For the first time in 12 years, NHL players will return to the Winter Olympic Games. This time around, Canada will have some stout competition. Let’s get into what to expect at the 2026 Olympics in Milan.
Structure and Schedule
This year’s Olympic Games will take place in Milan, Italy with the men’s hockey games being played between February 11 and 22.
Below are the 12 nations competing:
| Group A | Group B | Group C |
| Canada | Finland | United States |
| Czechia | Sweden | Germany |
| Switzerland | Slovakia | Latvia |
| France | Italy | Denmark |
Each nation will play three games in a round robin, one against each of the other three teams in their group, to determine seeding. Each group winner receives a bye into the second round, along with the highest ranked of the non-group winning teams. The remaining eight teams compete to advance to the quarter-final round. Each quarter-final winner advances to the semi-finals with the winners of each of those games playing in a gold medal game and the losers playing in a bronze medal game.
All the games will be available to stream on Peacock along with one of NBC, CNBC, and USA Network.
Below is the schedule for Team USA’s preliminary round:
- Thursday, Feb. 12 versus Latvia (3:10 pm ET, USA Network)
- Saturday, Feb. 14 versus Denmark (3:10 pm ET, USA Network)
- Sunday, Feb. 15 versus Germany (3:10 pm ET, USA Network)
Devils Representation
The Devils are tied for the seventh-most players of any NHL team at the 2026 Olympics.
Jesper Bratt and Jacob Markström will represent Team Sweden and Jack Hughes got the nod for Team USA. All three a year after getting time at the Four-Nations Face-Off.
New Jersey has three times as many Swiss reps as any other NHL team, with Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Jonas Siegenthaler all getting the chance to play for their nation at the highest level.
The last player is Simon Nemec, who should play a large role for Team Slovakia, along with former Devil Tomas Tatar.
Other Representation
Every single NHL team has at least one player representing them in Italy. Outside the Devils with seven players, the teams with the most players are the Tampa Bay Lightning (10), Florida Panthers (10), Minnesota Wild (nine), Vegas Golden Knights (nine), Colorado Avalanche (eight), and Boston Bruins (eight).
Team-By-Team Breakdowns
Canada
Odds To Win Tournament: +120 (per Fanduel)
Canada is bringing a great team as always. They took a shorter Four-Nations tournament last year with a 3-2 overtime win against Team USA. This time around they’re looking to repeat and to take home their first Olympic Gold since 2014.
Czechia
Odds To Win Tournament: +1600 (per Fanduel)
Czechia brings a very solid forward group led by star David Pastrnak. Their goaltending should also be solid with the likes of Lukas Dostal, Karel Vejmelka, and Dan Vladar splitting time. An only decent defensive corp limits their upside, but an upset or two shouldn’t be out of the picture.
Switzerland
Odds To Win Tournament: +3000 (per Fanduel)
Switzerland is in a similar spot to Czechia. Some NHL star power led by a handful of Devils, but not quite on the same level as the top teams. However, they should be a feisty bunch who could make some noise in the tournament.
France
Odds To Win Tournament: +100000 (per Fanduel)
France does have one lone NHL player, Canadiens forward Alexandre Texier along with 10-year NHL veteran Pierre-Édouard Bellemare. However, landing in arguably the toughest group should lead to a last-place finish and quick exit.
Finland
Odds To Win Tournament: +1100 (per Fanduel)
Finland has a roster of almost all NHL players, including lots of great ones. Goaltending is going to make or break their tournament, if Juuse Saros can lock things down they have a shot to potentially win it all.
Sweden
Odds To Win Tournament: +600 (per Fanduel)
Sweden is tough to project because they have experienced lots of injuries. When healthy though, they have one of the best rosters which on paper is capable of winning gold. This includes Devils star Jesper Bratt.
Slovakia
Odds To Win Tournament: +6500 (per Fanduel)
Slovakia only has a handful of NHL players, but coming off of a shock bronze medal in 2022 anything is possible.
Italy
Odds To Win Tournament: +100000 (per Fanduel)
Italy is the only nation with no NHL representation. They got an auto-bid as the host country, but should be a quick elimination.
United States
Odds To Win Tournament: +210 (per Fanduel)
This is the best roster the USA has brought to the Olympics possibly ever. They got close to winning it all in 2010, but will look to take home gold for the first time since the Miracle on Ice team in 1980.
Germany
Odds To Win Tournament: +5500 (per Fanduel)
Germany has some upside with stars like Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stutzle, JJ Peterka, and Moritz Seider. However, there isn’t much after them. There is definitely some upside with this team, but don’t look for them to take gold.
Latvia
Odds To Win Tournament: +12500 (per Fanduel)
Latvia has a handful of NHL players including two goalies. If Artur Silovs or Elvis Merzlikins gets hot, Latvia could be set up for a first round upset, but not much more than that.
Denmark
Odds To Win Tournament: +12500 (per Fanduel)
Last, but not least, is Denmark who will bring star forwards Nikolaj Ehlers, and Oliver Bjorkstrand along with Hurricanes netminder Frederik Andersen. They’re in a similar spot to Latvia, where a weaker group could allow them to win a round or two if something crazy happens, but expectations shouldn’t be high.
Predictions
Below are our predictions for this year’s men’s hockey olympic tournament.
Group A Order:
- Canada
- Switzerland
- Czechia
- France
Group B Order:
- Finland
- Sweden
- Slovakia
- Italy
Group C Order:
- United States
- Germany
- Denmark
- Latvia
Playoffs:
First Round (top four receives byes):
- Canada
- United States
- Finland
- Sweden
Matchups:
- Switzerland (five) defeats Italy (12)
- Germany (six) defeats France (11)
- Czechia (seven) defeats Latvia (10)
- Slovakia (eight) defeats Denmark (nine)
Quarterfinal:
- Canada (one) defeats Slovakia (eight)
- United States (two) defeats Czechia (seven)
- Finland (three) defeats Germany (six)
- Switzerland (five) defeats Sweden (four)
Semifinal:
- Canada (one) defeats Switzerland (five)
- United States (two) defeats Finland (three)
Finals:
- Gold: United States (two) defeats Canada (one)
- Bronze: Switzerland (five) defeats Finland (three)
Medals:
- Gold: United States
- Silver: Canada
- Bronze: Switzerland
Final Thoughts
With NHL players finally returning to the Olympic Games, this is set up to be a fantastic tournament. We got a preview of what to expect last year at Four-Nations, but that was nothing compared to what we should get this February.