With the 2026 Winter Olympic Games just around the corner, the Canadian men are ready to show off their talent overseas.
The Canadian delegation of 207 athletes, including 109 rookies, will be participating in 16 events through two weeks of competition. This is the first Winter Games where athletes competing in women’s events (108) outnumber those competing in the men’s events (99). The delegation will also see 90 athletes returning from the 2022 Beijing Olympics.
From experienced Olympic champions to those looking to make their Olympic debut, here are some athletes to watch in Milano Cortina.
Mikaël Kingsbury - moguls
As the most dominant moguls skier in history, Mikaël Kingsbury will compete in his fourth Olympic Games after earning his 100th career FIS World Cup victory, and 143rd World Cup podium on home snow last month. Kingsbury, a native of Deux-Montagnes, Que., has accumulated one gold and two silver Olympic medals since his debut in 2014.
Over the course of his career he has been known as the king of the snow, because of the milestones he’s reached. From the 2011-12 season to 2019-20, Kingsbury won nine straight Crystal Globes, crowning himself as the overall World Cup champion for all of freestyle skiing. Then from the 2021-22 to 2024-25 seasons he won four straight Crystal Globes, to take the title for overall World Cup champion for moguls / dual moguls combined.
Also named one of Canada’s two flag-bearers for Milano Cortina, he hopes to add a fourth medal to his resume this time around.
Macklin Celebrini - ice hockey team
Macklin Celebrini is heading to the Olympic Games as a rookie at 19-years-old after joining the National Hockey League in 2024.
A centreman for the San Jose Sharks, Celebrini ranks fourth in the league with 81 points, putting him behind Connor McDavid (95), Nathan MacKinnon (91), and Nikita Kucherov (90).
The North Vancouver, B.C., native was named to the Canadian men’s Olympic roster on Dec. 31, 2025, as the youngest member of the team.
Mark McMorris - snowboard cross
Mark McMorris, a three-time Olympic medallist in snowboard cross, is hoping to participate in his fourth Olympic Games in Milano Cortina, but injury issues are already cutting into his 2026 Games.
McMorris had his debut in Sochi 2014 when he clinched the first bronze medal of the Games for Canada, just two weeks after he broke a rib at the Winter X Games in Aspen. He has also gotten bronze in the 2018 PyeongChang Olympics and in Beijing in 2022.
The 33-year-old athlete from Regina, Sask., took home gold in slopestyle at the Winter X Games last month, recording the 25th medal if his career at the event, and is looking for gold in Milan.
But the veteran Canadian snowboarder will not be competing in the big air event that was scheduled for Thursday evening after sustaining an injury in training on Wednesday.
In a post to social media, McMorris said "I hit my head and I will not be able to compete in big air tonight. Fortunately, things are looking up for slopestyle."
Inspiring stories and big stars in speed skating
Signa Butler, a play-by-play commentator covering the 2026 Winter Olympics for the seventh time with CBC, said Olympic rookie David Le Rue is a great story to watch.
After suffering a severe brain injury from a serious bike accident in 2023-24, Le Rue didn’t race for more than a year and only returned to compete last season in the World Cup.
"I wouldn’t say he’s a medal contender by any means but the fact that he’s come back from that injury, he’s skating the best he’s skated in years, just shows his resiliency,” Butler said.
She said he skated really well in trials and believes he has "earned his way onto this team."
As for short track, Butler said the Canadian team has been "very consistent" over the last two seasons of both the World Cup and the world championships.
She said the big star on the Canadian team is William Dandjinou, who will be participating in his first Olympics, after being named an alternate in 2022.
“Since then he’s just been on a tear,” Butler said. “He’s a back-to-back Crystal Globe winner, that’s the overall title winner on World Cup, he’s won multiple championship medals," she said.
Bulter said Dandjinou is “definitely a contender to win maybe three individual medals" in addition to possible relay medals.
Historically, long track speed skating is the most successful sport for Canada at the Olympics which is why these athletes are held to high expectations. They have accumulated 42 Olympic medals (10 gold, 16 silver, 16 bronze) and over 150 world championship medals.
The long-track speed skating and short-track speed skating events will begin in Milano Cortina on Feb. 7 and Feb. 10 respectively.
