NHL players are officially back at the Olympics for the first time since the 2014 Sochi Olympic Winter games, and more than 150 of the league's best players will be suiting up for their respective countries. And while there's been no shortage of controversial snubs or last minute injuries, there's no doubt the NHL's inclusion impacts the countries best positioned to win gold. We're ranking all 12 nations by just happy to be here to gold medal or bust.
We're just happy to be here
These four teams would absolutely love the chance to advance to the knockout stage of the Olympics. Doing so would take a miracle that rivals the one Team USA pulled off during the 1980 Lake Placid games.
Italy
Italy is the host nation, and rather than using heritage connections to get some NHL talent to participate, they crafted a roster entirely of players who are based in Europe. The main attraction of this group is 21-year-old goaltender Damian Clara, who was selected by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round of the 2023 draft. At 6'6" and 214 pounds, you can't miss him, and this young goalie will try to do the improbable and steal a game on home soil.
France
This team has some NHL-adjacent talent in the form of Alexandre Texier and Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, but they're sort of just looking to make some noise and not get absolutely embarrassed. France has one of the weaker rosters and should just be happy to be here.
Latvia
This is where things get a bit more interesting, as Latvia has reveled in playing the role of spoiler. They have made three trips to the quarterfinals of the IIHF World Junior Championship and also took home a bronze medal at the 2023 IIHF World Championship. Elvis Merzlikins is a goaltender who has had his moments in the NHL, and is more than capable of stealing a game. Look out for NHL-caliber players in Zemgus Girgensons, Rodrigo Abols and Sandis Vilmanis, among others.
Denmark
The last team in this group is Denmark, and they boast solid talent, including Nikolaj Ehlers, Frederik Andersen, Oliver Bjorkstand and Lars Ehlers. It's a squad that isn't really built to win, but Andersen is the best goalie in this group, and sometimes a hot goalie is all you need to go on a small run.
Long shots who can play spoiler
Slovakia
Slovakia has lost some star power over the past decade or so, but as their young talent develops over the next few years, they'll look to get better. Juraj Slafkovsky is their most notable forward, and the defense features familiar names, including Erik Cernak, Martin Fehervary and Simon Nemec. Goaltending is an area where they could stand to get better, but overall, they are much better than the teams in the previous group.
Germany
This is a very top-heavy team with notable names, such as Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stützle, Mortiz Seider, JJ Peterk and Phillip Grubauer. While they're players who can make an impact for their team in the initial group stage, they just lack the depth to make a serious run. Draisaitl and Stützle will be fun to watch up front, but at most, they'll be on the ice for one third of the game.
Switzerland
Switzerland is an interesting group, and they have a nice blend of players who are giving them a real chance playing spoiler. Kevin Fiala, Nico Hischier, Timo Meier and Nino Niederreiter are four quality forwards who can generate offense and score, and that's something that can't be said for some of the teams previously mentioned. The defense will be lead by Roman Josi, J.J. Moser and Jonas Siegenthaler and Akira Schmid is the lone NHL goalie on the roster.
Real contenders to medal
Czechia
I thought about having Czechia in the previous group, but I think they could be the biggest surprise at the Olympics. David Pastrnak is a player I don't think gets the credit he deserves as an offensive threat. Martin Necas is having an incredible season with the Colorado Avalanche. And Tomas Hertl is someone who flies under the radar for the Vegas Golden Knights. Czechia also has complementary players like Radek Faksa, Pavel Zacha and Ondrej Palat, among others upfront. The blue line leaves a little to be desired beyond Radko Gudas and Filip Hronek, but they make up for that in net with Lukas Dostal. Dostal could be a big difference maker, and he's shown that he can have stretches where he's one of the best goalies in the world.
Finland
I think Finland has a good shot of winning a medal at these games, and it wouldn't surprise me if they stole a spot from the United States if they were to falter. Finland doesn't get enough credit, and they've put together an impressive roster that has elite talent at forward, defense and goaltending.
- Mikael Granlund, Roope Hintz, Mikko Rantanen
- Artturi Lehkonen, Sebastian Aho, Oliver Kapanen
- Eetu Luostarinen, Anton Lundell, Teuvo Teravainen
- Joel Kiviranta, Erik Haula, Eeli Tolvanen
- Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell
- Niko Mikkola, Rasmus Ristolainen
- Mikko Lehtonen,Nikolas Matinpalo
- Juuse Saros
They would be in a much better position to win if Aleksander Barkov weren't injured, but they still have Mikko Rantanen, Sebastian Aho, Anton Lundell and Roope Hintz as accomplished two-way players who can drive offense, and they have a nice supporting cast with players like Mikael Granlund, Artturi Lehkonen, Eeli Tolvanen and Kaapo Kakko among others.
The defense is pretty good with Miro Heiskanen, Niko Mikkola, Esa Lindell, Olli Maatta and Rasmus Ristolainen are five quality NHL defenders, and Juuse Saros will be the main man between the pipes. He's another goalie who has the ability to get hot and give a team elite results, and they have a pretty easy path in Group B with Sweden as their only major competition.
Sweden
I really like the balance of roster that Sweden put together, and they have a roster that is made up completely of NHL players. It's built in such a way that they will have really good talent playing lower down the lineup, and that depth is going to allow them to find success early on in the tournament. Here's a look at their projected lines.
- Jesper Bratt, Mika Zibanejad, William Nylander
- Filip Forsberg, Elias Pettersson, Lucas Raymond
- Adrian Kempe, Joel Eriksson Ek, Rickard Rakell
- Gabriel Landeskog, Elias Lindholm, Alexander Wennberg
- Victor Hedman, Rasmus Dahlin
- Gustav Forsling, Erik Karlsson
- Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Rasmus Andersson
- Filip Gustavsson
This roster would have been a little deeper if not for injuries to Leo Carlsson and Jonas Brodin, and it's a group that I think has a good chance of upsetting a team like the United States, which left some very good players at home. Zibanejad, Nylander and Raymond are having really good seasons, and you have some talented players like Kempe, Eriksson Ek and Landeskog in the bottom six. If Elias Petterson plays up to his true potential that could give Sweden an extra boost up front.
Defensively, Sweden is very talented with skilled puck movers who can generate offense, and there's every reason to believe Saros can backstop them to a medal.
Gold Medal or Bust
United States
The United States is trying to win a gold medal in men's hockey for the first time since 1980, and it would be easy to feel better about their chances had they not made the controversial decision to leave home some offensive talents like Jason Robertson, Cole Caufield, Alex DeBrincat and Adam Fox. The group that is heading to Milan features a balance of offense, two-way play and some grit, and from a depth perspective, it is a roster that should be good enough to win a medal. Key word here is should, as it's most of the roster that finished second in the 4 Nations tournament last year.
- Brady Tkachuk, Jack Eichel, Matthew Tkachuk
- Clayton Keller, Auston Matthews, Jake Guentzel
- Matt Boldy, Tage Thompson, Kyle Connor
- Dylan Larkin, Brock Nelson, J.T. Miller
- Quinn Hughes, Brock Faber
- Zach Werenski, Charlie McAvoy
- Jaccob Slavin, Jake Sanderson
- Connor Hellebuyck
It remains to be seen where Jack Hughes could fit in, and looking at this roster, you can't help but think: What if Robertson were here over Miller? On paper, they have the players to get the job done, but it will require some players who haven't looked themselves for most of the year to step up. Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk are amazing when they're on, but will they be able to give their best? It's good to see that Tage Thompson is part of the squad, and he's someone who could have come in handy at 4 Nations.
There's a lot to like about the defense here, but they'd be in better shape if Fox were part of the mix. He's an elite thinker who has a Norris Trophy, and he'd add another element to this group.
Hellebuyck was the league MVP last year, but he's looked pretty shaky since returning from a lengthy absence. In a short tournament like this, all it takes is for a few players to get hot. The United States is coming out of Group C, which includes Germany, Latvia and Denmark, and that will give them a good opportunity to get warmed up before the games truly matter. It really is gold medal or bust, and if they come up short here, you can imagine the way they build the roster will change for the 2030 Olympics.
Canada
If Canada doesn't win gold, something catastrophic happened. The roster they put together should be able to score enough goals to make up for their lackluster goaltending, and there will be no excuse if they don't dominate the tournament. This is their projected lineup, and to think three of the top scorers in the league are in the top six is absolutely nuts.
- Macklin Celebrini, Connor McDavid, Mitch Marner
- Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Sam Reinhart
- Brad Marchand, Nick Suzuki, Tom Wilson
- Brandon Hagel, Bo Horvat, Mark Stone
- Devon Toews, Cale Makar
- Josh Morrissey, Shea Theodore
- Travis Sanheim, Drew Doughty
- Jordan Binnington
Personally, I think Connor Bedard would have been a worthy addition to this roster, but even with that said, you have established playoff performers like Seth Jarvis and Sam Bennett, who are on the outside looking in. Heck, this team is so stacked that Mark Stone and Brandon Hagel are going to be centered by Horvat on the fourth line! That's absurd to think about.