In case you have been living under a rock these past two weeks, the 2026 Winter Olympics are taking place in Milan, Italy. Both hockey tournaments have been lighting up the internet with undeniable action, intrigue, and drama as only the sport can deliver. The U.S. women have already clinched their spot in the Gold Medal Game, with the men hoping to follow closely behind as the quarterfinals begin.
Many NHL stars are representing their home countries, making this year’s Olympics an All-Star treat for any NHL fan. We’ve kept our eye on five players in particular for this year’s event, each representing their home countries in what has turned out to be a far superior international event than what the 4 Nations Face-Off hoped it would be during the 2025 NHL Season.
Three of the five Hurricanes in Milan have secured a bye through Tuesday's action, with Sebastian Aho (2G), Jaccob Slavin (1A), and Seth Jarvis awaiting their next opponents. Meanwhile, Nikolaj Ehlers (1G, 2A), Frederik Andersen, and their Danish squad must contend with Czechia on Tuesday to join their teammates in action on Wednesday.
Speaking of the 4 Nations Tournament, everyone anxiously awaits what the American Squad has deemed “payback” for their overtime loss to Canada at the 4 Nations tournament last February. Should that be the case, we could once again see Hurricane vs. Hurricane with Jarvis and Slavin going head-to-head.
The pieces for this epic showdown are already in motion
Being the only team with current Canes in action on Tuesday, a win for Denmark over Czechia could pit Ehlers and Andersen against Jarvis and Canada on Wednesday. If it comes down to this, Canada would be the heavy favorite to move on, but if Andersen is as solid as he was in his win over Latvia, they could have a chance to move on, providing an earth-shattering upset in the process.
The U.S. has to look forward to either Sweden or Latvia. Both are solid teams. However, the US squad is currently undefeated, and that kind of momentum is hard to ignore. With Jaccob Slavin contributing to the defense, whichever team the Americans face in the quarterfinals will have a hard time against them.
Sweden's steady play could neutralize Team USA's momentum. Boasting NHL names like Detroit's Lucas Raymond, Los Angeles' Adrian Kempe, and Minnesota's Marcus Johansson, the Swedes could be the first team to really challenge the United States before a showdown with Canada, shifting the odds in Team Canada's favor for a win in that round.
2022 Bronze medalists Slovakia must contend with either Germany or France in the quarterfinals. Even though they lost 5-3 to Sweden in a tiebreaker game, their goal differential in the tournament earned them a bye. Led by Montreal's Juraj Slafkovsky and St. Louis' Dalibor Dvorsky, they have the potential to be the underdogs in this competition.
Finland, the reigning gold medalists, will meet the victor of Switzerland and host Italy. The likeliest outcome would see Aho and the Finns battling a division foe in Nico Hischier and a former teammate in Nino Niederreiter. Assuming nothing outlandish happens over the next two days, Finland is destined to meet either Canada or the United States in the semifinals.
With elimination rounds beginning, the anticipation is high for all the teams in the quarterfinal round. The remaining teams are all worthy of medal contention, and with the way the brackets have lined up, we could be in for a surprise. I suppose we all have to just tune in and watch.