images)