MILAN, Italy — Jon Cooper flashes a grin as wide as a Zamboni entrance.

Team Canada doesn’t open its Olympic tournament for three days, but the head coach knows his first crack at the forward lines will be juicy fodder for the hot stove.

Two guys who weren’t even selected to 2025’s golden 4 Nations roster are riding shotgun alongside the world’s most dynamic player.

“That was for you guys,” Cooper smiled Sunday night, after wrapping an hour-long skate at Milano Santagiulia. “Just in case a fight breaks out, he’s protected.”

There is no fighting at the Winter Games, however. And although Coach Cooper has jokes, he’s dead serious about giving Celebrini and Wilson a peek in the penthouse.

Hours of preparation were poured into determining which combinations of talents will click. Cooper asked his stars — and, in some cases, their NHL coaches — which linemates best complement their skill-set. Not specific names, but rather what type of player they need.

Zach Hyman’s not here, but Wilson sure is.

“Everybody needs an F1 right? That big boy there is one of the best I’ve seen,” Cooper explained.

“It’s never like a situation where (the player is) pointing the fingers: ‘Oh, I want to play with this guy.’ Nobody does that. But what helps them? And so, some guys are forecheckers. Some guys aren’t. Some guys are puck-possession guys. And when you find that right mix…”

That’s the mission over these hasty, jetlagged practice days and the three games of round-robin action to follow.

Figure out what clicks. Because if you’re still searching for chemistry when the knockout rounds hit, you’ll be searching for an earlier flight home.

Revealed, Mitch Marner said, just an hour before Canada hit the ice, Cooper’s lines are balanced. How could they not be, with Sidney Crosby at 3C?

Forwards
Celebrini – McDavid – Wilson
Marchand – MacKinnon – Suzuki
Stone – Crosby – Marner
Hagel – Horvat – Reinhart
Jarvis – Bennett

Defence
Toews – Makar
Morrissey – Parayko
Harley – Doughty
Theodore – Sanheim

Goaltenders
Binnington
Thompson
Kuemper

McDavid says his initial wingers inject a fine blend of skill, speed, and physicality. The trio has already piled a combined 226 points in the NHL this season.

“Very different players,” McDavid said. “But great players in their own way.”

Celebrini’s way is mature beyond his birth certificate. Only 19, he’s the youngest athlete participating in the men’s bracket.

“Take his age out of it. He’s a helluva hockey player,” said Cooper, who worked with the Sharks phenom at the ’25 world championships. “He may be 19 years old — like, his physical body is — but his acumen for the game is not. He’s wise beyond his years.”

Wilson, 31, is the oldest first-timer on Canada’s squad. Not since the U17 worlds in 2011 has he repped the Maple Leaf at a best-on-best.

“I’ve played against Macklin and Connor a lot, and it’s not fun. Playing with them is a lot more fun. They’re so good with the puck. For me, it’s about, go get it for them and get open, and they’ll do the rest,” Wilson said.

“It’s not every day you play with a guy that just has the skating ability like Connor. Obviously, I’m a straight-line skater and a hard worker.”

McDavid is already taking Wilson to school on where to go on certain routes and how to trust that his centreman will join the rush.

“He’s like, ‘Hey, I’m gonna catch up to you, you know. Like, maybe you don’t need to go there. Maybe widen out there. I’ll catch up with my skating,’” Wilson explained. “Creating space for him versus crowding his space or whatever.

“And if we stay together, we’ll get better and better.”

As diligent as Cooper is when it comes to constructing his blueprint, he’ll be searching for weaknesses, ways to tweak and adapt his lines as these two weeks roll on.

“If anybody watched 4 Nations, the lineup we started against Sweden was not the lineup that finished against the U.S. four games later,” Cooper said. “Ultimately, you have to start somewhere. This is where we started tonight.

“But, I’ll tell you, it sure is fun.”

Team Canada’s first-look power-play units:

PP1
Makar
McDavid – Reinhart – MacKinnon
Crosby

PP2
Theodore
Celebrini – Horvat – Marner
Stone

Canada’s first men’s hockey game at Milano Cortina 2026 will take place Feb. 12 against Czechia at 10:40 a.m. ET on Sportsnet.