1 observation about each of the Hurricanes' Olympians as the tournament concludes

For the second time since the turn of the century, a member of the Carolina Hurricanes earned a spot on each level of the podium. Sebastian Aho helped guide Finland to a bronze medal by beating Slovakia on Saturday before Jaccob Slavin and the Americans beat Seth Jarvis and the Canadians to claim the gold medal for the first time in 46 years on Sunday.

While three of the Canes' five Olympians returned home with some hardware, it was a strong tournament all-around for everyone involved. Nikolaj Ehlers' and Frederik Andersen's contributions to Team Denmark can't be overlooked. With the Winter Olympics in the rear-view mirror and big hockey left to be played this season, let's wrap things up with a final thought on each of our Olympians.

When he needed to drive the offense, Ehlers was there for his group

Before the tournament, we knew that Denmark was fighting an uphill battle. They had to contend with the United States and Germany in their group. Without many NHLers on the roster, Nikolaj Ehlers needed to be one of Denmark's most noticeable forwards. I'd say that mission was accomplished. His numbers won't leap off the page, but he was right in the thick of it.

Ehlers finished tied for second on the team with three points in four games, finding the scoresheet in all but their qualification loss to Czechia. This included an assist against the United States and his first-ever Olympic goal against Latvia. Ehlers' time with the Canes began very slowly, but he has fit like a glove over time. For his overmatched squad, Ehlers had a good stint in Italy.

Andersen carried his strong pre-break play into Milan for Denmark

I was less concerned about Ehlers at the Olympics than I was about Frederik Andersen. His struggles this season follow him everywhere he goes, so it wasn't completely unfounded to think that Denmark might be in massive trouble. Fortunately, that never came to pass, and Andersen performed well during his three starts in Milan.

Andersen didn't get a ton of help in his Olympic debut, losing 3-1 despite 23 stops. He proved his team's decision to bench him against the Americans worthwhile, saving 33 shots in his group-closing win over Latvia. Andersen did everything in his power to beat Czechia, but it wasn't enough. Hopefully, he can use this experience to turn his season around for good and find wins more consistently.

The brighter the moment, the bigger Aho seemed to play

The first Hurricane to earn his medal in Milan was Sebastian Aho, playing well down the stretch for Finland after a very slow start. While he didn't score in the team's first two games, Aho scored four goals and six points over the next four games, leading the team and finishing tied for second on the team in goals and points, respectively.

As he has done time and time again with the Hurricanes, Aho played his best when the lights seemed to be the brightest. They were already going to outclass Italy to close the group, but he scored twice and added an assist to ensure his team would get a bye. Then, Aho scored a point in each of the team's playoff games, including the opener in the Bronze Medal Game. I'd like to see that continue.

Jarvis proved he was worthy of representing his country in limited time

Throughout the tournament, you couldn't see a post online about Team Canada's roster without seeing a comment discussing the players who should've been there, namely Connor Bedard. Inadvertently, it seemed to come at the expense of Seth Jarvis, among others. Jarvis was not very utilized by the Canadians, but I felt he was more than deserving of his spot, and he showed that.

Jarvis only played a little over 48 minutes across his five outings, averaging just 9:36, which was the second-lowest average on the team, behind only Brad Marchand. Still, he made the most of his moments, recording his only point of the tournament on the game-tying goal in the quarterfinals against Czechia. He played well when he needed to, and he earned the silver in return.

Battling injuries, Slavin showed that he'll always go all-out for his team

There is no question that having Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy available to play made this defensive group so much better. Jaccob Slavin didn't need to play like Superman, as he did during the 4 Nations tournament. In fact, he wasn't deployed that way, playing just over 16 minutes per game, which ranked fifth among the team's defensemen.

However, when his country needed him the most, Slavin was incredible against the Canadians in the Gold Medal Game. He played 18:33, blocked a ton of shots, and was outstanding on the penalty kill. This was easily his best performance of the tournament, and it highlighted why we in these parts believe he's the best defensive defenseman in the NHL. Slavin earned his gold medal.