When Team Canada announced that Seth Jarvis would replace the injured Brayden Point on its Olympic roster, the reaction around the hockey world was mixed. Jarvis is a terrific young forward and a deserving NHL star in his own right. But for Winnipeg Jets fans — and many neutral observers — the news reopened a familiar debate: how is Mark Scheifele still not part of the picture?
Once again, one of the most productive Canadian centres of his era is watching from the outside.
Scheifele’s omission isn’t about reputation or legacy alone. It’s about numbers, consistency, and the type of offensive impact that Team Canada usually covets in short tournaments. Through 56 games in the 2025-26 season, Scheifele has posted 27 goals and 41 assists for 68 points. That places him firmly among the NHL’s elite scorers and inside the top tier of Canadian forwards this season.
And yet, when a roster spot opened, the call didn’t come.
Elite Production Still Being Overlooked
Scheifele isn’t benefiting from his name recognition. He is actually reaping the reward of a performance level that compares to the very top echelon of players. Among the NHL leaders, Scheifele ranks comfortably inside the top 10 along with other superstars such as Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon, and Nikita Kucherov. He is registering 1.21 points per game, which is no fluke or hot streak but entirely consistent with the level of offence he has been registering for nearly a decade.
At 32, Scheifele is in the veteran phase of his career, but his game hasn’t declined. If anything, he has refined it. His offensive awareness remains elite, his finishing touch is still deadly, and his ability to control pace in the offensive zone is something few centres replicate. He continues to drive play for Winnipeg while logging heavy minutes in all situations.
Team Canada often emphasizes versatility and hockey IQ when constructing Olympic rosters. Those are two traits Scheifele has embodied for years. He can play centre or wing, contribute on the power play, handle matchup minutes, and elevate linemates. In a tournament where chemistry and adaptability are everything, that profile usually screams “lock.”
Instead, he’s an afterthought.
The Jarvis Decision Sparks Debate
This isn’t a criticism of Jarvis. The Carolina Hurricanes forward has earned recognition as one of the NHL’s best young two-way wingers. His speed, motor, and ability to impact games without the puck are tailor-made for international play.
But roster construction is about balance. With Brayden Point unavailable, Canada had a chance to inject proven scoring depth down the middle. Scheifele represents a known quantity in pressure situations. He has a long track record of playoff success and has been one of the Jets’ most reliable performers in big games. His international résumé may not be stacked with Olympic hardware, but his NHL experience in high-stakes environments is undeniable.
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Choosing Jarvis over Scheifele signals a philosophical preference: youth, pace, and projected upside over established elite production.
That’s a defensible strategy — but it doesn’t make the snub any less surprising.
A Pattern of Being Passed Over
The thing that bothers many people is that this is not a one-time decision, as the whole process of selecting Scheifele keeps happening. It appears that he has always been in that uncomfortable spot of having numbers good enough to earn an automatic selection for any other player, but not flashy enough for everyone to recognize.
Playing in Winnipeg can be a factor for that contention, too. The Jets do not have the same level of exposure as teams in Toronto, Montreal, or Vancouver. While the market size should not affect the voting rooms, history has shown a factor with visibility that sometimes informs the stories about players.
Scheifele has established one of the most productive careers of any Canadian centre of his generation. He is not flashy. Scheifele is not anointed with goals every night. He just scores, every season, without fail.
Dependability is often rewarded in international competitions.
What Team Canada Is Missing
With Olympic-level play, the offence sometimes disappears. The game gets tighter. Contests are often decided by one act of creative play or a quick shot in traffic. Scheifele’s creative skillset is exactly what you want in a highly structured game.
He also offers size and puck protection that is invaluable in an international game. He’s 6-foot-3, and that gives him a size edge over defenders, as well as a skill to extend his possession of the puck that is not as easy for a smaller forward to accomplish. Canada’s lineup is full of speed, but another skill that a tournament game would allow is a type of hockey played with a level of controlled patience.
And then, of course, there’s the human factor, which involves veterans who control the bench, who understand the ebbs and flows of momentum, hostile crowds, and the emotional toll of a short hockey season. Scheifele has known what it’s like to wear the mantle of leadership in Winnipeg.
The Legacy Question
Every great Canadian forward eventually faces the Olympic conversation. Fair or not, selections shape legacies. For Scheifele, being repeatedly left off rosters risks creating a misleading narrative about his place among his peers.
The reality is simpler: he belongs in that tier.
His 2025-26 production proves he remains one of the NHL’s premier offensive centres. His longevity proves it isn’t accidental. And his continued excellence suggests he still has plenty to offer on the international stage.
Whether Team Canada ultimately regrets this decision will only be answered by tournament results. Hockey is unpredictable, and Jarvis could very well become a difference-maker. But the debate surrounding Scheifele won’t disappear. If Canada struggles to generate offence at key moments, his absence will become an unavoidable talking point.
For now, Scheifele returns to Winnipeg and continues doing what he always does — producing, winning games, and reinforcing the case that never seems to be fully heard.
And as long as he keeps scoring at an elite pace, the question will follow Team Canada everywhere: How many times can you leave Scheifele off the roster before it stops making sense?
