The 2026 Winter Olympics are here, and after a 12-long wait, NHL players are in attendance. The preliminary round came and went, setting the stage for four more elimination games on Tuesday and four more on Wednesday.
Eight players from the Vegas Golden Knights organization and head coach Bruce Cassidy are also representing their countries in Milan. Jonas Rondbjerg was also scheduled to represent Denmark, and was one of the first six players named to the roster. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury two games before the Olympic break and is on IR.
Due to the infuriating time zone difference – Milan is nine hours ahead of Vegas – there’s a good chance you missed some (or all) of the preliminary round.
I confess, I left every game at 3:10am. But because we live in a beautiful new age of technology, I was able to go back and watch replays on Peacock. Thanks, peacock!
So, if you haven’t had a chance to see the nine Golden Knights don their nations’ colors and take to the ice in Milan, don’t fret. I’ve got you covered.
team usa
Let’s start with the home team, shall we? The Golden Knights have two representatives playing for Team USA, and both are important in their own right.
Through three games of group play, Jack Eichel has easily become one of the best forwards for Team USA. For a two-way center like Eichel, offensive stats don’t tell the whole story — but they’re impressive. He has one goal and three assists and has registered 12 shots on net.
Team USA may have the best or at least the deepest defensive squad in the tournament. So, Noah Hanifin hasn’t been asked to do ‘too much’. He averages only 11:09 TOI, but has been excellent in his limited role. Hanifin has a goal and two points in three games and has been very physical.
Despite some weak performances, Team USA advanced out of the preliminary round with nine points and a perfect record of 3–0–0–0. Thus, they received a bye into the quarterfinals and will face either Sweden or Latvia on Wednesday at 12:10 pm PST.
team sweden
One Swedish player comes from the Golden Knights, and it is their newest player, Rasmus Andersson.
With all the talented offensive defensemen on Team Sweden – Erik Karlsson, Rasmus Dahlin and Victor Hedman – Andersson isn’t very high in the pecking order. This resulted in a less than ideal performance on the global stage.
In two games where he averaged 16:03 TOI, Anderson failed to register a point and was -2. This resulted in a good defeat against Slovakia on Saturday.
Despite their six points and 2-0-1-0 record, Sweden has yet to play up to expectations. There is still time to rally and try for a medal, but they will have to do it the hard way.
Sweden will play Latvia in an elimination game on Tuesday at 12:10 pm PST. The winner will face Team USA in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
team czechia
Because they are in a strong group, Czechia will have to work hard during the preliminary round to earn a bye into the quarterfinals. Unfortunately for Czechia this has not really happened.
Despite playing on the top line alongside David Pastrnak, Hertl has not been able to find his stride. He is yet to register a point in the tournament. However, this has not been for lack of effort – he has registered nine shots on goal. In all fairness, he is averaging 19:29 TOI, which is two minutes more than he played with the Golden Knights.
It’s not just Hertl who is struggling. Despite having a talented roster, Czechia has yet to find its place. After the preliminary round, they have four points and a record of 1-0-1-1.
Team Czechia will take on Denmark on Tuesday at 7:40 am PST; The winner will advance to the quarterfinals to play Team USA on Wednesday.
team switzerland
The Olympics are about unexpected success stories; This year this honor goes to Switzerland.
Schmid started only one game for Switzerland; Unfortunately, it was against the biggest power: Canada. He made 34 saves – including a real beauty against Sidney Crosby on a breakaway – but allowed five goals and finished with a .872 save percentage.
However, Switzerland did not let their loss to Canada affect their tournament. With five points and a record of 1-1-1-0, they have been the Olympics’ success story.
They play Italy on Tuesday at 3:10am PST; The winner will face Finland in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.
team canada
Hey, Canada; Our home and native land. It is too early to say whether they are certain to win the gold medal, but it will take a spectacular performance to defeat them. They’re firing on all cylinders, and all three Golden Knights are attacking.
Mark Stone, Mitch Marner and Sidney Crosby joined forces to form the strongest third line in the tournament. All three players have at least four points, and this is by no means a case of Crosby drawing a low line in the battle.
In three games, Stone recorded two tallies—one, a shorthanded strike, standing as the game-winning goal—and four points. He was +4, played on both special teams units and averaged 15:36 TOI.
Stone’s familiar classmate Marner has been equally influential. After three games, he has yet to score a goal, but has claimed two assists and is +5. Marner also played on both special teams units and averaged 15:46 TOI.
Finally, there’s Shia Theodore. With such a star-studded team, Canada didn’t ask for any heroics from Theodore. He’s averaging just 15:46 TOI through three games, much less than his 23:42 in Vegas this season. However, he has been both effective and influential. Theodore recorded one assist and is +2. He also quarterbacks the second power play unit.
With nine points and a perfect 3-0-0-0 record, Canada receives a bye into the quarter-finals. They will face either Czechia or Denmark on Wednesday at 7:40 am PST.
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