The Summer Olympics in Paris are now in the rearview mirror. Next time the Olympic torch is lit, it’ll be in Milan for the 2026 Winter Games. It will also be the first time since the 2014 Games in Sochi, Russia that NHL players will participate.
The NHL was expected to participate in the 2022 Beijing Olympics, but COVID led to a late decision to withdraw NHL players from competition. In 2026, Tampa Bay Lightning fans will get to see some of their favorite players take the ice. Here are some strong candidates to represent the Bolts and their home countries.
Brayden Point – Team Canada
The Calgary-born forward’s last appearance at an international tournament was the 2017 IIHF World Championship when he was just breaking into the NHL. Point is confirmed to represent Canada during the 4 Nations Face-Off, the NHL’s replacement for the All-Star Game this season when NHL players will represent their countries in a tournament.
Perhaps that will be a sneak peek of what’s to come. If Jon Cooper is Team Canada’s coach at the Olympics, which he was supposed to be in 2022, it is nearly guaranteed that he will be bound for Milan. In 2023-24, Point scored 46 goals and 44 assists. It was his third season of scoring 40 goals or more and 90 points or more.
Brandon Hagel – Team Canada
Brandon Hagel is coming off a career-best season in the NHL and a strong performance at the 2024 IIHF World Championship. During the regular season, he scored 26 goals and 49 assists for 75 points – the latter were both career highs, and he had his second-best season for goals.
At the World Championship in May, he scored three goals and four assists in 10 games. He’s already shown he’ll step up for Canada. The Olympic team could be calling him up for his services in an effort to win the gold.
Victor Hedman – Sweden
Victor Hedman is a lock to play for Sweden at the Olympics. He’s still one of the top defensemen in the league, finishing sixth in Norris Trophy voting last season. In 78 games in 2023-24, he had 13 goals and 63 assists – the second-highest point total of his career at 33 years old. He is also confirmed to play for Sweden during the 4 Nations Face-Off.
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Hedman also played for Sweden in the 2024 IIHF World Championship and won the bronze medal. Now, in the later years of his career, he will remain a key player in Sweden’s efforts to take home the gold in 2026.
Mikey Eyssimont – Team USA
Mikey Eyssimont could be a bottom-six contributor for Team USA. He would provide the muscle as he does for the Lightning. However, he took the ice for Team USA at the last two IIHF World Championships. In 17 games, he had two goals and four points. That’s not far from his 25-point pace from last season. He has been asked to represent America several times, so it’s likely he’ll get to do it again.
Jake Guentzel – Team USA
The newest member of the Lightning could, and likely will, be Eyssimont’s teammate in Milan. Jake Guentzel has never taken the ice for an international tournament, but the 2026 Olympics could be his debut. He is coming off a career-best season, averaging 1.15 points per game or 77 points over 67 games. That’s a 94-point pace.
He’s a very strong candidate to make the Olympic team. It will simply be a matter of whether or not he is healthy in February 2026. After missing time last season and having never played in an international competition, it might be the biggest factor.
Nikita Kucherov & Andrei Vasilevskiy – Russia or To Be Determined Classification
This one is complicated. Forward Nikita Kucherov and goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy are obvious Olympic picks. Kucherov is coming off a historic season, with 100 assists, the Art Ross Trophy and was a Hart Memorial Trophy finalist. Vasilevskiy is a Vezina Trophy and Conn Smythe Award winner and is still considered one of the top goalies in the league.
However, Russia’s status for the 2026 Winter Olympics is still undetermined due to the war with Ukraine. Russia has not technically participated in the Olympics since it hosted the Games in Sochi in 2014. In 2018, Russian hockey players competed under the name “Olympic Athletes From Russia” and the “Russian Olympic Committee” in 2022 due to a doping scandal. In 2024 in Paris, they participated as neutral athletes under the International Olympic Committee’s policy to reserve the right to handle individual Russian athletes.
We’ll have to wait to see how this will be handled. However, both players are a lock if they are eligible to participate.
The Lightning have no shortage of Olympic candidates representing multiple countries. Fans will have someone to cheer for in almost every matchup, and there’s a good chance that at least one of them will bring the gold medal home to Amalie Arena.
