And then there were four.
With the men’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics heading to the semifinals on Friday, Feb. 20, there have been no shortage of players who have stood out for their respective countries.
Canada's Connor McDavid leads the tournament with 11 points, while Macklin Celebrini has scored a tournament-best five goals; USA's Quinn Hughes leads all defensemen with five points; and Finland goalie Juuse Saros has stood on his head, having allowed just six goals in four games.
Here is a look at five players (in alphabetical order) who could end up being named tournament MVP, as long as they win a medal:
Despite being one of the top scorers in the NHL this season, there was a sense that Celebrini, 19, would be Canada’s 13th forward when the tournament began mostly because he is so young. Instead, Celebrini earned a spot on the top line next to Connor McDavid, a duo that has combined for seven goals and 20 points in four games. Celebrini, who leads all players with five goals and is tied for second with nine points, is clearly holding his own — both offensively and defensively, where he is also tied with McDavid with a tournament-leading plus-8 rating.
