While their bid for the Stanley Cup is over, two Edmonton Oilers players will still be competing for a championship this spring. Defencemen Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse have both been added to Team Canada’s roster for the 2026 IIHF Men’s World Hockey Championship.
This is the first time an Oiler has played for Team Canada at the Men’s tournament since 2019, when Nurse also played. That isn’t surprising, given that the Oilers’ recent playoff success has prevented any player from being available.
Darnell Nurse’s Team Canada Experience
As mentioned above, this is not the first time Nurse has worn the Maple Leaf in his career.
In juniors, Nurse was a part of the gold-medal winning teams at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament and the 2015 World Junior Championships. At that World Juniors tournament, he was named player of the match for the final game, as well as one of Canada’s top three players for the tournament, despite posting just one point in seven games. He also won a bronze medal at both the 2012 IIHF World U-17 and U-18 Championships.
As a professional, Nurse played for Team Canada at the Men’s World Championships in 2018 and 2019. In 2018, the team lost in the bronze medal game to Team USA, but won silver in 2019. He posted two goals and four points in 10 games in 2019, three more points than in 2018.
Evan Bouchard’s Team Canada Experience
This will mark the fourth time Bouchard has played for Team Canada.
Bouchard played for the team twice in juniors. He won gold at the 2015 IIHF U-17 tournament, scoring one goal and six points in six games.
The next season, Bouchard played for the team at the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial tournament, where he failed to record a point in four games, and the team finished in fifth place.
Bouchard was an alternate captain for the 2019 World Juniors. He scored three assists in five games, and the team finished sixth.
This will be the first time Bouchard has played at the Men’s World Championship.
What to expect from the two players at the tournament
Given the large amount of hockey the Oilers have played over the past few years (including back-to-back Stanley Cup Final appearances), it is perhaps a bit surprising that these two would go play even more hockey. Both averaged over 23 minutes a game in last year’s run, so it isn’t like these are two bottom players who would be well rested.
Despite that, there is some logic for both Nurse and Bouchard to join Team Canada.
Bouchard was snubbed by Team Canada at this year’s Olympics, and so playing for the team when he now has a chance is likely an attempt to get into Hockey Canada’s good books. There is speculation that the organization does not take too kindly to players who turn down invitations, so this is his chance to prove his loyalty in his bid for the 2030 Olympic team.
For Nurse, joining Team Canada is something akin to a conditioning stint. It is no secret that his play has not been up to snuff lately, and especially not at the level of a defenceman making $9.25M a year. Nurse has been a winner at the international level, and perhaps playing a key role in (hopefully) another winning campaign can help him get his game back on track.
So if you are an Oilers fan pining for some more hockey this season, make sure to watch the tournament, with Canada’s first game against Sweden on May 15 starting at 8:20 am (after all, who doesn’t love a little breakfast hockey?).
