These players will likely never get a chance to represent their countries on the world’s biggest stage through little fault of their own.
10 players in particular, from five different countries, stand out as done dirty by the NHL not participating in the Winter Olympics in 2018 or 2022. While they are all still playing in the NHL — most at very high levels — none were selected to their country’s teams for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina and it certainly appears this chance was their last chance.
Related: Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Tournament
While it’s not a guarantee every one of these players would have made their country’s Olympic teams in 2018, 2022, or both, they all would have definitely been in the conversation.
Canada
Brent Burns – 2018
Burns, one of the elite offensive defensemen of the 2010s, would have been a shoo-in for a top-pairing role on Canada’s 2018 Olympic club.
The 6-foot-5 blue liner, well known for his Sasquatch look and ability to rack up points from the back end, was in the peak of his career around 2018 as a member of the San Jose Sharks — he led all NHL defensemen with 76 points in 2016-17, tied for second league-wide among defensemen with 67 in 2017-18, and led all defenseman with a career-high 83 in 2018-19.
The Barrie, Ontario product is now 40 years old and still playing at a fairly high level for the Carolina Hurricanes but was clearly too long in the tooth for Canada’s 2026 club (the “legacy pick” went instead to the 36-year-old Drew Doughty). Burns, a veteran of more than 1,500 games, has great longevity but even someone like him will probably be retired by the time the 2030 Games roll around.
Claude Giroux – 2018
By 2018, Giroux was a long-established star for the Philadelphia Flyers in the prime of his career with four point-per-game-plus seasons and four 25-plus goal seasons on his resume. The Hearst, Ontario product had a bit of a down season in 2016-17 with 58 points in 82 games, but caught absolute fire the season the 2018 Olympics took place during, putting up a career-high 102 points.
There’s no doubt his tear, which ended with him finishing second in NHL scoring behind Connor McDavid, would have bagged him a major role on Canada’s 2018 club.
Giroux, now 37 and with the Ottawa Senators, still a good producer, with 50 points last season, 64 in 2023-24, and 79 in 2022-23. However, like Burns, he simply aged too much to make the 2026 team.
Mark Scheifele – 2018 & 2022
Scheifele was one of the most-notable snubs from not only Canada’s 2026 Olympic roster but the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off roster as well.
In 2017-18, the longtime Winnipeg Jets alternate captain and top centre ended up with 60 points and was coming off a career coming-out 2016-17 campaign when he put up 82. The Kitchener, Ontario product ended up with 70 points in 2021-22 and put up 63 in just 56 games in the COVID-shortened 2020-21.
The “20s Scheifele” never got the opportunity, and the “30s Scheifele” was left off the 2026 roster despite having seven point-per-game-plus seasons under his belt and being a veteran of nearly 1000-career games. He will likely never play at the Olympics as he’ll be 36 by the time the 2030 Games come around.
Steven Stamkos – 2018 & 2022
One of the most-dangerous goals scorers of his generation with more than 600-career tallies to his name and seven separate 40-plus goal seasons, Stamkos would have had top-six and top power-play roles for Canada in 2018 and 2022. In 2017-18 with the Tampa Bay Lightning, he had 86 points, and in 2021-22, he had a career-high 106 and was fresh off leading the Lightning to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships.
Related: Team Canada’s 2026 Olympic B-Team
Canada wanted the 2008 first-overall pick and Markham, Ontario product on their 2014 Olympic team — and for good reason, as he’d already reached the 50- and 60-goal plateaus in separate seasons by then — but he wasn’t able to recover in time from a broken tibia he suffered the November before the Games took place.
Now 35, Stamkos has seen his production drop sharply in his first two seasons with the Nashville Predators. He has accomplished a lot in his career — two Stanley Cups, two Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophies, a World Juniors gold medal, and a World Cup of Hockey Gold Medal — but bad injury luck and bad timing will keep him from ever donning an Olympic jersey.
Czechia
Petr Mrazek – 2018 & 2022
Mrazek has never been a star NHL goalie, but nonetheless has carved out a lengthy career and had nice seasons for both the Detroit Red Wings and Carolina Hurricanes over his 14-year NHL career.
In 2018, the Ostrava product was one of only three Czechian goalies in the NHL, alongside Michal Neuvirth and David Rittich, to make more than one start. He led all Czechian goalies with 14 wins split between the Red Wings and Flyers.
In 2021-22, he struggled as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs and only appeared in 20 games, but still would have been in competition with Rittich, Vitek Vanecek, Karel Vejmelka, and Dan Vladar to tend Czechia’s crease.
Now 33 and playing for the Anaheim Ducks, Mrazek was left off Czechia’s 2026 roster in favour of Lukas Dostal, Vejmelka, and Vladar, who are between four and eight years younger.
Russia
Artemi Panarin – 2018, 2022
Panarin has been one of the highest-producing Russians since he exploded onto the NHL scene in 2015-16 with the Chicago Blackhawks and would have easily cracked Russia’s Olympic team in both 2018 and 2022. In 2017-18, the “Breadman” had a then-career-high 82 points (27 goals, 55 assists) with the Columbus Blue Jackets and in 2021-22, he put up another then-career-high 96 (22 goals, 74 assists) with the New York Rangers (at the 2022 Olympics, Russian teams had to compete under the “Russian Olympic Committee” banner due to Russia’s four-year ban for systematic doping).
The Korkino product, who is currently fourth all-time in points among active Russian NHLers, continues to play at a high level and had 120 points in 2023-24.
Russia, however, will not have a men’s hockey team in the 2026 Winter Olympics due to their ban for invading Ukraine in 2022 and continuing to wage war in that country (individual athletes from Russia and Belarus are anticipated to compete under the banner of Individual Neutral Athletes).
The uncertainty about when — if ever — Russia will be allowed to participate in the Olympics again makes the 34-year-old Panarin’s chances of ever playing in one slim to none.
Nikita Kucherov – 2018, 2022
Kucherov is in a similar boat to Panarin. An absolute offensive force throughout his career with five 100-plus-point seasons to his name and more than 1,000 points in his career, the right winger and long-time Lightning star would have been one of the highest-profile players not only the 2018 Russian team, but in the entire tournament.
He had an even 100 points (39 goals, 61 assists) in 2017-18 and 69 (25 goals, 44 assists) in 47 games in 2021-22 (he missed 32 games near the start of the season due to a groin injury. He’s posted 113, a career-high 144, and 121 points in the three campaigns since the 2022 Olympics.
Like his longtime teammate Stamkos, the 32 year old Kucherov has won a lot — two Stanley Cups, three Art Ross Trophies, two Ted Lindsay Awards, and one Hart Memorial Trophy — but like Stamkos and his fellow countryman Panarin, will likely never get the chance to win Olympic gold (even though he’d probably still be more than good enough by 2030 to play on a Russian team if there was one).
Sweden
Mikael Backlund – 2018 & 2022
Backlund, the longtime Calgary Flame, is not the flashiest player in the NHL, nor even the flashiest Swede. However, there’s little denying the Vasteras product’s skillset would have made him a strong candidate for Sweden’s squad in 2018 and 2022.
He is an excellent two-way centre and defender; a consistent secondary offensive producer with nearly 600 points in more than 1,100 NHL games; and an experienced and respected leader. He captained Sweden’s 2018 World Championship team and has worn the “C” for the Flames since 2023-24.
Unfortunately for Backlund, now 36, his lack of high-end skill and age likely kept him off Sweden’s 2026 roster. He was passed over for other veterans such as Filip Forsberg, Rickard Rakell, and Mika Zibanejad on a club that also features younger, higher-octane players such as Leo Carlsson, William Nylander, Elias Pettersson, and Lucas Raymond.
United States
Nick Foligno – 2018
Foligno didn’t have a chance to make the 2026 United States’ roster, and may not have cracked the 2022 one either, but there’s a chance he would have made the 2018 team.
While the current Blackhawks captain and Buffalo product is more known for his tenacious, hard-nosed, and physical style than his offensive prowess these days, he has never been a slouch in the latter department. He had seven-straight 30-plus-point seasons between 2013-14 and 2019-20 as a member of the Blue Jackets, and has more than 600 in his career in addition to being strong in the faceoff dot and a good penalty killer.
Despite being in the midst of a career-high 73-point season in 2013-14, the United States left him off their 2014 roster, and that ended up being his last chance — he’s now 38 and in the final season of his current contract.
Chris Kreider – 2022
Kreider, one of the most-notable forward snubs from the United States’ 2026 roster (other than Cole Caufield and Jason Robertson), certainly would have cracked the 2022 club. The Boxford, Massachusetts product posted a career-high 77 points for the Rangers and reached the 50-goal plateau for the first and only time in his career in 2021-22 before posting 16 points (10 goals, six assists) in the Rangers’ run to the Eastern Conference Final.
Despite the now-Duck playing for his country at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off and his track record of scoring success — the 34 year old has 10 20-plus goal seasons to his name and posted three-straight 30-plus-goal seasons before 2024-25 — there was apparently no room for him this time around.
Who on this list do you think is the best player who will never play in the Olympics? Did this list miss anyone? Comment below.
