Wayne Gretzky makes Connor Bedard's case to make Team Canada roster for 2026 Olympics

Connor Bedard is living up to the expectations placed on him when the Chicago Blackhawks selected him first overall in the 2023 NHL Draft.

The 20-year-old currently sits fourth in NHL scoring with 25 points and is riding an eight-game point streak. The big question now is whether this will be enough to secure him a spot on Team Canada for the 2026 Milan Olympics.

Team Canada general manager Doug Armstrong said on Monday that both Connor Bedard and Macklin Celebrini have "got our attention." Bedard said he'd do anything to be on the team, and his play shows it.

During a recent NHL on TNT broadcast, hockey legend Wayne Gretzky praised Bedard and strongly endorsed his inclusion on the Olympic roster.

"He's been absolutely spectacular this year. It's such a pleasure to see, because coming in the league at 18, you've got all this pressure on you. And for him to work as hard as he did in the offseason and come in and play at the level he's playing at now, he's earning his way on the Team Canada roster. "He worked all summer to get to that point where people are going to say, "Hey, it's almost, it's really hard to keep him off the team." So, good for him," Gretzky said.

He added:

"You can see on his face, he's smiling and enjoying not only the hockey part of it, but what transpires off the ice and all the sort of work that he has to do to promote the game and the Blackhawks. So, good for him. It's been fun to watch."

The challenge for Connor Bedard lies in Canada’s absurd forward depth, which already includes locks like Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart. The final 25-man roster will be announced in January, and it will be fascinating to see if Bedard can force his way onto it.

Connor Bedard makes his thoughts clear about Macklin Celebrini's play this season

Connor Bedard trails Macklin Celebrini (who leads with 26 points) by just one point in the NHL scoring race. Like Bedard, Celebrini’s outstanding play has drawn widespread attention and built a compelling case for his inclusion on the Olympic roster.

Bedard had nothing but praise for the Sharks’ first-overall pick:

“Him and I are good buddies, and I think that’s the funny part about it is, every time he gets a point or scores, I’m one of the happiest guys,” Bedard said of Celebrini via NHL.com. “I’m just excited for him. He’s doing so well and their team’s having success, which is the most important thing to him.

Meanwhile, Bedard’s Blackhawks are riding a three-game winning streak and currently sit fourth in the Central Division with an 8-5-3 record.

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Edited by Abhishek Dilta