Since the announcement came down just a few days ago that NHL players could once again play in the upcoming Olympics, countries have been announcing their training camp rosters.  Most countries already had groups in place to make the selections hoping an agreement would be made.  In this three-part series I would like to look at the Canadian invitee’s to analyze the surprises, the snubs and who has a best chance of making the roster for the 2014 games in Sochi.

Part One: the goalies

20 different Canadian Goalies appeared in at least 14 NHL games last season so it must not have been an easy decision to decide on the 5 guys they would bring to camp.  I thought there were at least eight or nine net minders that deserved that opportunity at least.

The Snubs:

1.  Cam Ward- this isn’t a huge snub as Ward only played in 17 games last season with the Carolina Hurricanes but since he got the invite in 2006 and 2010 I thought his name would be called again.

2.  Ray Emery- I know what you are all thinking, “Emery is a backup who didn’t see any ice time in the playoffs,” but I thought what he did in lasts years regular season deserved the honor of at least getting an invite.  Emery played in 21 regular season game with the Blackhawks, registering 17 wins and only one lose with a G.A.A. of under two.

3.  Marc-Andre Fleury- I understand that Fleury really struggles in his last four appearances in last year’s playoffs but I thought his stellar regular season would have afforded him an invite to this summer’s workouts.

4.  Martin Brodeur- Even though Brodeur is long past his prime I thought he would get an invite to help mentor the young goaltenders.  After all, Brodeur has made the roster on the last four Canadian Olympic teams and was a huge reason why they brought home multiple Gold Medals.

The Surprises:

1.  Braden Holtby- Holtby had a great season with the Washington Capitals in 2012-13 but has only been the main starter for one season.  At age 23 I don’t think he has enough experience, especially on the biggest stage in the World to make a serious run at making the Canadian roster.

2.  Mike Smith- Smith was fantastic for the Coyotes in 2011-12, winning 38 games but had more that his fair share of struggles during the shortened 2012-13 campaign.  Smith only won 15 games Phoenix missed the playoffs.

The Final Three-

1.  Roberto Luongo- whether Luongo see’s any ice time in Sochi or not, he needs to make the team.  It’s so important to have veteran leadership on the roster at every position and Luongo definitely brings that.  He has made the last two Olympic teams and has only lost one game in his seven appearances.

2.  Carey Price- Price just might be the best goalie that Canada has available this time around if he can be consistent.  The problem is Price is very rarely consistent.  While still good enough to make the roster, I have a hard team believing that Price will get the lion share of ice time in Sochi.

3.  Corey Crawford- after finally finding his way to the NHL on a full-time basis in the 2010-11 season, Crawford has been a beast.  Crawford allowed less than two goals a game during the 2013 regular season and followed that up with an even better G.A.A. in the playoffs to help carry the Blackhawks to the 2013 Stanley Cup.

It’s very important to note that the Olympics are a little more than seven months away.   A lot of things can happen between now and then that could change who will fill the roster in Sochi.