Golden Knights’ Jonas Rondbjerg Ruled Out Of Olympics
2/8: Denmark has announced their replacement following Rondbjerg’s injury. They’ve added left-defenseman Malte Setkov, bringing the roster to a conventional 14 forwards and seven defenders after Denmark originally rostered 15 forwards. Setkov has spent the last four seasons in Denmark’s top league. He has 13 goals and 30 points in 39 games this season, a career-high scoring pace.
2/6: Team Denmark will enter the 2026 Winter Olympics without one of their five NHL forwards. Vegas Golden Knights winger Jonas Rondbjerg has been ruled out due to a lower-body injury sustained during Vegas’ Sunday loss to the Anaheim Ducks, Denmark general manager Morten Green told local news channel TV 2 Sport.
Rondbjerg was placed on Vegas’ injured reserve on Monday. He missed the Golden Knights’ last two games before the Winter Olympics break, replaced by rookie forward Kai Uchacz.
Now, Rondbjerg will lose his first chance to represent Denmark at the Olympic Games. He joined the country at the Olympic Game Qualifiers in 2025 and scored one goal in three games. That chip, and his physical presence, helped lift Denmark to the top of Group F.
Rondbjerg was one of only seven NHL players on Denmarks 2026 Olympics roster. His peers include the Hurricanes’ Nikolaj Ehlers, Lightning’s Oliver Bjorkstrand, Senators’ Lars Eller, and Kraken’s Oscar Fisker Molgaard on offense.
That bunch will make up the bulk of Denmark’s top lines, while Rondbjerg was set for a pillaring role in the team’s bottom-six. The 6-foot-2 forward has split the season between the NHL and AHL, netting one point in four games with Vegas and 23 points in 36 games with the Henderson Silver Knights. He offers a reserved, physical presence that could have boosted Denmark’s odds against physical teams like Finland and USA.
Who Denmark will choose to replace Rondbjerg will be an interesting question to answer. Winger Felix Maegaard Scheel, 33, joined Denmark’s national team for three games earlier this season. He has served an extra forward role at the last four World Championships and currently has 11 points in 29 games in Germany’s DEL. Denmark could also opt for Viktors Čubars, who leads the country’s top league in scoring with 57 points in 40 games. Other local options could include Patrick Bjorkstrand or Oliver True, Ehlers’ cousin.
Or, if Denmark wants to maintain their NHL connection, they could opt for former Chicago Blackhawks draft pick (2016 fifth-round) Mathias From, who has 53 points in 42 games in Austria’s IceHL.
Denmark, Germany Announce 2026 Olympic Rosters
Wednesday morning, Denmark and Germany became the latest nations to have the IIHF announce their rosters for next month’s Olympics:
Denmark
Forwards:
- LW Mikkel Aagaard (Skellefteå/SHL)
- LW Mathias Bau (Herning Blue Fox/Denmark)
- RW Oliver Bjorkstrand (Lightning)
- RW Joachim Blichfeld (Tappara/Liiga)
- LW Nikolaj Ehlers (Hurricanes)
- C Lars Eller (Senators)
- RW Nicklas Jensen (Rapperswil-Jona Lakers/NL)
- C Oscar Fisker Mølgaard (Kraken)
- LW Nick Olesen (Motor České Budějovice/ELH)
- LW Morten Poulsen (Herning Blue Fox/Denmark)
- RW Jonas Røndbjerg (Golden Knights)
- RW Patrick Russell (Kölner Haie/DEL)
- LW Frederik Storm (Kölner Haie/DEL)
- C Alexander True (JYP/Liiga)
- C Christian Wejse (Fischtown Pinguins/DEL)
Defensemen:
- LD Jesper Jensen Aabo (EC-KAC/ICEHL)
- RD Phillip Bruggisser (Fischtown Pinguins/DEL)
- LD Nicholas B. Jensen (Fischtown Pinguins/DEL)
- LD Anders Koch (Graz99ers/ICEHL)
- LD Matias Lassen (Iserlohn Roosters/DEL)
- LD Markus Lauridsen (Pustertal/ICEHL)
- LD Oliver Lauridsen (TPS/Liiga)
Goaltenders:
- G Frederik Andersen (Hurricanes)
- G Frederik Dichow (HV71/SHL)
- G Mads Søgaard (Senators)
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:
- C Leon Draisaitl (Oilers)
- RW Alexander Ehl (Adler Mannheim/DEL)
- C Dominik Kahun (Lausanne/NL)
- LW Marc Michaelis (Adler Mannheim/DEL)
- LW JJ Peterka (Mammoth)
- LW Lukas Reichel (Canucks)
- LW Tobias Rieder (München/DEL)
- C Josh Samanski (Oilers)
- LW Justin Schütz (Adler Mannheim/DEL)
- LW Wojciech Stachowiak (Lightning)
- C Tim Stützle (Senators)
- C Nico Sturm (Wild)
- LW Frederik Tiffels (Eisbären Berlin/DEL)
- RW Parker Tuomie (Kölner Haie/DEL)
Defensemen:
- RD Leon Gawanke (Adler Mannheim/DEL)
- LD Korbinian Geibel (Eisbären Berlin/DEL)
- LD Lukas Kälble (Adler Mannheim/DEL)
- LD Jonas Müller (Eisbären Berlin/DEL)
- LD Moritz Müller (Kölner Haie/DEL)
- RD Moritz Seider (Red Wings)
- LD Fabio Wagner (München/DEL)
- RD Kai Wissmann (Eisbären Berlin/DEL)
Goaltenders:
- G Maximilian Franzreb (Adler Mannheim/DEL)
- G Philipp Grubauer (Kraken)
- G Mathias Niederberger (München/DEL)
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.
