It’s been 12 years since there has been considerable hype surrounding ice hockey in the Winter Olympics, but the 2026 Winter Games will provide the long-awaited return of NHL players to the competition.
The 4 Nations Face-Off 2025 delivered an exciting teaser of what the competition will look like for the United States, Canada, Sweden and Finland. The four-team tournament culminated in Canada’s Connor McDavid devastating the U.S. with a game-winning goal in overtime.
The U.S., led by Scottsdale-raised Auston Matthews, will be aiming for redemption against Canada — and for its first Olympic medal since winning silver in 2010.
While ratings and interest for hockey grew during 4 Nations — and Scottsdale-born Matthew and Brady Tkachuk became American sensations — it was only a sample size of the Olympic talent pool. There are formidable teams including Czechia, Germany and Switzerland.
Matthews got into hockey from going to Arizona Coyotes games and later began playing for the Jr. Coyotes and Arizona Bobcats.
Matthew and Brady Tkachuk were born in Arizona during their father, Keith’s, tenure as the Coyotes captain, and would regularly visit Arizona after Keith was traded to St. Louis in 2001.
U.S. forward Tage Thompson was born in Glendale during his father, Brent’s, one season with the Coyotes. Tage didn’t play hockey in Arizona, but he returns to his birthplace in the offseason to train with Matthews and former Coyotes star and U.S. forward Clayton Keller.
Keller’s ascension to the Olympic team isn’t a surprise to the Coyotes faithful, who watched Keller blossom in his eight seasons in Arizona after being drafted by the Coyotes in 2016.
Both Keller and Thompson were left off the 4 Nations team, and will contribute to the forward depth. The 6-foot-6 Thompson is an intimidating presence on the ice, and is one of the NHL’s best goal scorers. Keller captained the Americans to a gold medal at the 2025 IIHF World Championship and posted 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 10 games.
That gold was the first in the IIHF World Championship since 1933 (though the U.S. victory at the 1960 Olympics is also recorded as an IIHF World Championship gold medal).
The U.S. team looks like one of the strongest in years, but there’s still a massive obstacle to gold.
Canada remains the favorite (+120 via DraftKings as of midweek) to win the first gold medal since 2014, with the U.S. and Sweden as the next in line.
A big reason for Canada’s dominance is the elite, star-studded roster featuring two-time Olympian Sidney Crosby and first-timer McDavid.
Add in Nathan MacKinnon, Mitch Marner, Sam Reinhart and 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini, and Canada’s top six forwards provide a menacing mix of speed and skill.
Finland is the defending champion after winning in 2022 in Beijing, a testament to the country’s development.
There are still some notable names missing as Russia’s Olympic Committee remains suspended by the International Olympic Committee due to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. That means that Alex Ovechkin, the NHL’s all-time leader in goals, will not compete.
The men’s Olympic ice hockey tournament begins on Wednesday, Feb. 11, with the gold medal game on Feb. 22.
The U.S. is once again the favorite to win the gold medal, followed closely by Canada. The North American teams have combined to win every women’s Olympic ice hockey gold medal since the sport was added in 1998.
After losing to Canada in the gold-medal game, the U.S. made significant changes and hired coach John Wroblewski in June 2022, who placed an emphasis on a youth movement.
The 2026 team features seven players still competing in college, with 20-year-old Ohio State forward Joy Dunne being the youngest. The goalie trio is also new, with projected starter Aerin Frankel, projected backup Gwyneth Philips and third goalie Ava McNaughton all set to make their Olympic debuts.
It’s going to be a swan song for American captain Hilary Knight, who will participate in her fifth and final Olympics. Knight’s five Olympic appearances set a U.S. women’s record. Since the 2010 Olympics, Knight has won one gold and three silver medals.
With Knight playing in her final Olympics, the U.S. will look to first-time Olympian Laila Edwards, from the defending NCAA champion Wisconsin Badgers, to take over. Edwards has received considerable hype for her debut after she was named the MVP at the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championship.
Edwards, a 22-year-old senior, is set to become the first Black women’s hockey player to compete for the U.S. at the Olympics.
The Americans were set to open the Olympics facing Czechia on Feb. 5, with the gold medal game Feb. 19.
Standing in the way of the U.S. women is Canadian captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who is also playing in her fifth Olympics. Since 2010, Poulin has collected three gold medals and one silver.
At the 2022 Olympics, Canada went unbeaten to win the gold medal, while Sarah Nurse set a single-tournament record for most assists and most points with 18 points (five goals, 13 assists).
Team Canada’s preliminary round begins with a game against Finland and ends with a rivalry match against the U.S. on Feb. 10.
Figure skating
There’s a lot of buzz around the U.S. figure skating team, led by 21-year-old Ilia Malinin.
Malinin has become the most dominant male skater in the world with his signature quadruple axel, a skill that few thought was possible a few years ago, and earned him the nickname, the “Quad God”.
The women’s team has earned considerable hype as 26-year-old Amber Glenn, 20-year-old Alysa Liu and 18-year-old Isabeau Levito wowed at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships. The three aim to break the U.S.’s 20-year medal drought.
Glenn will become the oldest U.S. women’s singles skater to debut at the Olympics in 98 years, and she’s among the front-runners for Olympic gold in Milan.
Skiing
If you love a good comeback story, then look no further than Lindsey Vonn.
Vonn initially retired a year after the 2018 Olympics, but at age 41, the 2010 Olympic downhill champion has staged an improbable return following a partial knee replacement over the past year and a half.
Despite her recent injuries, she was second in DraftKings betting odds (as of Feb. 3) behind only Sofia Goggia to win the women’s downhill and Super G events in Cortina.
Mikaela Shiffrin, the most decorated Alpine skier of all time, will compete in her fourth Games and is looking to win a medal after missing the podium in all six events in 2022.
She captured gold in the slalom at the 2014 Sochi Games and gold in giant slalom at the 2018 PyeongChang Games.
Reach the reporter or send tips for stories atjenna.ortiz@arizonarepublic.com, as well as@jennarortiz on X.
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