Explore the latest developments concerning 2026 Olympic hockey.
2026 Olympic hockey roster watch: One NHL player from every team making a case
Connor Bedard, Matthew Knies and Macklin Celebrini are three players who are making a case to crack an Olympic roster in 2026. Demetrius Robinson / The Athletic; Michael Reaves, Claus Andersen and Ezra Shaw / Getty Images
There are only 88 days until the puck drops for men’s hockey at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Olympics, and the clock is ticking for teams to finalize their rosters ahead of the Dec. 31 deadline.
With some NHLers already officially on teams, and other roster spots seemingly starting to be finalized behind the scenes, which players are making their cases to crack an Olympic roster with their early performances this season?
Breaking down USA’s goaltending options for the 2026 Winter Olympics
If USA Hockey has any weakness heading to the 2026 Winter Olympics, it’s definitely not between the pipes.
The Americans have one of the deepest goaltending corps around, and it is significantly more dangerous than Canada’s offerings. With a mix of Vezina winners and young hotshot No. 1s, tough decisions are about to be made over the coming weeks.
We know one name for sure will be in Italy: Connor Hellebuyck. The Winnipeg Jets superstar continues to be one of the greatest goalies of his generation, following up a Hart and Vezina Trophy campaign with near-identical numbers to kick off 2025-26. He was excellent at the 4 Nations Face-off last year, and he’ll be just as important for the United States as they chase their first best-on-best Olympic gold.
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2026 Winter Olympic Roster Projections: Team Sweden
For the first time since 2014, NHL players are back and going for Winter Olympic gold, this time for the Milan-Cortina d’Ampezzo games in Italy. The 25 man official rosters are due on New Years Eve for the event that begins on February 11, 2026. In this edition of Olympic Roster Projections, we’ll be covering Team Sweden. The first six players have previously been revealed, for Sweden they include Rasmus Dahlin (D), Victor Hedman (D), Adrian Kempe (F), Gabriel Landeskog (F), William Nylander (F), and Lucas Raymond (F).
Starting in net, the Swede’s have a number of NHL players between the pipes. Each country is permitted to carry three goaltenders. The debate for Sweden’s netminders isn’t so much as who will be there, but who would start in a potential Gold Medal game. The three options that are almost a guarantee are Jacob Markstrom, Linus Ullmark, and Filip Gustavsson.
For more detailed information, explore updates concerning 2026 Olympic hockey.