Countries participating in the 2026 Olympic men's hockey tournament in Italy must name six players to their rosters by June 15 before unveiling the rest by Dec. 31, according to TSN's Pierre LeBrun.
Teams in this year's 4 Nations Face-Off used a similar method.
The 2026 Olympics will feature NHL players for the first time since 2014. The league planned on sending players to the 2022 Games in Beijing but pulled out of doing so due to the pandemic. The NHL, NHLPA, and IIHF announced an agreement to return to the marquee event last February, and the NHL recently bolstered its future international calendar by committing to World Cups in 2028 and 2032.
Canada has won the past four international best-on-best competitions dating back to the 2010 Olympics in Vancouver.
