56 NHL players named to Olympic men's hockey teams
The Milano-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games are less than a year away, and we now know the first batch of NHL players who will be participating in the event.
This will be the first time NHL players have been allowed to compete at the Games since 2014, after a deal was reached between the league and the IIHF. As such, anticipation for the upcoming Olympic Games has been through the roof.
Fans were treated to a bit of an appetizer this past season, with the wildly successful Four Nations Face-Off capturing attention. The Winter Olympics, however, are a whole new beast as 12 countries will be competing for a spot on the podium.
To kickstart the process, each of those teams named the first six players to their rosters on Monday morning. A total of 56 NHL players earned roster spots, with players from other leagues making up the remaining 16 spots.
Here is a look at who made the initial cut:
Canada
No surprises for Canada here as they run back a leadership group that captured Four Nations gold this past season. The only question is if Sidney Crosby will remain captain, or if the torch will be passed to Connor McDavid?
- Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers/NHL)
- Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins/NHL)
- Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche/NHL)
- Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche/NHL)
- Sam Reinhart (Florida Panthers/NHL)
- Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning/NHL)
USA
Revenge will be on the minds of the Americans going into the Olympic Games. Jack Eichel and Quinn Hughes headline this talented group while the Tkachuk brothers reprise their roles as well.
- Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights/NHL)
- Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks/NHL)
- Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs/NHL)
- Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins/NHL)
- Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators/NHL)
- Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers/NHL)
Sweden
The Swedes once again look to be a force on the international stage. It’s the usual suspects once again with William Nylander and Victor Hedman headlining, while Gabriel Landeskog is a surprise addition.
- William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs/NHL)
- Adrian Kempe (LA Kings/NHL)
- Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning/NHL)
- Lucas Raymond (Detroit Red Wings/NHL)
- Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres/NHL)
- Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche/NHL)
Finland
Mikko Rantanen can take over a tournament, and Miro Heiskanen is a world-class defender. Aleksander Barkov and Sebastian Aho riding shotgun ain’t too shabby either.
- Mikko Rantanen (Dallas Stars/NHL)
- Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes/NHL)
- Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers/NHL)
- Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators/NHL)
- Miro Heiskanen (Dallas Stars/NHL)
- Anton Lundell (Florida Panthers/NHL)
Germany
Germany is a hockey nation on the rise, and they finally have a superstar to rally around with Leon Draisaitl. Add Tim Stützle to the mix, and the Germans may be a dark horse.
- Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers/NHL)
- Tim Stützle (Ottawa Senators/NHL)
- Moritz Seider (Detroit Red Wings/NHL)
- Philipp Grubauer (Seattle Kraken/NHL)
- Nico Sturm (Florida Panthers/NHL)
- Lukas Reichel (Chicago Blackhawks/NHL)
Czechia
Czechia has an elite scorer in David Pastrňák and a young goalie with plenty to prove with plenty to prove in Lukáš Dostál. However, will the lack of top-end defencemen hurt them?
- David Pastrňák (Boston Bruins/NHL)
- Martin Nečas (Colorado Avalanche/NHL)
- Pavel Zacha (Boston Bruins/NHL)
- Radko Gudas (Anaheim Ducks/NHL)
- Lukáš Dostál (Anaheim Ducks/NHL)
- Ondřej Palát (New Jersey Devils/NHL)
Switzerland
Three New Jersey Devils players highlight Switzerland’s initial six players. They’re shaping up to be a well-rounded squad with Nico Hischier and Kevin Fiala up front, while Roman Josi and Jonas Siegenthaler patrol the blueline.
- Roman Josi (Nashville Predators/NHL)
- Nico Hischier (New Jersey Devils/NHL)
- Jonas Siegenthaler (New Jersey Devils/NHL)
- Timo Meier (New Jersey Devils/NHL)
- Kevin Fiala (LA Kings/NHL)
- Nino Niederreiter (Winnipeg Jets/NHL)
Slovakia
The Slovaks opt for a good mix of youth and veteran leadership in their first six. Juraj Slafkovský and Šimon Nemec have the potential to be game-changers.
- Martin Fehérváry (Washington Capitals/NHL)
- Juraj Slafkovský (Montreal Canadiens/NHL)
-
Tomáš Tatar (EV Zug/National League)
- Erik Černák (Tampa Bay Lightning/NHL)
- Šimon Nemec (New Jersey Devils/NHL)
- Martin Pospisil (Calgary Flames/NHL)
Latvia
Hot off the heels of its best World Junior finish back in January, Latvia is looking to continue making history in 2026. Teddy Blueger and Elvis Merzlikins highlight their first six.
- Elvis Merzļikins (Columbus Blue Jackets/NHL)
- Uvis Balinskis (Florida Panthers/NHL)
- Rodrigo Ābols (Lehigh Valley Phantoms/AHL)
- Arturs Silovs (Abbotsford Canucks/AHL)
- Teddy Blueger (Vancouver Canucks/NHL)
- Zemgus Girgensons (Tampa Bay Lightning/NHL)
Denmark
The Danes shocked Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Championship. Do they have another big upset in them? Nikolaj Ehlers and Oliver Bjorkstrand will look to anchor the offence.
- Nikolaj Ehlers (Winnipeg Jets/NHL)
- Frederik Andersen (Carolina Hurricanes/NHL)
- Lars Eller (Washington Capitals/NHL)
- Oliver Bjorkstrand (Tampa Bay Lightning/NHL)
- Jonas Røndbjerg (Henderson Silver Knights/AHL)
- Jesper Jenson Aabo (EC KAC/ICE Hockey League)
France
Alexandre Texier is the lone active NHLer to be named, though Yohann Auvitu and Pierre-Édouard Bellemare are ex-NHL players. They will join Italy as the other de facto underdog.
- Alexandre Texier (St. Louis Blues/NHL)
- Pierre-Édouard Bellemare (HC Ajoie/National League)
- Jordann Perret (Mountfield HK/Czech Extraliga)
- Yohann Auvitu (Vitkovice HC/Czech Extraliga)
- Hugo Gallet (Tappera Tampere/SM-Liiga)
- Jules Boscq (Iowa Heartlanders/ECHL)
Italy
The host nation will boast a squad of relative unknowns for the 2026 Olympic Games. The definition of an underdog team.
- Luca Zanatta (HC Pustertal Wölfe/ICE Hockey League)
- Thomas Larkin (Schwenninger Wild Wings/DEL)
- Diego Kostner (HC Ambrì-Piotta/National League)
- Daniel Mantenuto (HC Bozen-Bolzano/ICE Hockey League)
- Damian Clara (Karpat/SM-Liiga)
- Tommy Purdeller (HC Pustertal Wölfe/ICE Hockey League)