The return of NHL players to the Olympics is set to reshape the international hockey landscape at the 2026 Milan Cortina Games.
For the first time since the 2014 Winter Games at Sochi, the sport’s best talent will represent their countries on the Olympic stage, with every participating nation — except host Italy — featuring NHL talent on their 25-man rosters.
Group A includes Canada, Czechia, Switzerland and France. Group B features Finland, Sweden, Slovakia and Italy. Group C has Team USA, Germany, Latvia and Denmark.
Here's a nation-by-nation breakdown of the NHL players set to feature for them at the 2026 Olympics.
United States — 25 NHL Players
The USA's NHL contingent features a blend of superstar scorers, two‑way forwards and dynamic defensemen. This is one of the most complete American Olympic rosters ever put together, blending stars with defensive reliability and goaltending depth, giving them a shot at the gold medal.
The forward corps includes captain Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs), whose scoring ability can tilt any game; Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights), a clutch playmaker; and the high‑energy Tkachuk brothers — Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers) and Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators) — who excel at both ends of the ice.
Matt Boldy (Minnesota Wild), Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets), Jake Guentzel (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings) should add speed to the American lineup. Veteran forwards J.T. Miller (New York Rangers), Vincent Trocheck (New York Rangers), Brock Nelson (Colorado Avalanche) and power forward Tage Thompson (Buffalo Sabres) will also add strong locker-room voices and support throughout the tournament. Clayton Keller (Utah Mammoth) and Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils) bring creativity to the offense.
On the blue line, the U.S. boasts highly mobile defenders including former Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks), Noah Hanifin (Vegas Golden Knights), Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins), Jake Sanderson (Ottawa Senators), Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes), Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild) and Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets). Jackson LaCombe (Anaheim Ducks), a late replacement for the injured Seth Jones (Florida Panthers), will add two‑way depth.
The goaltending trio of Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets), Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars) and Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins) gives the Americans elite options in net throughout the tournament.
Winslow Townson-Imagn Images
Canada — 25 NHL Players
Team Canada’s roster is packed with the game’s most elite NHL stars. It is perhaps the deepest in the field and features former Olympic gold medalists and MVP‑caliber players. The Canadians are the clear favorite to capture their 10th Olympic men’s hockey gold.
Up front, the forward corps includes Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), who is widely regarded as the best active NHL player, and Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins), who brings veteran leadership and two prior Olympic gold medals.
Joining these two will be many other elite players, including Mitch Marner (Vegas Golden Knights), Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche), Brad Marchand (Florida Panthers) and rising phenom Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks). Seth Jarvis (Carolina Hurricanes) will replace the injured Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning).
Also in the forward group are Brandon Hagel (Tampa Bay Lightning), Bo Horvat (New York Islanders), Sam Reinhart (Florida Panthers), Mark Stone (Vegas Golden Knights), Nick Suzuki (Montreal Canadiens) and Tom Wilson (Washington Capitals), a blend of scoring, grit and championship experience across the forward lines. Sam Bennett (Florida Panthers) is a late addition in place of injured Anthony Cirelli (Tampa Bay Lightning).
Canada’s defense corps is equally formidable, featuring two-time Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche), two-time Olympic gold medalist Drew Doughty (Los Angeles Kings), Thomas Harley (Dallas Stars), Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg Jets), Colton Parayko (St. Louis Blues), Travis Sanheim (Philadelphia Flyers), Shea Theodore (Vegas Golden Knights) and Devon Toews (Colorado Avalanche).
In goal, Canada turns to Jordan Binnington (St. Louis Blues), Darcy Kuemper (Los Angeles Kings) and Logan Thompson (Washington Capitals), having depth in their goaltender rotation.
Sweden — 25 NHL Players
Sweden’s roster is a mix of NHL veterans and rising stars, making it one of the most balanced teams in the tournament.
Leading the offense are forwards William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs), Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche), Elias Pettersson (Vancouver Canucks), Mika Zibanejad (New York Rangers), Marcus Johansson (Minnesota Wild), Filip Forsberg (Nashville Predators), Lucas Raymond (Detroit Red Wings), Rickard Rakell (Pittsburgh Penguins) and center stalwarts Joel Eriksson Ek (Minnesota Wild) and Jesper Bratt (New Jersey Devils).
Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles Kings) and Alexander Wennberg (San Jose Sharks) add versatility, while Pontus Holmberg (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Elias Lindholm (Boston Bruins) deepen the forward group.
Sweden’s defense features several star NHL blueliners, including Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres), Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning), Erik Karlsson (Pittsburgh Penguins), Rasmus Andersson (Vegas Golden Knights), Philip Broberg (St. Louis Blues), Gustav Forsling (Florida Panthers), Oliver Ekman‑Larsson (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Hampus Lindholm (Boston Bruins).
Between the pipes, Sweden boasts a trio of NHL goalies in Filip Gustavsson (Minnesota Wild), Jacob Markstrom (New Jersey Devils) and Jesper Wallstedt (Minnesota Wild) for solid goaltending.
David Kirouac-Imagn Images
Finland — 24 NHL Players
Finland, reigning Olympic gold medalists from Beijing 2022, brings a strong NHL contingent. The depth and recent international success make them a perennial contender and finishing on the podium is a realistic goal for Finland.
The forward corps includes Mikko Rantanen (Dallas Stars), Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes), Roope Hintz (Dallas Stars), Anton Lundell (Florida Panthers), Joel Kiviranta (Colorado Avalanche), Artturi Lehkonen (Colorado Avalanche), along with Kaapo Kakko (Seattle Kraken), Erik Haula (Nashville Predators), Oliver Kapanen (Montreal Canadiens), Teuvo Teravainen (Chicago Blackhawks), Joel Armia (Los Angeles Kings), Mikael Granlund (Anaheim Ducks), Eetu Luostarinen (Florida Panthers) and Eeli Tolvanen (Seattle Kraken).
Defensively, Finland will feature Miro Heiskanen (Dallas Stars), Henri Jokiharju (Boston Bruins), Esa Lindell (Dallas Stars), Nikolas Matinpalo (Ottawa Senators), Niko Mikkola (Florida Panthers) and Rasmus Ristolainen (Philadelphia Flyers), supported by Olli Määttä (Utah Mammoth).
In net, Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators), Ukko‑Pekka Luukkonen (Buffalo Sabres) and Kevin Lankinen (Vancouver Canucks) will provide high‑level goaltending.
Czech Republic — 13 NHL Players
Czechia’s NHL stars come to provide offensive muscle. The Czech Republic can be considered a potential dark horse, as the nation's offensive skill should position it for a competitive tournament.
David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins) and Pavel Zacha (Boston Bruins) serve as the core forwards, joined by Tomas Hertl (Vegas Golden Knights), Ondrej Palat (New York Islanders), David Kampf (Vancouver Canucks), Radek Faksa (Dallas Stars) and Martin Necas (Colorado Avalanche).
Czechia’s defense includes a mix of NHL and international players, with Filip Hronek (Vancouver Canucks) as a key blueliner joined by Radko Gudas (Anaheim Ducks) and David Spacek (Minnesota Wild).
In net, the Czech Republic will feature three NHL goalies, including Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks), Karel Vejmelka (Utah Mammoth) and Dan Vladar (Philadelphia Flyers).
Switzerland — 10 NHL Players
Switzerland blends NHL scoring with national team additions. Switzerland can surprise with its balanced NHL talent and depth across positions.
Nico Hischier (New Jersey Devils), Timo Meier (New Jersey Devils), Kevin Fiala (Los Angeles Kings), Philipp Kurashev (San Jose Sharks), Nino Niederreiter (Winnipeg Jets) and Pius Suter (St. Louis Blues) form a potent forward core from the NHL.
Roman Josi (Nashville Predators) will lead the back end alongside J.J. Moser (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Jonas Siegenthaler (New Jersey Devils).
Goaltender Akira Schmid (Vegas Golden Knights) rounds out a balanced Swiss group.
Slovakia — 7 NHL Players
Slovakia’s NHL talent includes Juraj Slafkovsky (Montreal Canadiens), Dalibor Dvorsky (St. Louis Blues), Martin Pospisil (Calgary Flames) and Pavol Regenda (San Jose Sharks) up front, as well as defensemen Simon Nemec (New Jersey Devils), Erik Cernak (Tampa Bay Lightning) and Martin Fhervary (Washington Capitals).
The NHL contingent should give Slovakia scoring and defensive grit, but the nation is not expected to have enough against elite competition.
Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
Germany — 6 NHL Players
Germany’s NHL presence centers on outright superstars. The nation's championship hopes will depend on Leon Draisaitl’s (Edmonton Oilers) all‑around impact and Philipp Grubauer’s (Seattle Kraken) goaltending.
The Germans can challenge higher‑seeded teams if their scoring lines click. Draisaitl, a former NHL MVP and offensive engine, Tim Stutzle (Ottawa Senators) and Nico Sturm (Minnesota Wild) will feature in the Olympics, along with JJ Peterka (Utah Mammoth) and his dynamic two‑way play.
Defenseman Moritz Seider (Detroit Red Wings) leads the blue line, while Grubauer anchors the net. Supporting the NHL contingent is also Lukas Reichel (currently on the Vancouver Canucks' AHL affiliate team in Abbotsford).
Latvia — 5 NHL Players
While not star‑studded, Latvia carries a few NHL representatives into the tournament who offer great experience and leadership, potentially sparking upsets with the country a clear tournament underdog.
Teddy Blueger (Vancouver Canucks), Zemgus Girgensons (Tampa Bay Lightning) and the pairing of Elvis Merzlikins (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Arturs Silovs (Pittsburgh Penguins) in goal will be present in Italy. The nation will also carry Uvis Balinskis (Florida Panthers) as part of its defensive corps.
Denmark — 5 NHL Players
Denmark has Nikolaj Ehlers (Carolina Hurricanes), Oliver Bjorkstrand (Tampa Bay Lightning), Oscar Fisker Molgaard (Seattle Kraken) and Lars Eller (Ottawa Senators) as its NHL forwards, with Frederik Andersen (Carolina Hurricanes) leading goaltending.
The rest of the roster blends European professionals, making Denmark a competitive team but a long‑shot nation in the tournament.
France — 1 NHL Player
The French will carry one NHL player into the 2026 Olympics in Alexandre Texier (Montreal Canadiens).
Italy — No NHL Players
Italy’s roster is entirely made up of domestic and European league players. Without NHL talent, Italy is the clear underdog in its group but has an advantage no other nation will enjoy: they play on home ice.
The men's tournament begins Wednesday and concludes with the gold medal game on Feb. 22.