With the 2026 Winter Olympics wrapping up and the Detroit Red Wings and the rest of the NHL returning to action this week, the Red Wings will see three of their players returning from the Olympics, as well as one of their minor league players in Grand Rapids, Eduards Tralmaks. How did each player perform for their home countries at this year’s Olympics?
Eduards Tralmaks (Latvia)
Beginning with the aforementioned Grand Rapids Griffin, Eduards Tralmaks had a really strong tournament for Latvia. While they did not make it out of the qualification round, losing to Sweden, Tralmaks was one of their strongest offensive players. He entered the Olympics coming off a strong start to his time with the Griffins, putting up 18 goals in 44 games.
He continued that strong play with points in three of four games for Latvia, totaling four points (three goals, one assist), and put his name out there for the hockey world to see. Whether or not he ends up returning to the Red Wings organization after this season (he is currently on a one-year deal), his performance at the Olympics should give him plenty of options when the time comes for a new contract.
Dylan Larkin (United States)
The Red Wings’ captain will be returning to Detroit with a gold medal in tow after helping the United States to a 2-1 overtime victory over Canada. The win marked the first gold medal the United States has won in men’s hockey since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team. Larkin played a big role in the Americans’ success at the Olympics, even though he did not produce a ton of points (three). He began the tournament in a third-line role and, by the end of the gold medal game, was playing on the top line for head coach Mike Sullivan.
The energy that Larkin brings to the ice was a major x-factor, along with his willingness to play and fill any role that was asked of him. He was by far the Olympics’ best player at the faceoff dot, winning just shy of 70% of the faceoffs he took. When any of his U.S. teammates spoke of Larkin throughout the tournament, he was referred to as an x-factor and a leader. On the biggest stage of hockey he has played in since being drafted by the Red Wings, he showed up in a big way and proved he belongs in the best-versus-best tournaments.
Lucas Raymond (Sweden)
Another player, like Larkin, who proved he belongs in these types of events and tournaments, was Lucas Raymond. After a bit of an underwhelming showing for Sweden at the 4-Nations Faceoff, he came out and was one of his country’s best players throughout the Olympics. He set a Swedish record for most assists in a single tournament (eight), and his nine points are the second-most by a Swede in a single tournament.
Related: Lucas Raymond Becoming the Stud the Red Wings Need
The overall display Raymond showed at the Olympics has further helped prove that he is becoming a star right in front of everyone’s eyes. While Sweden came up short of a medal, losing to Larkin and the United States in the quarterfinals, Raymond comes home with plenty of momentum individually as the Red Wings hit the home stretch of the regular season.
Moritz Seider (Germany)
On a German team that had a bit less NHL talent than Sweden and the United States, they did have Moritz Seider, Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers), and Tim Stützle (Ottawa Senators) to help them reach the medal rounds. Unfortunately for Germany, they did fall short, but Seider unsurprisingly played a big role for his country.
Out of all players in the tournament, Seider got the second-most ice time per game (26:16) and was the lead man at the backend of the ice. While he did not score in the Olympics, he was still plenty active in the offensive zone, taking 15 shots on goal and recording two assists.
Ride the Momentum Back to Detroit
Hopefully, the three NHLers the Red Wings had representing their home countries at the Olympics can return and ride the momentum and strong play they showed as the organization looks to end its playoff drought. Larkin, Raymond, and Seider are all going to be major X-factors and have a massive impact on ending that drought. For Tralmaks, returning to Grand Rapids and building off his time with Latvia could very easily help him out further down the road, whether the outside chance of a late-season call-up happens, or for off-season purposes via free agency.
