Meier scored twice and Hughes had two assists as Switzerland and USA won their openers
The 2026 Winter Olympic Games are underway in Italy and several Devils are taking part, representing their countries in Men’s Ice Hockey: Nico Hischier, Timo Meier and Jonas Siegenthaler (Switzerland), Jack Hughes (USA), Jesper Bratt and Jacob Markstrom (Sweden) and Simon Nemec (Slovakia).
The tournament begins Wednesday, Feb. 11 and concludes with the Gold Medal Game on Sunday, Feb. 22.
Stay tuned here for daily updates, recaps, videos and more on the Devils players and how they’re performing for their countries.
USA 5, Latvia 1
Devils center Jack Hughes recorded two assists in the United States’ 5-1 victory over Latvia to open tournament play. He set up Brock Nelson for the game-winning goal in the second period and later initiated a play with his brother, Quinn Hughes, that led to Nelson’s second tally. Hughes finished with a plus-2 rating in 11:14 of ice time.
Brock Nelson scored twice for the Americans, while Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuk, and Tage Thompson also found the back of the net. Goaltender Connor Hellebuyck made 16 saves in the win.
That play by Jack though…. https://t.co/68tgZKVP7f
Imagine being so good you make the excellent look routine. https://t.co/2j92pPP4qn
Photos from the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy. Photos by Getty Images.
Switzerland 4, France 0
Devils forward Timo Meier scored two goals in the third period to seal Switzerland’s 4-0 victory over France in their tournament opener. He finished with a plus-3 rating and fired four shots on goal, while captain Nico Hischier and defenseman Jonas Siegenthaler helped shut down the French offense.
Damien Riat and J.J. Moser scored the opening goals for the Swiss. Goaltender Leonardo Genoni made 27 saves to earn the shutout.
Meier Madness in Milan!#MilanoCortina2026 #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/2GckfBjbQE
Photos from the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy. Photos by Getty Images.
Slovakia 4, Finland 1
Devils defenseman Simon Nemec logged a team-high 24:56 minutes of ice time and picked up an assist as his Slovakians defeated Finland, 4-1. He has also had four shots while shouldering the heavy workload.
Juraj Slafkovksy had two goals while Adam Ruzicka and Dalibor Dvorsky added tallies.
Photos from the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy. Photos by Getty Images.
Sweden 5, Italy 2
Devils forward Jesper Bratt notched an assist in Sweden’s 5-2 victory against Italy to open tournament play. He had three shots in 16:36 minutes of ice time. Goalie Jacob Markstrom backed up for the Swedes.
Gabriel Landeskog, Gustav Forsling, William Nylander, Mika Zibanejad and Victor Hedman scored for Sweden.
Photos from the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy. Photos by Getty Images.
Photos from the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Italy. Photos by Getty Images.
𝗢𝗹𝘆𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗰 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗚𝗮𝗺𝗲𝘀 | 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀! 🤝🏻🫡
C: Roman Josi
A: Kevin Fiala
A: Andrea Glauser
A: Nico Hischier
A: Nino Niederreiter#SwissOlympicTeam #United4Excellence #MilanoCortina2026 #SIHF #Olympics #IIHF pic.twitter.com/lrTFd3wzzA
Sweden’s Jesper Bratt: “Obviously we come here to win gold. There's nothing else on our agenda. But it's got to start with every game. It's not a Game 7.” pic.twitter.com/YcNgQrXSaj
De sex stora nationerna i OS och hur de tränat inför premiärmatcherna senare i veckan.
🇨🇦 Kanada & 🇺🇸 USA (1)
➡️
🇸🇪 Sverige & 🇫🇮 Finland (2)
➡️
🇨🇿 Tjeckien & 🇨🇭 Schweiz (3) pic.twitter.com/2Yi8t1dtwf
Alle Spieler sind gut in Mailand angekommen ✔️. Erstes Olympia-Training mit dem kompletten Team: Harte Arbeit bei hoher Intensität. 💯
Tous les joueurs sont bien arrivés à Milan. Premier entraînement olympique avec l’équipe au complet : travail intense et grande intensité. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/aEzHfW6IQt
Cory and Brian have Nico Hischier on as a guest in the latest episode of One-Time All Stars.
The NHL has officially hit pause and the hockey world’s attention shifts to Milan for the next couple of weeks. While some of the league’s biggest stars are heading overseas for best-on-best Olympic competition, others (myself included!) are packing their bags for a different kind of trip, chasing some sun, grabbing a little relaxation, loading up on vitamin D, and resetting before the final stretch of the NHL season.
It’s definitely a little strange to have such a long break in February, but it’s the trade-off that comes with Olympic hockey. The players not participating will be back in action sooner than it feels, teams are allowed to start holding practices again on February 18, though some rosters will still be missing their Olympians. It’ll create a bit of a mini training camp vibe around the league. But before we start thinking about the stretch run, this is a good moment for everyone, players and fans alike, to take a breath and enjoy the break.
Full story here.