NY Islanders' forward Bo Horvat has been named to the Canadian Olympic team, with Matthew Schaefer missing the cut

On the other end of the spectrum, Matthew Schaefer, the 18-year-old phenom, was left off Canada’s roster, as Canada will take the same eight defensemen that played at the 4 Nations.

After missing 10 months of action before stepping on NHL ice for the first time, Schaefer was nowhere on the Canadians' radar to start the season, but played his way into the mix after only 40 games.

“I’ll be honest with you, he wasn’t on my radar at the start of the season,” Armstrong said. “But his play is exemplary. As I said, I don’t want to spend a lot of time talking about players that didn’t make the team, but to me, this is a special occasion because he’s an 18-year-old man that we’re talking about playing in the Olympics. He’s a fantastic talent. He brings you out of your seat every night. He’s got maturity beyond his years on and off the ice. I was shocked at how quickly he worked his way into our conversations, and that’s a credit to him. The Islanders are very lucky, and hockey is very lucky to have a young player like that coming on the horizon.”

While Schaefer may not have been named to the initial roster, there’s still a possibility he makes an appearance in Milan.

Armstrong stated they have a list of players who will be “on call” in case of injuries, with Schaefer presumably on that list. If one defenseman goes down to injury either before or at the Olympics, Schaefer could potentially be one of those options.

On the bright side, most rookies aren’t given a three-week break in the middle of their first season as they adjust to the rigorous demands of NHL life.

While most Islanders fans will likely be rooting for Team USA, the Canadians will be must-watch TV, especially with Horvat on the ice.