RALEIGH, N.C. - When Hockey Canada released their Men's ice hockey roster for the 2026 Winter Olympic Games on Wednesday, Carolina Hurricanes forward Seth Jarvis was noticeably left off.
Just nine months after helping his country win gold at the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off, the budding star was one of five players from February's group to be left behind this time around. A depth player for Jon Cooper's group earlier this year, there was always an understanding that he might be on the bubble, but a rib injury suffered in Florida on Dec. 19 felt like it was a step in the wrong direction for Jarvis' chances.
"It definitely didn't help, but at the end of the day, I've played enough games to where I thought I gave a good sample size. I guess I didn't play good enough and I've got to live with that," the 24-year-old told reporters at Lenovo Center on Thursday.
Whether the injury that's kept him off the ice for the past few weeks factored into Team Canada's decision to exclude him or not isn't public knowledge, and Jarvis isn't using it as an excuse either.
"I saw a quote that (Justin Williams) said a few years ago, 'Sometimes you've got to eat a sh-- sandwich and chew it on a little bit. It doesn't taste too good, but you move on.' That kind of hit home for me," he continued. "It sucks. It's definitely a big blow, and obviously something I really worked for and wanted to achieve, but there's nothing you can do about it now. I gave myself a couple of days to take it in, feel emotions, and now it's just move past it and get ready for the season."
Leading Carolina with 19 goals, he currently sits eighth among Canadian forwards in goals per game this season, tied for second in short-handed goals, and tied for fifth in even-strength goals.
Despite being left off the initial roster, Jarvis did confirm that Hockey Canada told him to be on standby, in case of injuries.
"They told me not to book any trips or anything quite yet, so it's still a waiting game. Obviously, I'm never hoping anyone gets hurt," he said. "Obviously, if they call my name, I'll be more than ready, more than happy to come contribute. But I'm not holding out too much hope. I'm not wishing ill on anybody. If I do get picked and it just so happens I go, awesome. If not, I've already dealt with all the emotions of it, and I've moved past it, so I'm good to go."
