10 Canadians to watch at Milan Cortina 2026

Canada finished fourth in the medal count at the 2022 Games in Beijing. Here are 10 Canadians who could lead the podium charge over the next 16 days in Milan.

Mikael Kingsbury, freestyle skiing

What does the greatest moguls skier have left? Entering what's possibly his final Winter Olympics, Kingsbury has virtually done it all since debuting at the World Cup as a teenager in January 2010. The Canadian flag bearer has won 13 of the past 14 overall World Cup moguls titles and remains the record holder for consecutive Freestyle World Cup event wins (13). He has 15 world championship medals and has placed first or second in each of his three Olympic appearances, including a gold-medal performance at PyeongChang 2018.

Kingsbury is the man to beat in Milan after kicking off the 2025-26 season with his 100th career World Cup win. This time around, he could be heading home with two medals, as dual moguls will be making its Olympic debut. Kingsbury is the four-time defending world champion in the event and the first man to sweep the moguls and dual moguls competitions at the world championships.

Marie-Philip Poulin, ice hockey

Poulin has been dubbed "Captain Clutch" for her share of heroics over nearly two decades with the senior national team. The five-foot-six center is the only hockey player to score in four consecutive Olympic finals, including three game-winners. She leapfrogged Hayley Wickenheiser as Canada's all-time leading scorer at the women's world championships during last year's tournament.

Poulin, 34, has shown no signs of slowing down. The Canadian captain tallied a PWHL-leading 19 goals in 30 games for the Montreal Victoire en route to capturing last season's Billie Jean King MVP award. She was also voted the 2025 IIHF Female Player of the Year following her MVP performance at the world championships that year.

Connor McDavid, ice hockey

McDavid is the best player on the planet, yet his exposure on the international stage is limited. NHL players haven't participated at the Olympics since the 2014 Sochi Games. He's typically been unavailable for the IIHF World Championships as well, with the Edmonton Oilers consistently going deep in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

McDavid did give a sample at last year's 4 Nations Face-Off. The five-time Art Ross Trophy winner was the tournament's second-leading scorer and potted the championship-clinching goal in overtime against the United States. McDavid's NHL accolades are well-documented, but the Winter Games provide an opportunity to add another chapter to his growing legacy.

Marielle Thompson, freestyle skiing

Thompson will share flag bearing duties alongside Kingsbury. The 33-year-old is set for her fourth Winter Games after working back from a torn LCL and other issues in her right knee. Although recovering from injury while preparing for the Games isn't ideal, the 2014 Olympic ski cross champ has faced similar adversity in the past.

Thompson ruptured her ACL and MCL just three months before the PyeongChang Games yet somehow managed to compete and place first in the seeding runs before being eliminated in the opening heat. The four-time Crystal Globe winner tore the same ACL less than a year before the 2022 Olympics and battled back again to place second in Beijing. As long as Thompson is in the field, she can't be counted out.

Mark McMorris, snowboarding

McMorris is already considered one of snowboarding's all-time greats. The Regina, Saskatchewan, native has continually pushed the boundaries of the sport, landing tricks that have previously never been done in competition. He surpassed Shaun White in 2020 for the most Winter X Games medals and sits third overall in X Games history behind skateboarders Bob Burnquist and Nyjah Huston.

However, the one thing that's eluded McMorris is the top step of the Olympic podium. The 32-year-old has three bronze medals in as many trips to the Winter Games, including an improbable third-place finish in slopestyle at the PyeongChang Games, which came just 11 months after he was placed in a medically induced coma following a horrific snowboarding crash. McMorris heads into Milan fresh off his eighth Winter X Games gold medal in slopestyle.

Rachel Homan, curling

Canada's curling team has experienced some uncharacteristic struggles at the past two Winter Olympics. The men's squad finished fourth at the 2018 Games and picked up bronze four years later in Beijing. Meanwhile, the women haven't finished higher than fifth since reaching the podium at each Olympics from 1998-2014.

Homan is arguably the country's best bet to end its gold-medal drought. She was fifth in the mixed doubles event at the previous Games and sixth in the women's competition in PyeongChang. But Homan has won two straight world championships and brings the same team with her to Milan Cortina 2026.

William Dandjinou, short track speedskating

Marc Gagnon and Charles Hamelin are just a couple of the short track speedskating stars whom Canada has produced over the years. Dandjinou is poised to be the nation's next big thing after a breakout performance at last year's world championships, where he came away with three gold medals and a silver.

Dandjinou has won back-to-back Crystal Globes as the season's top overall skater. The 24-year-old ranks No. 1 in the 500- and 1500-meter disciplines entering his Olympic debut. He'll likely anchor Canada's 5000-meter relay team, which features three returnees from its gold medal-winning squad in Beijing.

Cassie Sharpe, freestyle skiing

Sharpe wasn't sure if she'd be back for another Olympics. The decorated halfpipe skier considered retirement after giving birth in August 2023. But she ultimately returned to the World Cup circuit a year later, reclaiming her spot atop at the Winter X Games podium within months of coming back.

Sharpe has since captured bronze at the most recent world championships and Winter X Games. The 33-year-old placed first in the women's halfpipe at the 2018 Olympics and second at the following Games in Beijing. She boasts the amplitude and trick difficulty to potentially challenge defending Olympic champ Eileen Gu.

Eliot Grondin, snowboarding

Grondin was one of six Canadians to leave the 2022 Games with multiple medals. The 24-year-old steamrolled the competition to reach the men's snowboard cross big final, where Austria's Alessandro Haemmerle narrowly outdid him for gold. Grondin then teamed up with Meryeta O'Dine to secure bronze in the inaugural mixed team snowboard cross event at the Winter Olympics.

Grondin has continued to establish himself among the sport's top riders under the mentorship of 2010 Olympic gold medalist Maelle Ricker. The Quebec native is the two-time reigning Crystal Globe winner as the overall leader on the World Cup circuit. He also won last year's world championships, avenging his Olympic defeat to Haemmerle.

Piper Gilles and Paul Poirier, figure skating

Gilles and Poirier have been mainstays on the national team for the past 15 years. They've long skated in the shadows of ice dance icons Scott Moir and Tessa Virtue before emerging as a force of their own.

Gilles and Poirier have won five straight Canadian championships and placed second at each of the last two world championships, falling to American tandem Madison Chock and Evan Bates by an average of 4.02 points. The two teams have formed one of the sport's best rivalries, but neither pair has medalled in the Olympic ice dance competition.