2026 Men’s Olympic Hockey: MacKinnon, Bennett absent from practice, but expected to play QF

Olympic men’s hockey head coach Jon Cooper said he expect to have everyone healthy and available when Canada faces either Czechia or Denmark in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Here’s what you need to know.

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Nathan MacKinnon and Sam Bennett

Nathan MacKinnon and Sam Bennett both missed practice on Tuesday, but Cooper described the absences as “maintenance days”.

MacKinnon took a high hit to the head in the third period of Canada’s 10-2 win over France in the final preliminary round. A few minutes later he also appeared to tweak his leg or knee when delivering a hit late in the game.

MacKinnon has produced six points (2G, 3A) and Bennett has one assist over three preliminary round games.

“No panic,” Cooper said of the status of MacKinnon and Bennett for the quarterfinals.

Brad Marchand

Brad Marchand sat out the last two preliminary games against France and Switzerland, but it’s unknown what he’s dealing with. He recorded an assist in Canada’s tournament-opening 5-0 win over Czechia.

Immediately following Canada’s final preliminary game, Cooper said Marchand would be back for the quarterfinals. He skated on a line with Bo Horvat and Seth Jarvis at Tuesday’s practice.

Josh Morrissey

Defenceman Josh Morrissey practiced on Tuesday, but he hasn’t played since suffering an undisclosed injury in the tournament-opener. Cooper said Morrissey looked good at Tuesday’s practice, however, he would have to check on the Winnipeg Jets defenceman’s status on Wednesday.

Morrissey skated with Colton Parayko on Tuesday, which is a positive sign he could return in the quarterfinals.