Sam Montembeault - Canada
We speculated in November that Sam Montembeault could be making a late push for Team Canada. The odds weren't exactly stacked against him, as Canada's goaltending situation could be the weakest it has ever been. The front office settled on Montembeault, Jordan Binnington, and Adin Hill, which seems like a weaker group compared to the United States' trio of Jake Oettinger, Jeremy Swayman, and Connor Hellebuyck.
It's likely that Binnington is the front-runner for the starting role, with Hill as his backup. However, Montembeault is one of the streakier goaltenders in the league and could be on a hot streak around tournament time and get the nod. It'd be an exceptional experience for Montembeault to get a start for the Canadians at the Bell Centre.
It'd be easy to say that Montembeault made this team to check a box as the Quebec representative, but it'd be doing him a disservice as one of the top Canadian goaltenders. Playing behind the Canadiens' defense hasn't been easy, and it'll be intriguing to see how he'd do behind the country's best. We've already seen it, winning a gold medal at the 2023 World Championships, as a source told RG.org.
"If this kid was from Ontario, he’d still be on the team. To watch people dissect this on the basis of politics is deflating for Hockey and for that young man. There’s a reason Team Canada invited him to the World Championships in 2023. And what happened? Oh yeah, he won a gold medal."Anonymous Source
Did Montembeault make this team because his competition was Logan Thompson and Cam Talbot? Sure, I'll concede that point. However, don't diminish the accomplishment of the young goaltender or buy into the social media trolls that want to see him fail.