The 2026 Winter Olympics are here, and after 12 long years of waiting, NHL players are in attendance. The preliminary round has come and gone, setting the stage for four elimination games on Tuesday and another four on Wednesday.
There are eight players from the Vegas Golden Knights organization— and also head coach Bruce Cassidy— representing their countries in Milan. Jonas Røndbjerg was also supposed to represent Denmark, and was one of the first six players named to the roster. Unfortunately, he sustained an injury two games before the Olympic break and is on IR.
Because of the aggressive 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’ll confess, I skipped every single one of the 3:10 a.m. games. But because we live in a beautiful new age of technology, I was able to go back and watch the replays on Peacock. Thank you, Peacock!
So, if you haven’t had the chance to watch the nine Golden Knights don their nations’ colors and take 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 been one of the best forwards for Team USA. For a two-way center like Eichel, offensive stats don’t tell the whole story— but his are impressive. He has a goal and three assists and has recorded 12 shots on net.
Team USA might have the best— or at least the deepest— defensive corps in the tournament. Hence, Noah Hanifin isn’t asked to do ‘too much.’ He’s averaging just 11:09 TOI, but he’s been excellent in his limited role. Hanifin has a goal and two points in three games and has been very physical.
Despite a few shaky performances, Team USA exits the preliminary round with nine points and a perfect 3-0-0-0 record. Thus, they earned a bye to the quarterfinals and will face either Sweden or Latvia at 12:10 p.m. PST on Wednesday.
Team Sweden
One Swedish player hails from the Golden Knights, and it’s their newest addition, Rasmus Andersson.
With all the talented offensive defensemen on Team Sweden— Erik Karlsson, Rasmus Dahlin, and Victor Hedman— Andersson isn’t very high on the pecking order. That’s resulted in a less-than-ideal showing on the global stage.
In two games where he averaged 16:03 TOI, Andersson failed to record a point and was a -2. This resulted in a healthy scratch on Saturday against Slovakia.
Despite their six points and 2-0-1-0 record, Sweden hasn’t played up to expectations yet. There’s still time to rally and make a push for a medal, but they’ll have to do it the hard way.
Sweden will play Latvia in an elimination game on Tuesday at 12:10 p.m. PST. The winner will advance to face Team USA in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Team Czechia
Because they’re in a strong group, Czechia would have had to hit the ground running during the preliminary round to earn a bye into the quarterfinals. Unfortunately for Czechia, that hasn’t exactly happened.
Despite playing on the top line with David Pastrňák, Hertl hasn’t found his stride. He has yet to record a point in the tournament. However, it’s not for lack of trying— he’s recorded nine shots on goal. In all fairness, he’s averaging 19:29 TOI, which is over two minutes more than he plays with the Golden Knights.
It’s not just Hertl who’s struggling. Despite having a talented roster, Czechia just hasn’t found its footing. After the preliminary round, they have four points and a 1-0-1-1 record.
Team Czechia will face off against Denmark at 7:40 a.m. PST on Tuesday; the winner will advance to the quarterfinals to play Team USA on Wednesday.
Team Switzerland
The Olympics are all about unexpected success stories; this year, that honor goes to Switzerland.
Schmid started just one game for Switzerland; unfortunately, it was against the biggest powerhouse: 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 didn’t let its loss to Canada derail its tournament. With five points and a 1-1-1-0 record, they’ve been a dark-horse Olympic success story.
They’ll play Italy on Tuesday at 3:10 a.m. PST; the winner will advance to face Finland in the quarterfinals on Wednesday.
Team Canada
O, Canada; our home and native land. It’s far too early to say they’re guaranteed to win gold, but it will take one helluva performance to knock them off. They’re firing on all cylinders, and all three Golden Knights are chipping in.
Mark Stone, Mitch Marner, and Sidney Crosby joined forces to form the most formidable third line in the tournament. All three players have at least four points, and it’s in no way a case of Crosby dragging an inferior line into the fight.
In three games, Stone recorded two tallies— one, a shorthanded strike, stood as the game-winning goal— and four points. He was a +4, played on both special teams units, and averaged 15:36 TOI.
Marner, Stone’s familiar linemate, has been equally impressive. After three games, he has yet to score a goal, but boasts two assists and is a +5. Marner, too, played on both special teams units and averaged 15:46 TOI.
Finally, there’s Shea Theodore. With such a star-studded team, Canada hasn’t asked Theodore for any heroics. He averages just 15:46 TOI through three games, which is a far cry from his 23:42 this season in Vegas. However, he’s been both effective and impressive. Theodore recorded one assist and is a +2. He also quarterbacks the second power play unit.
With nine points and a perfect 3-0-0-0 record, Canada gets a bye into the quarterfinals. They’ll face either Czechia or Denmark on Wednesday at 7:40 a.m. PST.
