NHL
2026 Olympic
Hockey
In the NHL, Matt Boldy, left, and Joel Eriksson Ek are teammates. At the Olympics, they'll try to deny each other a medal. Stan Szeto / Imagn Images
MILAN – Defensemen hate playing Joel Eriksson Ek. All Minnesota Wild fans know that.
So do Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber. The American defensemen both know they won’t have to look hard Wednesday to find where Sweden’s menace of a center will be on the ice.
“Right at the net creating havoc,” said Faber, a second-pair defenseman and first-over-the-boards penalty killer for the United States.
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From the moment Olympic rosters were set, the common question inside the Wild dressing room was what would it be like for Hughes, Faber and Matt Boldy to have to go up against Eriksson Ek, Marcus Johansson and potentially Filip Gustavsson or Jesper Wallstedt in the Olympics. Another teammate, Jonas Brodin, had been set to play for Sweden but missed out due to a lower-body injury that required surgery.
Well, how delicious. That meeting comes in the quarterfinals, not semis or gold medal game.
Standing in the way of the three American players — plus general manager Bill Guerin, coach John Hynes (one of USA’s assistants) and a number of other Wild staff — are Eriksson Ek and the talented Swedes, whose road to a medal became more difficult when they gave up a goal in the final minute of their final preliminary game to Slovakia, turning a win into what felt like a loss.
The two-goal win, rather than the three-goal margin Sweden had, meant Slovakia won their group on goal difference and gave Sweden a quarterfinal date with the U.S. after it smoked Latvia 5-1 in the qualifying round Tuesday.
“They got a good team,” Faber said of the Swedes. “Didn’t necessarily click for them (in the prelims), but they beat us in the 4 Nations. They’ve got a solid, deep, really, really good hockey team. So we’re gonna need to be our best. And obviously, playing against Ekker will be a lot of fun.”
So would playing Gustavsson, who didn’t dress Tuesday against Latvia. Wallstedt backed up Jacob Markström, so even though coach Sam Hallam wouldn’t tip his hand, one wonders if Gustavsson didn’t dress because he’s starting against the United States and it’s not Markström playing on back-to-back days.
“I think many times you see goalies who play back-to-back play even better the second night,” Hallam said. “But let’s see if everybody’s fresh and ready to go.”
Gustavsson is 1-1 in the tournament with a 2.55 goals-against average and .889 save percentage.
“That would be fun,” Boldy said, smiling.
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“I hope I get some good looks,” said Faber. “No, he’s a great goalie when he’s hot. We know him as well as anyone, and when he’s playing well, he’s hard to beat.”
Eriksson Ek loves his Wild teammates, especially Boldy, his linemate in Minnesota. But this is USA vs. Sweden, so he won’t take it easy if Boldy, Faber or Hughes is standing between him and the crease.
“I don’t think they will, either,” said Eriksson Ek, who has a short-handed goal and an assist in four games. “We’re out there playing for our countries right now. One game and just put everything into it.”
Faber is having a strong tournament. The two-time Olympian scored his first career Olympics goal against Germany and has an assist for two points in three games. He’s also part of a 9-for-9 penalty kill.
“I’m super happy for Fabes,” Boldy said. “I know he’s got a bunch of family in the crowd, too. So it’s pretty cool to score here. I felt the same way when I scored, but to see one of your best friends have a goal like that in the Olympics was pretty awesome.”
Boldy has scored a goal in three games and is coming off an eight-shot performance against Germany. He has impressed the past two games on the United States’ top line with Jake Guentzel and Auston Matthews.
“I’m just trying to make a difference any way I can,” Boldy said. “I think our line’s playing great. We’re getting a lot of chances. Auston’s been unreal. I think goals are out there, and we’re getting chances to score. Some of them aren’t going in, but some of them are. And I think the way we’re playing the game is pretty honest and the right way.”
There’s no doubt Boldy has impressed. Coach Mike Sullivan has called him an “emerging star,” and Vincent Trocheck continues to be blown away by Boldy’s skill level.
“I think it was eye-opening for me last year at 4 Nations,” Trocheck said. “I wasn’t as familiar with him before that tournament. I think he came into that tournament as one of our best players. We’ve played in the regular season a couple times since then, and you notice him more and more every game. Here, he’s been one of our best players. He just does all the little things so well. Great shot, skates well. He plays well defensively. He’s a 200-foot player. Just a great tournament. There’s a lot to like.”
And then of course, there’s Hughes, who has four assists in three games.
“He’s a game changer on the blue line,” Sullivan said.
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Wallstedt hasn’t played in the tournament, while Johansson has no points in two games. As for the rest of the Wild Olympians, Nico Sturm and Germany play Samuel Hlavaj and Slovakia, while David Spacek and the Czech Republic face Canada.
“It’s real now,” Faber said. “Just one and done. These are games you dream of playing, and it’s exciting. We’ve got to be at our best. Anyone can beat anyone here. I thought we played three good games, but those don’t matter anymore.”
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Michael Russo is a senior writer covering the Minnesota Wild and the National Hockey League for The Athletic. He has covered the NHL since 1995 (Florida Panthers) and the Wild since 2005, previously for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel and Minneapolis Star Tribune. Michael is a five-time Minnesota Sportswriter of the Year and in 2017 was named the inaugural Red Fisher Award winner as best beat writer in the NHL. Michael can be seen on NHL Network; and heard on KFAN (100.3 FM) and the Worst Seats in the House podcast (talknorth.com). He can be found on Instagram and X at @russohockey and Bluesky at @russohockey.bsky.social. Follow Michael on Twitter @RussoHockey
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