Men's Hockey 2026 Milan Winter Olympics Power Ranking: Every Team from Worst to First

February 9, 2026

Andy's NHL power rankings for the Men's Hockey teams in the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics. His top Men's Hockey teams for the 2026 Winter Olympics include Canada, United States of America, Finland, more

After not appearing in the Winter Olympics since 2014, the National Hockey League will finally send its players for a "best-on-best" tournament in the 2026 Milan Olympics.

With NHL players returning to the Olympics after over a decade, it's time to power rank the 12 participating teams and determine which has the best chance of taking home the gold.

Which nations are the early favorites for the gold? Let's dive in!

No. 12 - Italy

Group B

The host nation will hold our bottom spot on the rankings. The Italians will enter this competition without any current NHL players and will have a tall task awaiting them, facing the best players on the planet.

Their top goaltender, Damian Clara, has some experience in North America, as he was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the second round of the 2023 NHL Draft. He spent a brief stint with their AHL affiliate, the San Diego Gulls, during the 2024-25 season and posted a 3.15 GAA and a .898 SV% over two games.

He has since moved to the SHL, where he has spent the entire 2025 season.

On offense, much of their production should come from Dustin Gazley. The 37-year-old spent a prominent part of his career with the Hershey Bears from 2012 to 2017. In 2014, he tallied a career-best 38 points over 72 games. Recently, he has moved to the ICEHL. He is nearly a point-per-game player this season with HC Bolzano, scoring 35 points over 41 contests.

No. 11 - France

Group A

The French have one current NHL player and one former NHL player. Alexandre Texier of the Montreal Canadiens will hope to generate much of the offense and will likely see top minutes in each contest. This season, Texier has found the back of the net seven times and added 11 helpers across 38 games (shared between the Blues and Canadiens).

Ça c'est notre olympien 🇫🇷

That's our French Olympian, Alexandre Texier#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Xd34GIlbSx

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 8, 2026

Longtime NHL viewers may also recognize Pierre-Édouard Bellemare. While he has taken the final stages of his career to HC Ajoie in Switzerland, Bellemare was a reliable bottom-six player throughout his time in the NHL. From 2017 through 2023, Bellemare would tally 16.2 points per season and score at least nine goals in three straight seasons from 2019 through 2021.

In the net, the French will likely turn to Washington Capitals prospect Antoine Keller. Keller joined the Capitals in the seventh round of the 2023 NHL Draft and currently plays for HC Ajoie with Bellemare. Through 10 outings in the Swiss league this season, Keller has held a .895% SV%.

No. 10 - Denmark

Group C

Unlike our bottom two nations, Denmark (and the teams above) has several NHL players on its roster and could make it difficult for those top teams in the group stage. Headlining this group is forward Nikolaj Ehlers of the Carolina Hurricanes.

Ehlers has looked quite comfortable in his debut season in Carolina, scoring 14 goals and adding 29 helpers over his first 53 contests in the East. However, he does enter the break in a bit of a scoring drought, scoring no goals (and adding only three helpers) over his last nine contests.

Alongside Ehlers are Tampa Bay forward Oliver Bjorkstrand, Ottawa Senators center Lars Eller, and two AHL forwards, Jonas Røndbjerg and Oscar Fisker Mølgaard. Eller is likely penciled in as the team's No. 1 center and will likely lead the forward group in ice time.

In net, Denmark will turn to veteran Frederik Andersen of the Hurricanes. While Andersen has had a down season in net, posting a 3.26 GAA with a .871% SV%, he brings much-needed experience to help Denmark carry some sleeper appeal in the tournament.

No. 9 - Latvia

Group C

Latvia's forward group is not overly impressive, but they could steal a few games thanks to their talent in the back of their net. Arturs Silovs of the Pittsburgh Penguins will share the net with Columbus's Elvis Merzļikins. However, given Silovs' impressive start to the season, he appears poised to be the team's 1A in net.

Silovs has shone in his first full NHL role, posting a 2.93 GAA and a .894 SV%. Since January 1, the 24-year-old has posted a strong 5-2-2 record with a 2.42 GAA and enters the tournament on a bit of a hot streak.

Arturs Silovs stretches across for the acrobatic save! 👏 pic.twitter.com/3VcZYFoitz

— NHL (@NHL) February 3, 2026

Their skaters are headlined by depth forward Zemgus Girgensons, who has scored seven goals through 48 games with the Lightning this season. Additionally, he is joined by Florida winger Sandis Vilmanis and several AHL forwards, Eduards Tralmaks (Detroit system) and Dans Ločmelis (Boston system).

On defense, Panthers defender Uvis Balinskis will log top minutes on the blue line.

No. 8 - Slovakia

Group B

Slovakia is a top-heavy team led by Montreal's budding superstar, Juraj Slafkovský. The reigning first overall pick from the 2022 NHL Draft has logged at least 50 points in 2023 (at age 19) and 2024 (age 20) and is on pace to smash those two totals in his third "full-time" NHL campaign.

Through 57 games this season, Slafkovský has found the back of the net 21 times (already a career high) and tacked on 24 helpers. 

While their other young forward does not have the same hype and prospect pedigree Slafkovský did, he is an emerging talent on a rebuilding Blues squad. Dalibor Dvorský has found the back of the net nine times through 47 games this season while tacking on six helpers. Over his last 11 games, he has scored three of these goals and is carrying some momentum into the international break.

Joining the forward group is ex-NHLer Tomáš Tatar, who has moved to the Swiss league to spend his final years in the professionals.

On the blue line, Slovakia has several NHL-caliber defensemen, including Martin Fehérváry, Šimon Nemec, and two-time Stanley Cup Champion Erik Černák. Černák is a physical defenseman who has logged at least 99 blocks in each of his last three seasons, while Nemec will likely take a power-play role, given he enters this break with eight goals and 12 helpers in 43 contests.

They are not as strong in net as they will lean on Minnesota Wild prospect Samuel Hlavaj, who has spent most of the 2025 season in the AHL. Through 18 games, he has had a modest 5-9-5 record with a 3.33 GAA.

No. 7 - Switzerland

Group A

Switzerland has several NHL players throughout its lineup, pushing them just below the top half. Their blue line is headlined by Roman Josi of the Nashville Predators. The 35-year-old enters the international break on an offensive surge, tallying 21 points over his last 13 contests. Joining him is New Jersey Devils defender Jonas Siegenthaler and Tampa Bay's J.J. Moser.

On offense, Timo Meier and Nico Hischier will join their NHL teammate Seigenthaler. Hischier will take on a massive role serving as the team's No. 1 center. 

Akira Schmid will take No. 1 goaltending duties. With the Golden Knights, Schmid holds a modest .895% SV% with a low 0.6 Goals Saved Above Expected (per MoneyPuck.com) and is a bit of a weakness for Switzerland.

No. 6 - Germany

Group C

Germany is the favorite to emerge as the No. 2 team in Group C thanks to the superstar Leon Draisaitl. Draisaitl is one of the top players on the planet and can single-handedly carry this German offense to the second round.

Impossible angle?

Nah, Leon Draisaitl's got it. 👌 pic.twitter.com/WkWJzET7aU

— Sports on Prime Canada (@SportsOnPrimeCA) February 5, 2026

However, the Edmonton superstar is not alone on offense as he will be joined by young Ottawa forward Tim Stützle. Stützle has scored 28 goals this season with 33 helpers across 57 games. He and Draisaitl form an elite one-two punch on the top forward line. In addition to JJ Peterka and Lukas Reichel on the offense, they also have one of the top defenders in the NHL, Moritz Seider of the Detroit Red Wings.

Seider has emerged as a serious candidate for the Norris Trophy and will be the backbone of this club. He has logged an eye-catching 130 blocked shots with 38 total points and will play a lead role on the blue line when Germany faces the top teams in the tournament.

In the net, the Germans will turn to Seattle's Philipp Grubauer. Following a slow start, Grubauer has been among the NHL's top netminders since mid-December, carrying a 2.17 GAA, .928 SV%, and a 7-3-2 record over 12 contests. Germany enters the tournament as a top sleeper pick.

No. 5 - Czech Republic

Group A

Sitting just below our "tier-1" clubs is the Czech Republic. While the Germans have a formidable one-two punch on offense, the Czech Republic has a similar squad with even more depth.

Headlining this squad is Boston superstar David Pastrňák. Pastrňák has put himself into the MVP conversation, lifting the Bruins into the postseason picture. The 29-year-old has totaled 71 points over just 52 contests. Alongside Pastrňák will be Colorado star winger Martin Nečas (62 points) and Vegas center Tomáš Hertl (49 points).

On the blue line, they'll have a physical force, Radko Gudas, who will form a solid pairing with two-way defender Filip Hronek, who has dished 27 helpers across 57 contests with the Canucks. Additionally, former NHL players Jan Rutta and Michal Kempný round out the blue line.

However, their strength may be in net, as they have three capable goaltenders who can hold the crease and provide them the ability to ride the hot hand in the tournament. Karel Vejmelka of the Mammoth will likely get the starting nod, but Lukáš Dostál and Dan Vladař provide them several capable options during the tournament.

No. 4 - Finland

Group B

Leading off the top tier is Finland. Finland has a deep forward core, highlighted by Carolina center Sebastian Aho and Dallas winger Mikko Rantanen. Aho boasts a stellar 64% Corsi% and will likely be tasked with logging heavy minutes on the top forward line.

Rantanen has tallied 15 points over his last 15 games, but has only scored five goals during this stretch. Finland will need him to find his scoring touch to compete with the top-3 clubs.

On defense, Rantanen's NHL teammate, Miro Heiskanen, will serve as the top blue-liner. This season, the 26-year-old has logged just under 26 minutes of ice time per game and has tallied 46 points over 55 games. Slotting alongside Heiskanen will be another Dallas Star, Esa Lindell, who brings some physicality (129 blocked shots) and Niko Mikkola of the Panthers, among others.

While Juuse Saros would typically be viewed as one of the top netminders in the tournament, he has struggled to find much consistency this season, which keeps Finland at the bottom of this tier. He enters the break with a modest .892% SV%. Per MoneyPuck.com, he has generated a rough -13,0 Goals Saved Above Expected.

No. 3 - Sweden

Group B

Sitting just above Finland is team Sweden, who will be their primary competition in Group B. Sweden has seven high-end scorers on its offense, highlighted by Toronto's William Nylander. Additionally, Rickard Rakell, Elias Pettersson, Jesper Bratt, Adrian Kempe, Lucas Raymond, and the red-hot Mika Zibanejad will likely occupy the top-6.

A round of applause for this clapper from Mika Zibanejad 👏 pic.twitter.com/9ypLQo61d6

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) January 30, 2026

Team Sweden shines in the defensive zone, however. On the blue line, Sweden will roster three elite defenseman who are not only impressive in their own zone but can drive the offensive attack. 

Erik Karlsson will likely occupy the QB role on the top power play. After a few down seasons in Pittsburgh, Karlsson has looked like his former self in 2025, tallying 31 helpers over 51 games. Hedman recently returned from a lengthy stint on the injured reserve and will likely log top minutes alongside the Penguins' blue-liner.

Their "No.3" defenseman is Buffalo's top blue-liner, Rasmus Dahlin. During their incredible season, Dahlin has been a near point-per-game player (48 points in 53 games) and has added 50 hits and 67 blocked shots.

In net, they will turn the Minnesota pairing of Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson. The veteran Gustavsson will likely get the nod, given that he enters the tournament holding a 6-0-1 record over his last seven with a 3.19 GAA.

No. 2 - United States of America

Group C

Sitting in the No. 2 spot is the runner-up from last year's 4 Nations Face-Off. On paper, the case can be made that the Americans have the strongest roster in the pool.

On offense, they will have three elite centers up the middle in Jack Eichel, Jack Hughes, and Auston Matthews, though one will likely shift to the wing. Kyle Connor, Jake Guentzel, and Matt Boldy highlight the wingers, while the Tkachuk brothers (Matthew and Brady) will play a two-way role, both in the scoring and physical departments.

Their defensive room is headlined by two Norris candidates, Zach Werenski and Quinn Hughes, and also one of the best pure shut-down defensemen in the game, Jaccob Slavin of the Hurricanes.

In the net, the Americans will give the reigning two-time Vezina Trophy winner, Connor Hellebuyck, the nod, despite his struggles this season. Hellebuyck will be the difference-maker in this tournament. If he can return to his Vezina-level of play, the Americans will take home the gold.

No. 1 - Canada

Group: A

Rounding out our rankings, of course, is Team Canada. Canada took home first place in last year's Four Nations Face-Off and will be running back a very similar roster.

On offense, they will have an incredible three-headed monster of Sidney Crosby, Connor McDavid, and Nathan MacKinnon. On the wings, Mark Stone, Sam Reinhart, Brad Marchand, and Mitch Marner will log most of the minutes.

Cale Makar enters the tournament as the Norris favorite in the NHL and Canada's No. 1 defender and will be joined by several of the elite blue-liners, including Josh Morrissey and Devon Toews, among others.

Makar Magic 🪄 pic.twitter.com/fFgq2lMvXC

— Colorado Avalanche (@Avalanche) January 19, 2026

While they do have some questions in net, due to Jordan Binnington's rough play this season, they do have Logan Thompson and Darcy Kuemper waiting on the bench as a high-end relief option. Their offensive firepower is borderline unstoppable and will likely lead them to another gold medal.

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