To round out our Winter Games preview, we'll take a look at the group with the most current Hurricanes, with three of the team's five representatives set to meet in Group C. The final group consists of the United States, Germany, Denmark, and Latvia, giving us, on paper, what feels like the weakest of the three groups.
For my money, the United States is the class of the group. Of the hockey powerhouses in Italy this winter, the Americans' path to first in the group seems a little easier than Canada in Group A, or the Swedes and the Finns, who'll have to clash in Group B. With this comes an immense amount of pressure for the United States, which will look to avenge its 4 Nations loss.
The U.S. is well represented, while the Danes will lean on a pair of Canes
Behind Team Finland, which has five current or former Hurricanes on its roster, the United States has the second-most with four. At the heart of it is the only active member, Jaccob Slavin. Following an impressive performance last February at the 4 Nations tournament, Slavin's spot on the roster felt like a lock, even during a season in which he hasn't been very healthy.
He'll have three former Canes teammates joining him, who also played with him in Montreal and Boston. Noah Hanifin was drafted by the Canes in 2015, playing three seasons before being traded to Calgary in 2018. Vincent Trocheck was in Raleigh for parts of three seasons, and he could be coming back soon. Lastly, there is Jake Guentzel, who was dynamite during his short stint.
The Hurricanes also corner the NHL's market on Danish players. Denmark has four NHL players on its roster, the third fewest at the Olympics, and two of them play in Raleigh. First-year Cane Nikolaj Ehlers is expected to be a big part of Denmark's firepower offensively, while Frederik Andersen will need to be a beast in the net against a pair of high-powered teams in the group.
Bland Prediction: Denmark avoids the bottom of the group
This is the second time in Denmark's history that it has participated in the Winter Olympics, having done so for the first time four years ago in Beijing. In 2022, the Danes finished second in their group and made it to the quarterfinals before losing to Russia. Who was the team they beat to advance to the quarterfinals, you might be asking? Latvia, so I think you see where I'm going with this.
Ehlers, Andersen, and Denmark are going to face tough contests against Germany and the United States to open the group stage. While all 12 countries will advance to the playoff format, their seeding likely comes down to whether they beat Latvia in their group finale. Like Denmark, Latvia is limited in NHL experience. It should be an even fight to stay out of Group C's cellar.
Bold Prediction: The Americans bring home the gold
Is it that bold to predict that one of the gold-medal favorites is going to win the gold medal? Actually, it's bolder than you might think. Not only has the United States failed to stand atop the podium since 1980, but it hasn't even medaled since the heartbreaking loss to Canada in Vancouver in 2010. They lost for the bronze in 2014, and they haven't made it to the medal round since.
Deploying a near identical roster from the 4 Nations tournament, the greatest concern I have is whether they'll regret leaving some incredible scorers at home for the sake of filling roles, especially in the Bottom 6. The Americans will also need a better version of Connor Hellebuyck than we've seen this season in Winnipeg.
There is no reason for the United States not to medal at the Olympics this year, though the gold medal is obviously the goal. Winning the group should get them a bye into the quarterfinals, where they'll need just one win to reach the medal rounds. However, there's only room for one team at the top of the podium. The Americans have the roster to do it, and I think they'll finally get it done.