Balinskis, Barkov, Reinhart, Sturm and Tkachuk named to preliminary Olympic rosters
SUNRISE, Fla. – The national teams for the 12 qualified federations for the upcoming Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 each announced their first six players to their preliminary rosters today, and included are five current Florida Panthers:
Reinhart, 29, will be making his first appearance at the Olympic Winter Games. The Stanley Cup champion already has a decorated international career, winning gold for Canada at the IIHF U18 (2013), U20 (2015) and Men’s World Championships (2016), as well as bronze at the 2012 U18 tournament and silver at the 2019 Men’s World championship. He also helped Canada win the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off alongside current Panthers teammates Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand.
Barkov, 29, will represent Finland at the Winter Olympic Games for the second time, having earned a bronze medal in 2014 alongside current Panthers assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu. Barkov was one of two Florida Panthers sent to the 2014 Winter Olympic Games (Tomas Kopecky). As the first Finnish-born NHL captain to lift the Stanley Cup, Barkov also earned a silver medal representing his home country at the 2016 IIHF Men’s World Championship. At the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, Barkov served as captain of Finland.
Sturm, 30, previously earned a silver medal representing Germany at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship and will participate in the Winter Olympic Games for the first time in his career.
Balinskis, 28, previously represented Latvia at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games where he notched three assists over four games. He helped him home country capture their first-ever medal at an IIHF tournament, capturing bronze at the 2023 IIHF Men’s World Championship with two assists over 10 tournament games including a 4-3 overtime victory over the United States in the bronze medal game.
Tkachuk, 27, captured gold representing the United States at the 2015 IIHF U18 World Junior Championship and bronze at the 2016 U20 WJC. He most recently served as an alternate captain at the 2025 NHL 4 Nations Face-Off, recording three points (2-1-3) in three games played. Tkachuk joins Panthers President of Hockey Operations & General Manager Bill Zito, who is serving as assistant general manager for the 2026 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team.
The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will take place from Friday, Feb. 6, 2026 to Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026 in Italy.
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