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Devils’ Jack Hughes Out, Olympic Status Believed To Be Unaffected

By | at January 31, 2026 11:14 am

Saturday: The Devils announced that Hughes won’t play against Ottawa and that he’s officially listed as day-to-day with a lower-body injury.

Friday: The New Jersey Devils will once again move forward without a star forward. Jack Hughes is back on the shelf after leaving Thursday’s win over the Nashville Predators early. Devils head coach Sheldon Keefe said that the team has no update on Hughes’ injury, other than to mention that he will undergo further testing, per team reporter Amanda Stein. Hughes is not expected to travel with the team to Saturday’s game in Ottawa. The Devils return for a two-game homestand at the start of next week, before the NHL enters its three-week break for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Despite the poor timing, Hughes’ availability for the Olympics is not believed to be in doubt, per Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic. Hughes will undoubtedly be a focal piece of the Team USA roster, if healthy. The 24-year-old captained the U.S. National Team Development Program prior to his first-overall selection in 2019, but hasn’t had many chances to appear with USA since then, due to injury and playoff appearances. Hughes recorded one assist in four games at the 2025 4-Nations Face-Off – his first appearance with the country’s men’s team since making the NHL.

Hughes has remained an electric piece of New Jersey’s offense when he’s on the ice. He has scored 36 points in 36 games this season, making him the only Devil still scoring at a point-per-game pace. Hughes has met that scoring mark in each of the last five seasons. He scored 56 points in 49 games of the 2021-22 season, then set a franchise record with 99 points in 78 games of the 2022-23 campaign. Those performances served as his breakout years – but routine injury has kept the star forward from becoming the first Devil to break the century scoring mark.

Hughes has averaged 39 goals and 96 points per 82 games played over the last five seasons. He has also averaged 25 missed games per season in that span. Injury has been a recurring challenge for the dynamo scorer, whether short-term or long-term, or brought on by freak accident. Hughes falling out of the lineup once again will force another shakeup of New Jersey’s offense.

The Devils elevated Timo Meier to play next to Dawson Mercer and Jesper Bratt following Hughes’ exit on Thursday; while demoting Evgenii Dadonov to a line with Connor Brown and Paul Cotter. Those lines should stick through Saturday’s game against Ottawa, while Nico Hischier and Arseny Gritsyuk are flanked by Lenni Hameenaho or Maxim Tsyplakov. The Devils will certainly hope these adjustments are only temporary, and that Hughes’ further testing confirms what is believed to be a short-term injury.

16 comments Injury New Jersey Devils Olympics Team USA

Snapshots: Sabres Injuries, Ravensbergen, Olympic Freeze

By | at January 26, 2026 5:35 pm

The Buffalo Sabres are arguably the NHL’s hottest team at this moment, having won 18 of their last 22 games. They’ve kept up their winning ways more recently despite the loss of center Josh Norris, who suffered a rib injury on Jan. 14. While the latest injury to the Sabres’ oft-injured pivot was a cause of concern, it appears he is progressing in the right direction and is nearing a return to game fitness. Sabres head coach Lindy Ruff told the media, including Buffalo Hockey Beat’s Bill Hoppe, that Norris’ status has been upgraded to day-to-day. Blueliner Jacob Bryson, who was placed on IR on Jan. 23, is also day-to-day.

While star Tage Thompson is undoubtedly Buffalo’s best and most effective forward, Norris has pushed him for that mantle at times this season. The 26-year-old has scored 17 points in 19 games this season, including a stretch in early December where he managed seven points in just four games before suffering another injury. Norris was acquired by the Sabres last season at the deadline in a trade that sent pivot Dylan Cozens (and a second-round pick) to the Ottawa Senators. It was a calculated risk for Buffalo, who elected to take on Norris’ $7.95MM AAV contract that runs through the end of the decade. Former GM Kevyn Adams’ calculated risk has paid off when Norris has been healthy, but he’s only played in 22 total games as a Sabre. Now that he’s inching closer to full health, whether he can stay on the ice will be the clear top storyline to watch regarding Norris as his Sabres tenure progresses.

Other notes from across the hockey world:

  • San Jose Sharks 2025 first-round pick Joshua Ravensbergen will leave the CHL to play NCAA hockey for Michigan State University next season, ESPN’s Kevin Weekes reported today. Ravensbergen, 19, is one of the top goalie prospects in the sport, and will leave the WHL’s Prince George Cougars to play college hockey, rather than turn pro. Ravensbergen, who turns 20 in November, would have been eligible to play in the AHL (or ECHL) next season after at some point signing his ELC. Now, he’ll forgo that path in order to follow Detroit Red Wings prospect Trey Augustine as a top young goalie developing with the Spartans. The move also signals that Augustine is likely to turn pro after three seasons at Michigan State. Augustine was his conference’s top goalie last year and has a .938 save percentage in 17 contests in 2025-26.
  • Puckpedia outlined some of the NHL’s roster restrictions for the upcoming Olympic break in a post today, highlighting a few ways in which NHL teams will be restricted from moving players while NHL games pause for the tournament in Italy. During the roster freeze, which begins the afternoon of Feb. 4 and ends on Feb. 23, no trades are permitted. In addition, players who are waivers-exempt can only be sent down if they have not played in 16 of the team’s 20 NHL games prior to the freeze, or have been on the NHL roster for 80 league days prior to Jan 21. Puckpedia also clarified that players can be placed on waivers during the freeze, but if a team is waived after a team’s final game before the freeze begins, that player will not need to report until Feb. 17. These rules are likely to impact some of the transactions that get made in the coming days ahead of the freeze, as teams position themselves, and their prospects, for the break in the schedule.
4 comments Buffalo Sabres NCAA Olympics San Jose Sharks Snapshots

West Notes: Landeskog, Mukhamadullin, Kurashev, Skinner

By | at January 25, 2026 8:58 pm

Already missing Leo Carlsson and Jonas Brodin, Sweden’s Olympic team could be missing another key piece with Gabriel Landeskog’s availability also in question.  Avalanche head coach Jared Bednar told reporters including Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic (Twitter link) that the veteran is getting better as he works his way back from an upper-body injury that has held him out for the last three weeks.  He added that Landeskog is targeting a return in time for the Olympics but that it’s going to be tight in terms of reaching that timeline.  In his first regular season action since the 2021-22 campaign, Landeskog has done alright, picking up seven goals and 15 assists in 41 games while averaging 15:51 per night of playing time.

Elsewhere out West:

  • Sharks defenseman Shakir Mukhamadullin has been listed as day-to-day with an upper-body injury for the past three weeks. But the countdown could be coming to an end as Curtis Pashelka of The Mercury News relays (Twitter link) that the blueliner could be available to return on Tuesday against Vancouver.  The 24-year-old has had a fairly quiet season, only playing in 23 games between injuries and healthy scratches.  In those outings, Mukhamadullin has six points and 27 blocked shots while averaging 16:26 per game, the lowest ATOI of his young career.  He joins Kiefer Sherwood as players hoping to be available for Tuesday’s contest.
  • Meanwhile, Sharks winger Philipp Kurashev is expected to return by the end of the Sharks’ road trip which coincides with the beginning of the Olympic break, mentions Sheng Peng of San Jose Hockey Now (Twitter link). He has missed the last six weeks with an upper-body injury of his own.  Before that, Kurashev was in the middle of a bounce-back season as a capable secondary scorer for San Jose, notching six goals and nine assists in 31 games before the injury.
  • With Mukhamadullin, Sherwood, and Kurashev due back soon and only one open roster spot, a crunch is coming for the Sharks. Veteran Jeff Skinner has played sparingly as of late and could be in jeopardy of losing his roster spot when those players return.  To that end, Pashelka notes (Twitter link) that while Skinner is aware of the roster situation, he hasn’t requested a trade at this point.  The 33-year-old is on a one-year, $3MM contract but has just 13 points in 32 games this season and is averaging a career-low 12:21 per game.
2 comments Colorado Avalanche Olympics San Jose Sharks

Jackson LaCombe Named To U.S. Olympic Team

By | at January 21, 2026 11:12 am

USA Hockey announced a change to its roster for the upcoming Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Per their official release, Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones has been removed from the roster due to being “injured and unable to participate,” and in his place, Anaheim Ducks blueliner Jackson LaCombe has been named to the roster.

Jones suffered an injury early this month and was originally considered week-to-week. At the time, his status for the Olympics had only been downgraded to questionable — he had not been ruled out. The Panthers shifted Jones to LTIR on Monday, indicating that he would not be ready to go in time for the Olympics.

It’s a tough blow for Jones, who was undoubtedly looking forward to the chance to represent his country on such a big stage. The defenseman, who won the Stanley Cup with the Panthers last year, has represented the United States at several IIHF Men’s World Championships, including captaining the team in 2022.

While this news is undoubtedly a severe disappointment for Jones, it’s also a massive opportunity for LaCombe. The Minnesota native helped the United States win a gold medal at last year’s IIHF Men’s World Championship, serving as one of that team’s top defensemen.

The 2019 second-round pick has emerged as a true No. 1 defenseman in the NHL, averaging 24:26 time on ice per game this season, including a heavy workload on both sides of special teams. He scored 43 points in 75 games last season and has 31 points in 49 games this year. The Ducks rewarded his NHL breakout in October, signing him to an eight-year, $9MM AAV deal.

What’s notable about LaCombe’s addition, when it comes to Team USA as a whole, is his status as a left-shot defenseman. His addition to Team USA, alongside the loss of Jones, leaves the Americans with just two right-shot blueliners (Brock Faber and Charlie McAvoy). Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox is widely considered the top right-shot defenseman not on the American roster, but he’s currently on LTIR, which is likely to have impacted his chances of selection as an injury replacement.

Montreal Canadiens star Lane Hutson may also have been considered, as he has been one of the NHL’s most valuable defensemen since entering the league. While he does have some experience playing the right side at the NHL level, which may have helped his case, GM Bill Guerin may have been wary about adding another undersized defenseman to a roster that already includes superstar Quinn Hughes.

In any case, LaCombe is an extremely well-rounded defenseman capable of contributing in all situations, and was likely very close to making the roster outright in the first place. The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun indicated as much, writing “LaCombe had been seriously considered by Team USA to begin with.” Now, due to an injury, he gets his chance.

10 comments Anaheim Ducks Florida Panthers Olympics

Sweden’s Leo Carlsson, Jonas Brodin Expected To Miss Olympics

By | at January 20, 2026 3:11 pm

With 22 days left before the men’s hockey tournament kicks off at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Team Sweden has been hit with a double-whammy of bad injury news. Star forward Leo Carlsson and top-four defenseman Jonas Brodin are both expected to miss the tournament with injuries head coach Sam Hallam told Sweden’s Hockey Sverige. The team will hold out hope for something “extraordinary” but expect to have to replace both players on their official roster per Hallam.

Carlsson recently sustained a thigh injury that formed a lesion, requiring surgery and a three-to-five week recovery. Brodin has been out since January 12th, when he was finally forced out of the lineup by a nagging lower-body injury. Minnesota designated him as out week-to-week and placed him on injured reserve.

The impact that Carlsson and Brodin bring to the Olympic roster can not be understated. Both would have cemented roles near the top of the lineup and could have been X-factors that led the Tre Kronas to Olympic Gold.

Carlsson made his debut on Sweden’s men’s national team at the age of 18, in the 2023 World Championship. He scored three goals and five points in eight games, though the Swedes ultimately lost in the quarterfinals. Carlsson was left off of Sweden’s 2024 roster, during his NHL rookie season, but returned with a purpose in 2025. He scored 10 points in 10 games, third on the team in scoring as Sweden pushed for a Bronze medal finish.

Carlsson’s game has continued its exponential growth since he represented Sweden this summer. He leads the Anaheim Ducks in scoring with 44 points in 44 games, an incredible pace for the 21-year-old forward. He is taking on bigger roles and could have offered top-six upside for Sweden in the Olympics.

Brodin, 32, is on the other side of his career but still brings an impactful, two-way style to the lineup. He has averaged the lowest expected-goals-against per-60 (xGA/60; 2.75) on the Minnesota defense per HockeyStats.com. The Wild have, in total, outscored opponents 35-to-26 in Brodin’s even-strength ice time. That goal-differential (+9) is tied with Quinn Hughes for the best on the team.

Brodin has contributed 15 points in 42 games this season, bringing his NHL career up to 275 points in 895 games. He represented Sweden at the 2024 and 2025 World Championships, where his scoring jumped to a combined 11 points in 20 games. He has never represented Sweden at the Olympics, and may never get to on the back of this injury. Brodin is signed through the 2027-28 season by Minnesota. He could aim to land one more two-year deal on the other side of that contract, which would carry him through his age-36 season and provide one more chance to become a Swedish Olympian. For that to happen, Brodin will first need to work through the nagging injury that’s plaguing him.

Sweden will now face the tough task of how to replace two key pieces of the lineup. Their Olympic roster featured a long list of cuts, with the most surprising exclusions on defense. Sweden opted not to bring Edmonton’s Mattias Ekholm, Boston’s Hampus Lindholm, or Detroit’s Simon Edvinsson. All three players – each left-handed shots, the same as Brodin – will now step back up to vie for the role of injury replacement.

The 21-year-old Edvinsson represented the country most recently, having played in all 10 games of the 2025 World Championship, while Ekholm and Lindholm were in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Edvinsson contributed one assist to the tournament in what was his debut with the men’s national team. It will be Ekholm who likely holds the strongest bid. The 35 year old served as an alternate captain on Sweden’s 4-Nations Face-Off roster in 2025, where he scored one point in three games. He, like Brodin, brings an interesting two-way upside. Meanwhile, Lindholm would offer a shutdown role, though he has faced his own challenges with injury this season.

While Sweden is separating hairs on defense, they will also have to find another forward. San Jose Sharks winger William Eklund appeared to be the biggest exclusion on offense, especially after posting his first 40-assist season in the NHL last year. He has never played for Sweden’s men’s team and only appeared in two notable junior tournaments – five games at the 2020 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and two games at the cancelled 2022 World Junior Championships. Eklund would bring a dose of speed and playmaking ability, though he may not supplant the top-six role Carlsson was vying for.

Sweden could get a bit more assuredness from Calgary Flames captain Mikael Backlund. The veteran center offers a chippy, two-way game but has added a nice bit of offense this season. He has scored 12 goals and 31 points in 49 games this season, putting him on pace for the second-highest scoring season of his 18-year carere behind his 56 points in 2022-23. Sweden could also turn towards plays like Emil Heineman or Marcus Johansson.

Keeping all of those names in mind could be a safe bet as Sweden looks forward to the near-future. The country is also facing injuries to William Nylander, Gabriel Landeskog, Erik Karlsson, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Philip Broberg. Those players haven’t been ruled out of the Winter Olympics just yet, but they represent the heavy load facing a potential medal-favorite with just under a month before puck drop.

Photo courtesy of Walter Tychnowicz-Imagn Images.

4 comments Anaheim Ducks Injury Minnesota Wild NHL Newsstand Olympics Players Team Sweden

Evening Notes: Abols, Igram, Love

By | at January 17, 2026 9:55 pm

The Philadelphia Flyers could soon receive bad news about a scary-looking injury. Center Rodrigo Abols needed helped off the ice after his right-foot went into the boards awkwardly during Saturday’s game against the New York Rangers. Head coach Rick Tocchet provided little update after the game, except to say that the injury was “not good” per Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia.

Abols was on Latvia’s official roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics, set to begin in roughly one month. He has represented Latvia at Olympic events in 2017, 2022, and 2025, with 13 points in 13 games in total. A long-term injury would leave Latvia, and the Flyers, without an important bit of depth.

The Flyers have deployed Abols in a fourth-line role in his second season with the club. He has recorded 10 points, 22 penalty minutes, and a minus-one in 41 games. Each of those marks are up from the five points, four penalty minutes, and minus-10 that Abols recorded in the first 22 games of his NHL career last season. He should have a spot carved out at the bottom of Philadelphia’s lineup on the other side of this injury, so long as he returns before hitting unrestricted free agency this summer.

Other notes from around the hockey world:

  • The Edmonton Oilers have found a small bit of reliability in net. Goaltender Connor Ingram is expected to stick with the team even after he regains waiver eligibility per Sportsnet’s Mark Spector. The team is expected to carry three goaltenders – Ingram, Tristan Jarry, and Calvin Pickard – through the Olympic break. Ingram has recorded four wins and a .907 save percentage in his first eight games with Edmonton. The performance is a major improvement over the four wins and .856 save percentage he recorded in 11 AHL games to start the year – while this resurgence is wholely a nice rebound for Ingram after losing the Utah Hockey Club’s starting role last season. He seems to have found a new role in Edmonton, where he could earn a heap of starts with strong play. Ingram is currently the only Oilers goaltender with a save percentage above .900.
  • The KHL’s Shanghai Dragons have hired Mitch Love as their next head coach after Gerard Gallant stepped down last week per Sergey Demidov of RG. Coach Mike Kelly – a former Florida Panthers coach who served as interim head coach in Gallant’s absence – will stay with the team as an assistant coach. Love was hired as an assistant coach by the Washington Capitals this summer but was placed on team-imposed leave before coaching in his first game. The leave was spurred by an NHL investigation into Love, ultimately revealed to be looking into allegations of domestic abuse against Love. The Capitals fired Love after that investigation. Love will now try to lift up a Dragons club that ranks third-to-last in the KHL’s Western Conference. Shanghai is led by former North American pros Spencer Foo, Austin Wagner, Alexander Burmistrov, and Kevin Labanc.
0 comments Edmonton Oilers Injury KHL NHL Olympics Philadelphia Flyers

Team Slovakia Announces 2026 Olympic Roster

By | at January 8, 2026 10:48 am

Slovakia became the latest country to announce its roster for next month’s Olympics this morning. Now, only the host country, Italy, has yet to release its full roster for the event, which begins on Feb. 11.

Forwards:

Defensemen:

Goaltenders:

While most secondary hockey powers that have released their Olympic rosters in recent days have had a clear weak spot on defense, the same can’t be said for the Slovaks. Five of their eight defenders have NHL experience. Three of them are currently playing impact roles in the bigs, with Cernak and Fehervary serving as top-four staples in Tampa and Washington, while Nemec is amid a breakout season in New Jersey. Koch only had a cup of coffee with the Coyotes in 2023-24, but Marincin, now 33, played in 227 games across eight seasons with the Oilers and Maple Leafs from 2013-20.

The men between the pipes are the biggest question marks as they attempt to upset one of Finland or Sweden for a top-two spot in Group B (the host Italians pose little threat to them for third place). None of them has NHL experience, although the two youngest names on the list are both NHL-affiliated.

Hlavaj, 24, was an undrafted free agent signing by Minnesota in 2024 out of Plzen in the Czech Extraliga. He started for them in the Olympic qualifiers last year and is the expected No. 1 heading into the tournament, but he’s having a tough year with a .876 SV% in 13 games for AHL Iowa. Gajan, an unsigned second-rounder by the Blackhawks in 2023, is having a breakout year in college and will compete with the European pro veteran Skorvanek for backup duties.

As for the forwards, the most experienced NHLer on the entire roster is Tatar, who’s no longer in the league after signing in Switzerland last summer. Tatar and Marincin are the only returning members from the 2014 Olympics, the last time NHLers were permitted to attend. The 35-year-old had 496 points in 927 career NHL games before heading off to Zug, where he’s tied for third on the National League club in scoring with 23 points in 26 games.

The rest of Slovakia’s high-profile offensive talent is on the younger side. Dvorsky and Slafkovsky were both top-10 picks in the last four years, with the former just beginning to lock down an NHL role with St. Louis. Pospisil, 26, has back-to-back 20-point seasons in Calgary but hasn’t played yet this year due to an undisclosed injury. Regenda has bounced between the NHL and AHL with the Ducks and Sharks over the past several years, but has been on a tear in San Jose this season, scoring six goals in six games.

9 comments Olympics Team Slovakia

Team Switzerland Announces 2026 Olympic Roster

By | at January 7, 2026 10:35 am

Team Switzerland has locked in its roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics, according to the IIHF:

Forwards:

Defensemen:

Goaltenders:

Well over half the Swiss roster carries NHL experience. In goal, there might be a rare situation where the only NHL-contracted name ends up as the third-stringer. Berra, now 39, played parts of five big league seasons but returned home to Fribourg-Gottéron several years ago. He was their starter at the 2022 Olympics and has long been one of Switzerland’s top goalies domestically. Genoni, 38, has been a starter in Switzerland’s top flight since 2007, is a seven-time league champion, and has won three World Championship silver medals.

Switzerland could very well have one of the tournament’s more lethal top defense pairs in Josi and Moser. Both are lefties but have spent significant time on their off sides in Nashville and Tampa. Berni, Kukan, and Siegenthaler round out the depth with NHL experience.

The Swiss are in Group A with Canada, Czechia, and France, easily the most competitive pool. They don’t have the pure offensive firepower of the Canadians and Czechs. However, they have some of the NHL’s most cerebral two-way forwards in Hischier, Niederreiter, and Suter, while boasting Fiala and Meier for high-end goal-scoring ability on the wings.

3 comments Olympics Team Switzerland

Denmark, Germany Announce 2026 Olympic Rosters

By | at January 7, 2026 8:43 am

Wednesday morning, Denmark and Germany became the latest nations to have the IIHF announce their rosters for next month’s Olympics:

Denmark

Forwards:

Defensemen:

Goaltenders:

Many will be surprised by the number of Danish names with NHL experience. Nine out of their 15 forwards have a big-league game to their name, even if only a handful are still left playing in North America.

Bjorkstrand and Ehlers are this roster’s only star-caliber skaters on an international level, though. The lack of high-end depth at both forward and defense will be a challenge for them as they aim to surpass Germany or Latvia and avoid finishing last in Group C.

Goaltending is a strong suit, comparatively. Andersen and Søgaard have struggled stateside this season, but Andersen has been spectacular in his recent but limited international experience. He had a .938 SV% in three games in last season’s Olympic qualifying tournament to help get them here, just their second Olympic appearance all-time after making a shock quarterfinal run in their debut in 2022.

Mølgaard will be an intriguing name to watch. The 20-year-old is the youngest name on the team by four years and was a second-round pick by Seattle in 2023. In his first season in North America, he’s made his NHL debut and recorded 18 points in 29 AHL games.

Germany

Forwards:

Defensemen:

Goaltenders:

There will be understandable conversations about Germany’s depth as they compete with Latvia for second place in Group C, but there’s no question that their star power is the best it’s ever been. Draisaitl, Peterka, and Stützle as the top-six anchors up front would be an envious trio for most “second-tier” hockey nations, while Seider as a No. 1 option on the blue line is leagues better than what competitors like Denmark, Slovakia, or even Czechia have to offer.

In goal, Grubauer’s resurgence stateside couldn’t come at a better time for the German national team. He’s been the best backup in the league behind Joey Daccord, flourishing with reduced workload and expectations after largely flaming out as the Kraken’s starter. In 14 appearances, he’s put up a league-leading .926 SV% and ranks seventh in the league in goals saved above expected with 11, per MoneyPuck. While it’s his first Olympic appearance, he’s made 22 World Championship appearances over the years and has a .915 mark in those.

0 comments Olympics Team Denmark Team Germany

Czechia, France, Latvia Announce 2026 Olympic Rosters

By | at January 6, 2026 8:35 am

Today, the IIHF revealed three additional rosters for next month’s Olympics in Milano-Cortina, Italy. Czechia, France, and Latvia have now locked in their 25-man groups. We’re still waiting on five countries – Denmark, Germany, Italy, Slovakia, and Switzerland – to confirm their rosters.

Czechia

Forwards:

Defensemen:

Goaltenders:

Goaltending will be the Czech squad’s anchor as they look to medal for the third time since the dissolution of Czechoslovakia in 1992. While Vladař would likely have been the third-stringer had this roster been released a year ago, his emergence as a top-tier starter in Philadelphia this season may give him the inside track on the No. 1 job.

Hertl and Zacha will anchor Czechia’s top lines from the middle while Nečas and Pastrňák give them one of the tournament’s most formidable one-two punches on the right side. Even among their non-NHL talent, it’s a comparatively deep forward group that gives them a medal chance. Plenty of names playing overseas have NHL experience, and the only two who don’t (Flek and Stránský) are currently the top goal-scorers in their respective leagues.

Defense – particularly their left-shot rearguards – is where things stand to get hairy for the Czechs as they attempt to unseat the nucleus of Canada, Finland, Sweden, and the U.S. for a medal. They might do well to shift a righty to their off side to give them a more dynamic two-way element than what shutdown NHL veterans Kempný and Šimek have to offer. Ticháček, 22, may be the most talented offensive producer Czechia’s defense has to offer – even ahead of their clear No. 1 in Hronek – but at 5’9″ and 170 lbs, size is a concern as he goes up against the most difficult competition of his life.

France

Forwards:

Defensemen:

Goaltenders:

If not for the host country, Italy, fielding a club, France would be the favorite to finish with the worst record in the tournament – especially as they face arguably the toughest competition out of anyone with Canada, Czechia, and Switzerland in Group A. That’s not to say they’re devoid of NHL-caliber talent, though.

Texier and Bellemare, now 40 years old with 700 games of NHL experience, will anchor their forward group. Whether they share a line remains to be seen as France weighs whether having them each anchor their own unit may be more beneficial as they attempt their only realistic potential upset against the Swiss. Da Costa, still an All-Star caliber player in Russia at age 36, spent parts of four seasons with the Senators in the early 2010s.

Defense is their weakest position. Only Auvitu has any NHL experience, and three-eighths of the group are from France’s own Ligue Magnus, one of the lowest-caliber top divisions in Europe.

The crease will feature the 21-year-old Keller, a Capitals seventh-rounder in 2023 who’s yet to sign his entry-level deal. He played briefly for their ECHL affiliate this season before heading to Switzerland’s top league, where he has a .900 SV% in nine starts.

Latvia

Forwards:

Defensemen:

Goaltenders:

Perhaps no hockey country’s stock is rising quicker than Latvia’s, which upset their way to a bronze medal at the World Championship in 2023 and has had its fair share of memorable moments at the junior level in recent years as well. They only have three Olympic group stage wins in history – two in 2002 and one in Sochi in 2014 – but are a clear-cut favorite ahead of Denmark in Group C and should be on relatively equal footing with Germany to finish second behind the United States.

Easily the strongest roster they’ve ever sent, half their forward group are playing in the NHL or AHL while under contract with a parent club. Among the European league talent they’re drawing from, two of those names – Balcers and Daugaviņš – have NHL experience. With a pair of NHLers in net as well and a third-stringer in Gudlevskis with NHL experience, they’re well-positioned to make noise.

Like the other two rosters locked in today, defense is their weak spot, but they have two NHL veterans in Balinskis and Rubīns. The most intriguing talent to watch, perhaps on the entire team, will be Šmits. The 6’3″ lefty is fresh off his 18th birthday and is a slam-dunk top-20 pick in the 2026 draft. He’s coming off a stellar World Juniors showing that saw him record five points in five games.

7 comments Newsstand Olympics Team Czechia Team France Team Latvia
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