Milano Cortina 2026: Get to Know Team Canada

The Para ice hockey competition at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games promises to deliver fast-paced action, emotional storylines, and world-class competition as the world’s best teams gather from 7 to 15 March. With the medals to be decided on the final day of the Games, the tournament is set to be one of the marquee events of the Paralympic programme.

All games will be played at the newly built Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, a state-of-the-art venue designed to showcase the speed and physicality of the sport. The compact schedule and single-venue format will create an intense atmosphere, with multiple high-stakes matchups unfolding across nine days of competition.

The eight qualified teams will be divided into two preliminary-round groups of four. Each team will play three round-robin games within its group, with the top two advancing to the semifinals. The remaining teams will move into classification games to determine fifth through eighth place. With little margin for error in a short tournament, every shift — and every point — will matter.

Here’s a look at No. 2-seeded Canada.

Background 

Canada enters Milano Cortina as one of the sport’s traditional powerhouses and a perennial medal contender. The Canadians captured gold at the Torino 2006 Paralympic Winter Games and have added multiple silver medals since, including most recently at the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games. Canada’s rivalry with the United States has defined the modern era of the sport, with the two nations frequently meeting in gold-medal games at major tournaments, but it has been 20 years since Canada last won the Paralympic title. And ironically, that happened in Italy.

Canada’s roster blends proven leadership with new energy, as five players — Vincent Boily, Shawn Burnett, Auren Halbert, Micah Kovacevich and Mathieu Lelievre — prepare to make their Paralympic debuts. Veteran presence remains a cornerstone of the programme. Greg Westlake will compete in his sixth Paralympic Winter Games, while Billy Bridges will make his fifth appearance and captain Tyler McGregor heads into his fourth Games. Ten members return from the team that won silver in Beijing.

The wait is over. 🚨🏒

Meet the Para ice hockey team representing Canada at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games. 🇨🇦✨@HockeyCanada I #ParaHockeyhttps://t.co/owi6bvs8gv

— Canadian Paralympic Team (@CDNParalympics) January 20, 2026

Roster Breakdown

Forwards: Vincent Boily, Zach Lavin, Micah Kovacevich, Greg Westlake, Adam Dixon, Tyler McGregor, James Dunn, Dominic Cozzolino, Liam Hickey, Anton Jacobs-Webb

Defenders: Tyrone Henry, Rob Armstrong, Shawn Burnett, Auren Halbert, Mathieu Lelièvre

Goaltenders: Adam Kingsmill, Corbin Watson

Paralympic Winter Games History 

2022: Silver
2018: Silver
2014: Bronze
2010: 4th place
2006: Gold
2002: 4th place
1998: Silver
1994: Bronze

Athlete to Watch

Dominic Cozzolino, born nearly at the turn of the century in 1999, is entering his third Paralympic Winter Games as an experienced veteran and could be a dark horse for the MVP of the tournament. At the 2024 World Championships, he scored 17 points in five games and delivered clutch goals in both the semifinal and final to help Canada win its first world title since 2017. He led the team in its silver-medal performance on the world stage last year with 15 points — and a stunning plus-minus rating of +15.

Matchup to Watch

Canada vs. Czechia on Tuesday, 10 March: Expect a physical, tight matchup when the world silver medalists take on the world bronze medalists in a game that will likely have major implications for semifinal positioning and medal pathways. At last year’s World Championships, Canada beat Czechia, 3-0, while at the last Paralympics the two teams never had a chance to face each other.