If any country outside of the top three hockey powerhouses (Canada, Sweden, the United States) is going to walk away from the 2026 Winter Olympic Games with the gold medal, it’s Finland. The 2022 gold medal winners are hoping to repeat at the Milano-Cortiva games and continue holding to their second place spot on the International Ice Hockey Federation’s world rankings.
The good news for Finland is they have access to NHL players for the first time in over a decade. The Finnish pipeline to the NHL has exploded in that time, giving the Finns plenty of talent to sift through to put together their 25-man roster. The 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year gave a glimpse into what their roster could look like when the Olympics kick-off. With a few months remaining, here’s the latest projection for Finland’s roster at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
Aleksander Barkov and Mikko Rantanen headline a balanced and two-way forward group. Along with Sebastian Aho and Roope Hintz, that’s four elite offensive players to build the top two lines around. The question is how can they find the right chemistry while keeping productive players in the bottom-six?
The bubble players are the top area to focus on. Players like Erik Haula and Jesperi Kotkaniemi could easily be swapped for forwards like Kasperi Kapanen of the Edmonton Oilers or Toronto Maple Leafs winger Matias Maccelli.
The Finnish Mafia that is the Dallas Stars figures heavily on the blue line with Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell both expected to play heavy minutes in Italy. Urho Vaakanainen may feel like a surprise inclusion, but he looked greatly improved after his move to the New York Rangers. That’s enough to earn him a spot on the roster.
A pair of big, right-handed defenders could sneak onto the roster. Of the two possibilities, Ottawa Senators defenseman Nikolas Matinpalo is the likelier option.
This trio should instill confidence into Finland. Led by Nashville Predators netminder Juuse Saros, the position is deep. Kevin Lankinen had an excellent 2024-2025 season with the Vancouver Canucks and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen had an up-and-down year with the Buffalo Sabres but is stil their starter for the long haul.
Korpisalo is a proven veteran that could be too tempting to pass up. Aside from him, there are a pair of younger goalies who might perform well enough in the first half to warrant a roster spot.
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Jacob is a featured writer covering the Pittsburgh Steelers for Steelers On SI and the NHL for Breakaway On SI. He also co-hosts the All Steelers Talk podcast. Previous work covering the NHL for Inside the Penguins and The Hockey News.
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