Bouchard, Nurse to Join Canada for 2026 World Championship — Where Is Gavin Mckenna From
Evan Bouchard and Darnell Nurse are expected to join Canada for the 2026 IIHF Men’s World Championship, and the roster picture sharpened after Edmonton’s first-round exit. For readers asking where is gavin mckenna from, the bigger immediate story is that Canada is adding two Oilers defensemen to a team opening on May 15 against Sweden.
Bouchard, Nurse for Canada
Bouchard is expected to be named to the Canadian National Team roster after playing all six games of the Pacific Division Semifinal and finishing with one goal and seven points. Nurse also played all six games, but he did not get on the scoresheet.
The two became available after the Edmonton Oilers were eliminated by the Anaheim Ducks in the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. That moved them from a playoff exit into a national-team role with Canada, which is expected to lean on experience at the blue line.
Canada’s roster mix
Canada is expected to include John Tavares, Ryan O’Reilly, Mathew Barzal, Morgan Rielly, Robert Thomas, Mark Scheifele, Gavin McKenna and Macklin Celebrini on the roster. That group gives the team a blend of established names and younger players for Group B.
McKenna and Celebrini sit alongside the veterans, while Bouchard and Nurse add two more Edmonton defensemen to the mix. The roster also keeps Canada tied to the kind of depth that has defined its recent tournament runs.
Ward, silver and gold history
Nurse is heading to his third Men’s Worlds appearance. His last trip came in 2019, when he won silver, and his résumé also includes gold at the 2012 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and 2015 World Juniors, plus bronze at the 2011 Under-17 WHC and the 2012 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship.
Bouchard’s international record is shorter. His last game for Canada came at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, and his only international hardware came at the 2015 Under-17 World Hockey Challenge, when Canada White won gold.
Canada enters the tournament with 28 gold medals and 53 total medals at the Men’s World Championship, including gold in 2021 and 2023 and silver in 2019 and 2022. The opening date against Sweden sets the first hard test for a roster that is still taking shape around Bouchard, Nurse, and the rest of the expected group.
