Canucks: Which players could play in the 2022 Olympics?
The Vancouver Canucks are getting geared up to begin the 2021-22 NHL regular season in just over six weeks. After consecutive abnormal seasons, highlighted by the COVID-19 pause, the bubble in 2019-20 and then the 2021 shortened season in the Scotia North Division, the Canucks are looking forward to normalcy again. However, it appears that there will be another midseason disruption in this upcoming year. Fortunately, most hockey fans would welcome this break, as it seems likely that NHL players will be allowed to participate in the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics.
As of right now, the NHL and the NHLPA, per its Collective Bargaining Agreement, have agreed to pause the 2021-22 season from February 7-22, allowing for player participation in the Olympics. For just over two weeks, the hockey world will turn its attention to Beijing to watch the greatest collection of hockey talent from around the world compete for a gold medal.
After having no NHL participation at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, fans of each country are ready to build their dream rosters full of extreme talent in hopes of standing atop the podium.
With that being said, throughout this piece we’ll go through each participating nation in the 2022 men’s ice hockey competition, and preview the chances of a Canuck player representing said nation on the world’s biggest hockey stage.
Let’s get started!
Group A:
Canada
Locks: Nobody. The Canucks have a decent plethora of Canadian talent up and down the roster in different roles, but making Team Canada is no easy task. As of right now, no one is even close to being a lock on Canada’s roster.
Possibility: Bo Horvat.
I really like Horvat’s game as a two-way centre. In international hockey, on the bigger ice surface, Horvat’s defensive ability could really come in handy throughout a tournament. His lack of elite scoring ability lets him down in this discussion, however, as he’s only scored 23 goals or more in one of his seven seasons. When it comes to Team Canada, centres like Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Patrice Bergeron, and Brayden Point are all favourites way ahead of the Canuck captain.
Ultimately, unless Horvat starts off the 2021-22 campaign on a career-scoring pace, and if there’s some injuries to the aforementioned centres in front of him in the pecking order, his chances stand at a small possibility.
Minimal Hope: Nobody. If Tanner Pearson carried his 2019-20 play into last season, then he might have stood a chance at a fourth line role. However, given the rest of the Canucks’ roster, no one else stands a chance at getting into Team Canada’s elusive squad.
USA
Locks: Brock Boeser, Thatcher Demko and J.T. Miller.
All three of these Canucks players are definitely bound for Beijing come February, unless they have unfortunate injury concerns.
Boeser had a great year for the Canucks in 2020-21, putting up 49 points in 56 games. At around 0.875 points per game, Boeser will be one of the American’s best and most relied upon goal scorers. Given the team around him, Boeser should be in the mix for a top-six role on the team.
Demko will also be boarding the plane to Beijing, and should enjoy the tournament as the backup goaltender to Connor Hellebuyck. Catching Hellebuyck for the starter’s crease seems unlikely given Hellebuyck’s elite play over the past five seasons, which includes a Vezina trophy in 2019-20, but I feel he should be solid enough to beat out John Gibson and Jack Campbell to the number two spot.
Miller is the third Canuck guaranteed to find a spot on the USA roster, and should occupy a vital role as their third line centre. Auston Matthews and Jack Eichel will occupy the top two scoring lines for the Americans down the middle, but expect Miller to be on a solid two-way checking line during the tournament.
Possibility: Quinn Hughes and Conor Garland.
Hughes was nearly in the ‘locks’ category, but his downturn in play during his second season compared to his first puts a little bit of doubt in his stock. I still expect Hughes to make the journey to Beijing given his high octane potential on both ends of the ice, and I’d rate his chances around the 80% mark, but if he continues to struggle during the first half of the 2021-22 season, he may be in for an unfortunate outcome.
Garland has much less of a chance of making it to the Olympics compared to Hughes, and I’d probability put his chances at around 35%. Garland’s performances in Arizona over the last few years have been underrated, but he’ll need a strong campaign and some luck to go his way if he hopes to creep onto the American roster.
Minimal hope: Nobody. The Canucks only have a couple more Americans on their roster besides the one’s already listed, and none stand any chance of being selected to Team USA.
Germany
As of right now, the Canucks have no prominent German players within the organization.
Locks: N/A
Possibility: N/A
Minimal Hope: N/A
China
As of right now, the Canucks have no prominent Chinese players within the organization.
Locks: N/A
Possibility: N/A
Minimal Hope: N/A
Group B:
ROC (Russia)
Lock: Nobody. The Canucks have had very few quality Russians in the organization over the last few years, and the few they have aren’t at this level.
Possibility: Vasili Podkolzin.
ROC (Russia) has a very deep roster, especially when it comes to their forward groupings. However, the Russian’s do love high octane offensive talent with the ability to score from anywhere in the offensive zone, and that’s exactly what Podkolzin can provide. At this given time, I’d give Podkolzin approximately a 15% chance of making the ROC roster. Unless he has an unprecedented and historical rookie season, even better than the one fellow Russian youngster Kirill Kaprizov had last season, Podkolzin will be watching the games from home.
Minimal Hope: Nobody. I still believe Nikita Tryamkin is Canucks property despite playing over in Europe over the last few years, but his chances are non-existent unless NHL players are suddenly barred from playing in the games.
Czech Republic
As of right now, the Canucks have no prominent Czech players within the organization.
Lock: N/A
Possibility: N/A
Minimal Hope: N/A
Switzerland
As of right now, the Canucks have no prominent Swiss players within the organization.
Lock: N/A
Possibility: N/A
Minimal Hope: N/A
Denmark
As of right now, the Canucks have no prominent Danish players within the organization.
Lock: N/A
Possibility: N/A
Minimal Hope: N/A
Group C:
Finland
The Canucks have lacked consistent top-end Finnish talent in the organization for a while now, and don’t seem close to having some in the organization unless they acquire them through a trade/free agency.
Lock: Nobody.
Possibility: Nobody.
Minimal Hope: Olli Juolevi.
Being considered for the Finnish national team is a pipe dream at this point of his career. Juolevi may struggle to even get game time on the Canucks backend this upcoming season. In other words, he must solidify a spot immediately if he stands any chance of playing for his country at the Olympics. The only reason Juolevi is even in the ‘Minimal Chance’ category is because of his potential as a former first round pick back in 2016.
Sweden
Lock: Elias Pettersson.
The Canucks young star is guaranteed to make the roster unless he has similar injury issues compared to last year. Pettersson should also find his way onto Sweden’s first line, albeit he may play on the wing to compromise for Sweden’s depth down the middle of the ice and the team’s lack of scoring on the wing.
Possibility: Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Nils Höglander.
Ekman-Larsson should make the Swedish team with relative ease, however his declining play may be a cause for debate if younger Swedish defensemen continue to play well during next season. Given that he played at the 2014 Olympics as well, I find it hard to believe OEL will be left off this squad. I’d put his chances at 90%.
Höglander is a true 50/50 shot to make the Swedish roster in my opinion, and is firmly planted on the bubble. His play last year with the Canucks certainly put him on the map with the Swedish faithful. If Höglander can continue to impress in his second year, particularly with his goalscoring, which is what Sweden lacks on the wing, then he stands every chance of making the roster and heading to Beijing.
Minimal Hope: Nobody.
Slovakia
Lock: Jaroslav Halak.
The Canucks newly acquired backup goaltender is a guaranteed lock to be Slovakia’s number one goalie in Beijing barring injury. The 36 year old has been the clear number one Slovakian goaltender ever since breaking onto the scene in 2003 with the Slovakian U-18 World Juniors team that won a silver medal.
Possibility: Nobody.
Minimal Hope: Nobody.
Latvia
Lock: Nobody.
Possibility: Arturs Silovs.
This was probably a name you weren’t expecting to see on here, but the Canucks sixth-round pick in 2019 has a chance of being on the Latvian roster come the 2022 Olympics. Blue Jackets goalie Elvis Merzlikins will be the number one in Beijing, but Silovs has an outside opportunity to be the third goalie on the roster. After being left out of the 2021 World Championships roster, I’d put Silovs chances at around 25%.
Minimal Hope: Nobody.
What are your thoughts about the potential of these players going to play in the 2022 Beijing Olympics? Is there anyone else you reckon will be making the journey come February? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!