Shea Theodore, a former member of the Kent-based Seattle Thunderbirds, will compete over the next couple of weeks for Canada in the men’s ice hockey tournament at the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Theodore, 30, a defenseman for the Vegas Golden Knights in the NHL, will seek to help lead Canada to a gold medal. Canada and the United States are the favorites to compete in the gold medal game Feb. 22.
Canada is considered a favorite to win gold with a roster that includes Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby, Edmonton’s Connor McDavid, Colorado’s Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar, Tampa Bay’s Brayden Point and Florida’s Sam Reinhart. San Jose rookie Macklin Celebrini, 19, also is on the team.
Canada opens play against Czechia on Feb. 12.
The tournament marks the first Olympics featuring NHL players since the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Twelve teams will play three preliminary games in group play, with the top seeds earning a bye to the quarterfinals and the remaining teams advancing through qualification playoffs, leading to single-elimination medal rounds that conclude with the gold medal game.
Theodore, of Aldergrove, British Columbia, played from 2010 to 2015 in Kent at the accesso ShoWare Center. He represented Team Canada in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025 but was injured in the first game and didn’t play again.
The Anaheim Ducks selected Theodore in the first round, 26th overall, in the 2013 NHL Draft. He returned to the T-Birds for the next two years before playing two seasons with the Ducks, who traded him to Vegas in 2017.
Theodore became a Stanley Cup champion in 2022-23, helping the Golden Knights win their first NHL title with 13 points (one goal, 12 assists) in 21 playoff games. He has seven goals and 20 assists in 46 games so far this season with the Golden Knights.
Theodore signed a seven-year, $51.97 million contract (average annual value of $7.425 million) with Vegas on Oct. 24, 2024, according to nhl.com.
True plays for Denmark
Alexander True, 28, another former T-Bird, is playing with Denmark in the Olympic Games. Denmark opens play against Germany Feb. 12
The 6-foot-5 True, a forward, played from 2014 to 2017 with the T-Birds. He now plays professionally in Denmark. He played 19 NHL games with the San Jose Sharks from 2019 to 2021 and played eight games with the Seattle Kraken in 2021-2022.
The T-Birds selected True in the Canadian Hockey League import draft in 2014 when True was 17.
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