NHL analyst sounds the alarm about major changes in Hockey Canada brass if national team fails at 2026 Olympics

Team Canada bowing out in the quarterfinals of the IIHF World Junior Championships sent shockwaves across the country as it was the first time in history they exited at the same stage in two consecutive years. There was a lot of talk regarding the selection committee and the players they sent, with some even considering that Hockey Canada needs some changes.

They were beaten thrice in the tournament, a shock loss in their second game to Team Latvia, another preliminary-round loss to eventual champions Team USA and the quarterfinal exit against Team Czechia.

On TSN's Overdrive Bryan Hayes, Jeff O'Neill and Jamie McLennan discussed Team Canada's failure at the World Juniors. As per Hayes, a change was imminent in the way Hockey Canada was selecting its players. He predicted it to happen in the next 14 months in the lead-up to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and if the national team suffers the same humiliation.

"Well, I think we're about 13-14, months away from [change] possibly happening. Because it's one thing at the juniors where you're not going to win every single... I'm saying more so the Olympics next year, if the national team starts falling behind, they lose in the quarters, that's when heads are going to explode.

"Like, that's when it's going to be, 'What are we doing here, and how's this going to work? And how are we going to get this back on track?'. Because that's coming. Like, it's one thing at the junior ranks. It's another thing at different levels, when the national team is trailing," Hayes said. [7:48]

Hockey Canada CEO Katherine Henderson hopeful for teams to get better

The Hockey Canada management was on the receiving end of a lot of criticism from not just the analysts but the general audience as well. They held a press conference with their top executives to address the recent loss. CEO Katherine Henderson gave a short message about their future plans.

"Canadians do expect to see our country play for a medal each and every year, and we all take that expectation very seriously," Henderson said in the opening remarks (via Yahoo Sports). "There will be time for reflection and discussion on next steps for our program."

She also added that senior vice-president of high performance and hockey operations Scott Salmond will try his best to not repeat a similar effort at the World Juniors.

Team Canada's next assignment will be the national team's participation in the 4 Nations Face-Off, with stars like Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon amongst their ranks.