Edmonton Oilers' Ekholm opens up about Swedish Olympic snub
Edmonton Oilers defenceman Mattias Ekholm will not be headed to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan next month.
Despite the 35-year-old representing donning the Tre Kronor during last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, Ekholm was one of five members of that team left off the Olympic squad. Instead, Sweden opted to add former Oilers defenceman Philip Broberg and veteran Toronto Maple Leafs rearguard Oliver-Ekman Larsson.
It’s a shocking development, as Ekholm has long been one of the most reliable Swedish defencemen in the NHL. He ran into injury problems last year, and a slow start to this season quickly sank his chances of returning for the Olympics.
Ekholm spoke with the media after Friday’s Oilers practice, where he opened up about being snubbed.
“Just disappointed. That was probably my last shot at it,” Ekholm said. “It’s right up there with the Stanley Cup, the Olympics. It’s a huge disappointment, and not much I can do about it.
“At the end of the day, I think I’ve everything I can on the ice. Especially the last month and a half, I’ve really shown what I can do out there and be an effective hockey player and deserve to be on that team.”
"I’ve done everything I can on the ice."
Mattias Ekholm catches up with the media after #Oilers skate. @Enterprise | #LetsGoOilers pic.twitter.com/RHOtpQtafu
— Edmonton Oilers (@EdmontonOilers) January 2, 2026
Though Ekholm made Sweden’s 4 Nations roster last season, things didn’t go exactly smoothly for him in that tournament. The veteran Swede had come down with some sort of sickness right before and could barely talk to the media because of it.
Ekholm was also scratched for Sweden’s must-win game against the United States in that tournament. Perhaps it was an early sign that Swedish head coach Sam Hallam was not the biggest fan of the Oilers defender.
“It’s more a question for him than me, because he’s selecting the team, not me,” Ekholm said. “Obviously, he didn’t think [I belonged on that team], so that’s something I’ll have to deal with and move on.
“I had some sort of virus going on [last year], I don’t know what it was, it was lasting for months. There’s no excuse at that time of year.”
There is still a chance that Ekholm plays Olympic games this season as an injury replacement. The veteran defender said he was told that he just missed and imagines he will be on the shortlist in case of an injury.
It will be something to look out for over the next month or so.
“We’re working on that, they said I just missed. I’m guessing I’m on that list,” Ekholm said.
It was an overall disappointing Olympic announcement for the Oilers. So far, only two Edmonton players are set to compete in the Olympics, with Connor McDavid for Canada and Leon Draisaitl leading the way for Germany.
We’ll have to wait and see if any other players in the organization can crack their respective teams.