Forwards for Ducks, Maple Leafs, Kings among those expected to represent nation in Milano Cortina
The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 begin with Opening Ceremonies on Feb. 6.
The men’s ice hockey tournament will start with preliminary games Feb. 11, with the gold-medal game scheduled for Feb. 22.
This is the first time NHL players will participate in the Winter Olympics since Sochi in 2014.
In the Olympics, each team carries 25 players — traditionally 14 forwards, eight defensemen and three goalies.
NHL.com is predicting the Olympic rosters, which will be officially named around Jan. 1.
Today, senior director of editorial Shawn P. Roarke, staff writer Tracey Myers and NHL.com/fi writer Sami Haapasalo reveal their combined picks for Team Finland.
Joel Armia, Los Angeles Kings
Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes*
Mikael Granlund, Anaheim Ducks
Erik Haula, Nashville Predators
Roope Hintz, Dallas Stars
Kaapo Kakko, Seattle Kraken
Oliver Kapanen, Montreal Canadiens
Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Carolina Hurricanes
Artturi Lehkonen, Colorado Avalanche
Anton Lundell, Florida Panthers
Eetu Luostarinen, Florida Panthers
Matias Maccelli, Toronto Maple Leafs
Mikko Rantanen, Dallas Stars*
Teuvo Teravainen, Chicago Blackhawks
There’s some shakeup among the forward group here and it’s not pleasant. Aleksander Barkov, one of the original six players named to the roster and arguably the most important piece for Team Finland, will not be available. He sustained damage to his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) during training camp and underwent surgery Sept. 26. He is out at least seven months. There is no replacing Barkov, the best defensive player in the game and the captain of the back-to-back champion Panthers. Others will have to step up and take pieces of the load left by Barkov’s absence. An additional problem is the availability of power-play specialist Patrik Laine of the Canadiens, who is out for at least three months after undergoing core-muscle surgery this week. There will be jockeying for the final few positions before teams are revealed near the New Year. This time around, Armia has re-entered our projected roster, as has Maccelli, who is taking on a more prominent role with the Maple Leafs after being traded there from the Utah Mammoth in the offseason. Oliver Kapanen, off to a hot start with the Montreal Canadiens, has played himself into the mix with a strong start for the Canadiens. — Roarke
ANA@BOS: Granlund earns 5 points in Ducks’ win
Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars*
Henri Jokiharju, Boston Bruins
Esa Lindell, Dallas Stars*
Olli Maatta, Utah Mammoth
Nikolas Matinpalo, Ottawa Senators
Niko Mikkola, Florida Panthers
Rasmus Ristolainen, Philadelphia Flyers
Urho Vaakanainen, New York Rangers
Not surprisingly, this group is headlined by Heiskanen, who is healthy again after missing part of the regular season and the start of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season because of a knee injury. Lindell remains a steady presence for the Stars and he and Heiskanen have played together before and could again. Mikkola, now a two-time Stanley Cup champion, has become one a top two-way defenseman. One change is Matinpalo, who has been part of the Senators’ third defense pair early this season. Matinpalo played three games for Finland at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February (as an injury replacement for Ristolainen), and had two points (one goal, one assist) in eight games for Finland at the 20225 IIHF World Championship. — Myers
CAR@DAL: Heiskanen pass banks off a defender’s stick and in
Kevin Lankinen, Vancouver Canucks
Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, Buffalo Sabres
Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators*
Saros was selected among the first six players in June, so obviously he will be the team’s starting goalie, even though 2024-25 statistically was below expectations. He surely is looking to bounce back in 2025-26. Luukkonen and Lankinen will be excellent backups, ready to step in when needed. It will be very interesting to see how Luukkonen, who missed most of training camp and the first weeks of the season because of a lower-body injury, will perform as the Sabres No. 1 goalie before the Olympics. The 26-year-old has the potential to be one of the top goalies in the NHL. Lankinen has played well for the Canucks and shown his reliability in international tournaments in previous years. He helped Finland to win gold at the 2019 IIHF World Championship and shared the net with Saros at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February. — Haapasalo
Hockey News