More from this series:
- European teams 🇪🇺
- United States 🇺🇸
- Canada 🇨🇦
We're nearly six months away from the opening ceremonies of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Feb. 6. To celebrate, theScore's Kyle Cushman and Josh Wegman decided to project rosters for the men's hockey tournament, which will include NHLers for the first time since 2014.
We begin by projecting rosters for the top European countries: Czechia, Finland, Sweden, and Switzerland. While some of the other competing nations - Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, and Slovakia - boast some high-end talent, we omitted them from this exercise because their rosters will likely be mostly comprised of non-NHL players.
Unlike the 4 Nations Face-Off, which permitted teams to carry 20 skaters and dress 18, Olympic rosters are expanded - each team can take 22 skaters and dress 20. Bolded players were officially named to their respective rosters in June.
Czechia 🇨🇿
With legitimate firepower up front and a goalie with game-stealing ability in Dostal, Czechia could be a medal contender in Italy. Pastrnak, Zacha, Necas, and Hertl are a legitimate quartet of forwards that Czechia can build its lineup around. Don't sleep on Kulich, either, as he's coming off a strong rookie season.
Czechia's biggest weakness is the left side of the blue line, which we had to piece together with three non-NHLers in Krejcik, Hajek, and Kempny. That group needs to play greater than the sum of its parts. On the bright side, the majority of this group has experienced winning together, taking home gold at the 2024 World Championship. Camaraderie and chemistry can go a long way in a short tournament. - Wegman
Finland 🇫🇮
Finland is the defending gold medalist, having beaten Russia in the championship game at the 2022 Olympics. The Finns have a path to another medal with a core of elite two-way players who can make life difficult for the deeper teams in the tournament. The third line with Luostarinen and Lundell can be a difference-maker, just as we saw in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
But the team's biggest piece is Heiskanen. His presence completely overhauls the makeup of the group and puts the more defensive blue-liners into better-suited roles. Finland can also pull from European-based options, making World Championship captain Lehtonen a candidate for depth on the backend. The Finns won't be favored, but count them out at your own peril. - Cushman
Sweden 🇸🇪
If Sweden's going to win its first Olympic gold since 2006, it's going to be on the back of arguably the tournament's best blue line. Dahlin is a legitimate Norris Trophy contender. Veterans Hedman and Karlsson still have game left. Forsling and Brodin are among the league's best shutdown defenders, though there are questions about the latter, as he could miss the start of the 2025-26 season while recovering from offseason surgery.
While the forward corps may lack a true superstar, its depth can only be matched by Canada and the United States. There are question marks down the middle, though, with Pettersson coming off a down year and Zibanejad being relegated to the wing with the New York Rangers last season. Eriksson Ek, Karlsson, and Lindholm are all good two-way players, though. - Wegman
Switzerland 🇨🇭
Switzerland will again be an upset candidate at the Olympics with a quality offensive core and a legitimately good top four on the back end. Hischier, Meier, and Fiala give the Swiss the kind of firepower they've typically lacked at major tournaments, and don't overlook Suter and the 25 goals he potted with the Canucks last season.
Josi's health is the biggest factor. If he's on his game, his offensive creativity is a game-changer. Siegenthaler, Bichsel, and Moser are all strong defensive presences who can get the puck up to their talented forwards. The goaltending is weak, but 37-year-old Genoni just won MVP at the Worlds. If he has a little bit of magic left, the Swiss could be a dark-horse threat for a medal. - Cushman
