The 2026 Winter Olympics are officially underway, but the men’s hockey portion has yet to start, their games will begin next week, on Wednesday, Feb. 11. While Team USA and Canada are the two teams to beat, they’ll have some strong competition in Team Finland and Team Sweden. Finland did win gold in the last Olympics in 2022, but NHL players were not on the roster that year.
There are a lot of talented players on Finland, and they have just one player that’s not on an NHL team. It’ll be interesting to see how this team compares to the 2022 team and how they’ll do against USA and Canada. In this article, we’ll look at a few players who fans should keep an eye on, starting with a player who’s been watched since his days with the Colorado Avalanche.
Rantanen’s a Star for Finland
His name made major headlines last season after he was traded not once but twice from the Colorado Avalanche to the Carolina Hurricanes to the Dallas Stars, who he currently plays for, and that was Mikko Rantanen. He was a star when he was with the Avalanche, and he made an impact on each team he played for, even if it was for a short time.
This season, he’s played in 54 games for the Stars, and he has 20 goals plus 49 assists for 69 points. If he keeps up his pace from prior to the Olympic break, he could hit close to 100 points for the third time in his career. 30 of those points were on the power play, and it’s likely he’ll be on Finland’s top power play unit.
He’s got a dangerous shot and speed to go with it; fans will want to keep an eye on him as he’ll make some pretty plays. Something he will have to keep an eye on himself is his time in the penalty box; he’s spent quite a bit of time there this season, and Finland will need him on the ice, not in the box. It’ll be interesting if he can stay disciplined and put points on the board instead of penalty minutes.
Heiskanen Stands Out
It appears the Stars have a strong group of Finnish players on their team, and another Finnish-born player has made the list in Miro Heiskanen. He’s one of the Stars’ top defensemen because of both his offensive skills and, of course, his defense. He’s put up 46 points in 55 games, and while seven of those are goals, he’s assisted on 39 others.
While some defensemen who put up points don’t keep it up on their defensive side, Heiskanen is not one of those players. His defense shines as brightly as his offense, if not more, as he has 102 blocked shots this season. He also plays a staggering 25, almost 26 minutes a game, which is near the top of the league for time on ice.
He’s not big on the physical side, but Finland will love both his offensive side of things, plus his outstanding defense. If every team had a player who could block that many shots, their defense would be difficult to get past. It’ll be interesting to see the chemistry of the Stars’ Finnish players, as there are quite a few.
Aho Has to be Mentioned
It wouldn’t be Team Finland without mentioning Sebastian Aho from the Carolina Hurricanes. He’s been a star player since he joined the league in 2016-2017, and he’s right behind Rantanen in points for Finnish players. He’s played in 57 games this season and tallied 20 goals plus 37 assists for 57 points.
He’s contributed points on the power play like his teammates, but he stands out because he’s also produced shorthanded. Every team needs a star scorer or two, and while Aho can score, he can contribute a little defensively, but he’s not afraid to throw his body around, either. He has 51 hits on the season, and that will help Finland not to be pushed around too much, but he can also steal the puck away.
Related: Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Tournament
Another area that Aho can help in is faceoff wins, this season he’s won over half of his faceoffs, and that’s crucial to any team if they want to compete for gold. It’ll be interesting to see how Finland steps up with NHL players this season and if they get to the medal round.
Like every team in the Olympics, Finland has a lot of talent on their roster, and they’ll be looking to defend their gold. Of course, it’s different now that NHL players are back for every team, and it’ll be interesting to see the level of competition rise with the professionals back on the roster.
