There’s nothing quite like seeing NHL stars play at the Winter Olympics, and Edmonton Oilers’ captain Connor McDavid wasted no time living up to expectations, already leading Team Canada in points with six through two games.

Team Canada is 2-0 after their first two games, and we’ve already seen some highlight-reel plays, stellar goaltending, some players standing out above the rest, and even an all-first-overall line of generational talent. With that, we’ve put together some takeaways from their strong start.

After Oilers captain McDavid released his “Dear Canada” article in The Players’ Tribune, as someone who follows the Oilers, I was fired up after reading the line, “I just want to be in Edmonton, playing hockey. I want to get back there again, whatever it takes.” And at the time, with the Olympics coming up, it hit even harder when he said, “I really cannot wait for these Olympics. I’ll be bringing everything I’ve learned to Italy to represent my country.”

That said, it would be an understatement to say McDavid came to the Winter Olympics “ready to go.” From the opening puck drop against Team Czechia, he’s been absolutely explosive.

On his first shift of the game, McDavid laid a massive hit on Czechia’s Lukáš Sedlák, levelling the forward to the ice. When McDavid’s linemate at the time, the bruising Tom Wilson, reached the bench, Brad Marchand told him, “Nice hit.” Wilson corrected him, explaining it was the Oilers’ captain, ‘Davo,’ who delivered it, to which Marchand replied, “Oh my [goodness], it looked like you.”

McDavid was flying in the first game. He finished the night with three assists, led his team with six shots in the 5-0 win over Czechia, and topped all forwards with 18:04 of ice time. It felt like one of those nights Oilers fans are all too familiar with — the kind of night where you think, “He legitimately could’ve had seven points.”

The McDavid Express didn’t slow down against Team Switzerland.

Team Canada’s assistant captain started the night by scoring his first-ever Olympic goal, just over five minutes into the game on the power play. Moments later, his hit parade kept rolling, when McDavid levelled Andrea Glauser behind Switzerland’s net. Sportsnet’s Luke Fox later posted that Glauser left the game following that hit.

And then, halfway through the opening frame, McDavid found a streaking Thomas Harley, who buried it. It was an eventful first period for the centerman, who added another assist later in the third while playing on a line with Macklin Celebrini and Nathan MacKinnon — a line we’ll dive into a bit later.

Through two games, McDavid is tied for the tournament with six points (one goal, five assists), is +5 in plus/minus — which also leads the Olympics — and is leading his team with nine shots. Par for the course for the former five-time Art Ross winner.

On that note, the most points by an NHL player at a single Olympics was set by Saku Koivu and Teemu Selänne in 2006, with 11 points each in eight games. McDavid has six through two games, which is the most ever through two matches in an Olympics with NHL participation.

I recently noted that nearly 2 billion people tuned in for the last Winter Olympics. If this one reaches anywhere near that number, there are likely fans who are new to hockey who might not know the name Connor McDavid. But if he keeps up this torrid pace of points, physicality, and ferocity, that certainly won’t be the case for much longer.

If there’s been one ‘surprise’ standout on Team Canada that’s caught my eye through two games, it’s defenceman Thomas Harley.

Last year, he was an emergency replacement for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off, playing in two games, and through two games at this year’s Olympics, he’s built on that solid showing while wearing the red and white.

He led his team in ice time in the first game against Team Czechia, playing 20:38 minutes, and Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin noted that Canada had a 67.5 edge in expected goals at 5v5 with him on the ice, making solid breakouts and passes all night. Against Switzerland, he found open ice, received a pass from McDavid, and squeaked a wrister through in the first period, and his smart and smooth plays with the puck were apparent throughout the game.

Harley has three points (one goal, two assists) through two games, is +3 in plus/minus, and his 38:38 minutes are the second-most on Team Canada, just behind Cale Makar’s 40:46 of ice time.

With 81 points in the NHL this season and just 19 years old, Macklin Celebrini is showing the world why the hype train exists, turning heads on the biggest international stage at the Winter Olympics.

Playing on a line with McDavid, he opened Team Canada’s tournament scoring with a wonderful tip in the first game, and then unleashed his quick release against Switzerland for his second goal of the Olympics. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it — the kid is the real deal.

Celebrini is cerebral, very skilled, and hardworking, and an example of that was his quick forecheck leading to MacKinnon’s goal against Switzerland. He has a lightning-fast release, is currently sporting a 33.3% shooting percentage in the Olympics, and by all accounts seems to have a great head on his shoulders.

If you’re cheering for Team Canada, he’s been wonderful to have on the team, but once the Olympics are over and you’re cheering for the Oilers, watch out — he’s going to be a handful to deal with in the Pacific Division for the next 15 years.

In the second period against Switzerland, Team Canada put together a line of Celebrini – McDavid – and Nathan MacKinnon, all former first-overall picks and three of the top four scorers in the NHL this season, and they were downright lethal.

To put it another way, according to NHL Edge, Celebrini’s 97.89 MPH shot, McDavid’s 24.61 MPH top speed, and MacKinnon’s 28 speed bursts above 22 MPH all rank in the NHL’s 99th percentile. What does that equal? Speed, speed, and more speed, combined with tremendous skill and goal scoring — basically a line that can do whatever it wants on the ice, with all three players combining for eight points against Switzerland. McDavid spoke about the line after the game, saying:

Whether they remain a line next game remains to be seen. On one hand, you could show France — and McDavid’s former Oilers teammate Yohann Auvitu — some mercy and not put them together. Or, you could give hockey fans exactly what they want to see: speed, skill, and a blazing youngster alongside two NHL superstars in their prime — that’s the Celebrini–McDavid–MacKinnon line.

Before the Olympics started, if you were looking for a potential weak spot on Team Canada, some would argue it was between the pipes, with Jordan Binnington, Logan Thompson, and Darcy Kuemper chosen as the team’s netminders.

Through two games, Binnington and Thompson are keeping the critics at bay, at least for now.

Binnington got the nod for the first game against Czechia and stopped all 26 shots he faced, including several high-danger chances in front. Despite his subpar NHL stats this season — a 3.65 goals-against average (GAA) and .864 save percentage — he was given the opportunity and knocked it out of the park, posting a shutout for Team Canada.

Thompson got the start against Switzerland and made a terrific early save on Nino Niederreiter off a dangerous scoring chance. He gave up one on the penalty kill but was solid overall, stopping 24 of 25 shots and making key saves down the stretch, including a huge glove save on a 2-on-1 Swiss rush.

Through two games against solid competition in Czechia and Switzerland, Binnington and Thompson have a combined .980 save percentage, putting Team Canada at the top of the tournament in that category. If I had to pick a starter moving forward, I’d stick with the guy who helped Team Canada win the 4-Nations Faceoff, Binnington, until he proves otherwise. Some players have that clutch gene to shine in big moments, and the Richmond Hill, ON native seems to be one of them.

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