Let's Put Together A Way-Too-Early-Ranking Of Olympic Hockey Rosters Based On Their First Six Players

When the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo get underway next year, it will mark the first time in over a decade that NHL players have been on Olympic rosters.

And speaking of which, on Monday, the 12 teams competing in the Olympic men's hockey tournament announced the first six players who will be on their rosters, per Sportsnet.

Why did they do this, and why in the middle of June with the Stanley Cup final happening? I have no clue.

Nonetheless, I say we take a way-too-early look at where the teams stand after announcing their first half dozen players.

12.  Italy

• G Damian Clara (San Diego Gulls, AHL)
• D Thomas Larkin (Schwenningen Wild Wings, Germany)
• D Luca Zanatta (Val Pusteria Wolves, Austria)
• F Diego Kostner (Ambri-Piotta, Switzerland)
• C Tommy Purdeller (Val Pusteria Wolves, Austria)
• F Daniel Mantenuto (Bolzano FC, Austria)

Team Italy secures an automatic berth in the tournament as the host nation. Although they will have the crowd on their side in every game, they're unlikely to make too many waves. The lone player in their first six who currently plays in North America is goalie Damian Clara, who plays for the San Diego Gulls, the AHL affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks.

The rest of the players announced play in high-end European leagues, but still, if Italy steals even 1 in group play, considering they're in Group B with Finland, Sweden, and Slovakia, that would be miraculous.

11. France

• D Yohann Auvitu (Vitkovice FC, Czechia)
• D Jules Boscq (Iowa Heartlanders, ECHL)
• D Hugo Gallet (Tappara Tampere, Finland)
• LW Alexandre Texier (St. Louis Blues)
• LW Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (Ajoie FC, Switzerland)
• F Jordann Perret (Hradec Kralove, Czechia)

The French are bringing a couple of familiar faces to the tournament in St. Louis Blues forward Alexandre Texier and former NHLer Pierre-Edouard Bellemare.

Still, the French are a rising hockey nation, and they're another nation that will be happy if they can steal a win in group play. They'll be in Group A, which features Canada, Czechia, and Switzerland.

Brutal.

10. Latvia

• C Rodrigo Abols (Philadelphia Flyers)
• D Uvis Balinskis (Florida Panthers)
• C Zemgus Girgensons (Tampa Bay Lightning)
• G Elvis Merzlikins (Columbus Blue Jackets)
• G Arturs Silovs (Vancouver Canucks)
• C Teddy Blueger (Vancouver Canucks)

From France and Italy to the top ten teams is a massive jump, but I think we're going to put Latvia at 10.

Latvia has played well on the international stage over the last few years, and the thing that jumps out about their first six players the most is that they're the only team that has announced two goalies. It's a solid tandem with Merzlikins having backstopped the almost-playoff-making Columbus Blue Jackets while Silovs is playing for the Calder Cup in the AHL right now.

Latvia is in Group C with Germany, Denmark, and the US in what looks to be the easiest group, but stealing a win from Canada or Denmark might be tough for Latvia, and it would almost certainly have to be done thanks to a big game from one of their netminders.

9. Denmark

• LW Nikolaj Ehlers (Winnipeg Jets)
• G Frederik Andersen (Carolina Hurricanes)
• C Lars Eller (Washington Capitals)
• RW Oliver Bjorkstrand (Tampa Bay Lightning)
• RW Jonas Rondbjerg (Vegas Golden Knights)
• D Jesper Jensen Aabo (Klagenfurt AC, Austria)

For an idea of just how good this field could be, Denmark is coming off a fourth-place finish in the IIHF World Championship.

That said, I think full-on NHL participation will benefit other nations more than Denmark, and that's going to be one of their problems.

That said, the Danes are sneaky good. Just ask Canada, which suffered a shocking defeat to them less than a month ago. It's a solid first six with great goaltending from Freddie Andersen and some firepower from Nikolaj Ehlers. 

I don't see Denmark getting out of the group stage, but it wouldn't be a stunner if they proved me wrong.

8. Slovakia

• LW Juraj Slafkovsky (Montreal Canadiens)
• C Martin Pospisil (Calgary Flames)
• D Simon Nemec (New Jersey Devils)
• D Martin Fehervary (Washington Capitals)
• D Erik Cernak (Tampa Bay Lightning)
• LW Tomas Tatar (New Jersey Devils)

The Slovaks don't seem to be as much of a threat as they were in the days of Zdeno Chara and Marian Gaborik, but they still have a solid first six.

Cernak and Tatar will bring a lot of big game experience, while Slafkovsky is an exciting youngster.

Their biggest problem is going to be somehow getting out of Group B with the Swedes and Finns in there too.

Oilers star Leon Draisaitl headlines a solid first six for the Germans. (Photo by Codie McLachlan/Getty Images)

7. Germany

• C Leon Draisaitl (Edmonton Oilers)
• D Moritz Seider (Detroit Red Wings)
• G Philipp Grubauer (Seattle Kraken)
• LW Lukas Reichel (Chicago Blackhawks)
• C Nico Sturm (Florida Panthers)
• C Tim Stutzle (Ottawa Senators)

If you asked me to pick a dark horse, there would be two teams that I think of immediately, and one is Germany. They've played well internationally the last few years, but I think they have a stellar first six. 

I mean, how can you go wrong with Leon Draisaitl? Add in a great D-man like Moritz Seider and some offensive punch from Tim Stutzle (by the way, the Germans are loaded up the middle; they already announced their top three centers), and you've got a team that will win some games.

As good as their first six look, I'm not sure Germany will have the depth to compete with some of the other teams we're going to rank ahead of them.

6. Switzerland

• D Jonas Siegenthaler (New Jersey Devils)
• D Roman Josi (Nashville Predators)
• LW Kevin Fiala (Los Angeles Kings)
• C Nico Hischier (New Jersey Devils)
• RW Nino Niederreiter (Winnipeg Jets)
• RW Timo Meier (New Jersey Devils)

Switzerland is my second go-to dark horse, and can you blame me? That's a solid top six (by the way, the New Jersey Devils love Swiss players, don't they).

They announced what pretty much amounts to a first line or perhaps a top power-play unit, and I think you'd be hard pressed to find too many better.

However, like the Germans, I'm not sure about the Swiss depth, but I think goaltending could be a slight concern, especially with full NHL participation.

That said, the Swiss are coming off a silver medal in the IIHF World Championships, and they earned that by playing the gold medal-winning Team USA squad to overtime.

5. Czechia

• RW David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins)
• C Martin Necas (Colorado Avalanche)
• LW Ondrej Palat (New Jersey Devils)
• C Pavel Zacha (Boston Bruins)
• D Radko Gudas (Anaheim Ducks)
• G Lukas Dostal (Anaheim Ducks)

The Czechs announced a well-rounded first six with some serious offensive capabilities from Pastrnak, Necas, Palat, and Zacha, some solid, tough-as-nails defense with Gudas, and respectable goaltending from Dostal.

The Czechs won the IIHF World Championship last year, and are never a team you want to count out or overlook because they always seem to bring it on the international stage.

It's just that I think four teams are going to be better…

You can always expect a solid blue line for the Swedes, and that's the case once again with the lincusion of Lightning defenseman and Norris Trophy winner Victor Hedman.  (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)

4. Sweden

• D Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres)
• D Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning)
• RW Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles Kings)
• LW Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche)
• RW William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs)
• LW Lucas Raymond (Detroit Red Wings)

We've reached the big dogs: the four teams that participated in the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year.

We're going to put the Swedes at four, because while that's a great-looking first six, I have some reservations.

I was surprised to see that they didn't name a top center or a goaltender, and as great a story as it is, will Gabriel Landeskog be ready for the Olympics after just returning from three years in the press box about a month and a half ago?

We'll see, but the Swedes are always a threat.

3. Finland

• G Juuse Saros (Nashville Predators)
• D Esa Lindell (Dallas Stars)
• D Miro Heiskanen (Dallas Stars)
• RW Mikko Rantanen (Dallas Stars)
• C Aleksander Barkov (Florida Panthers)
• C Sebastian Aho (Carolina Hurricanes)

The Dallas Stars love Finns as much as the Devils love the Swiss, and you've got to figure that Lindell and Heiskanen will be the team's top D-Pair, while Rantanen will play on the top line with either Barkov or Aho.

Saros is a great option in net, perhaps even better than some of the other top teams in the tournament will have.

It's another well-rounded first six, and I think the Finns will be in medal contention without a doubt.

Canada's first six players includes Edmonton's Connor McDavid, the best player on the planet right now. (Photo by Eliot J. Schechter/NHLI via Getty Images)

2. Canada

• C Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins)
• C Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche)
• C Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers)
• D Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche)
• C Brayden Point (Tampa Bay Lightning)
• RW Sam Reinhart (Florida Panthers)

The 4 Nations Face-Off champs are coming in at No. 2, and their top six is impressive.

The biggest concern for me is that there's no goalie on here. Now, I know that other teams skipped netminders, and the goalie situation was the biggest knock on the Canadians at the 4 Nations, and look how that turned out, but I still think that will be the biggest issue for this team.

Still, the depth at center is mind-boggling, and the top power-play unit is going to give five other teams nightmares.

Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews will be part of a well-rounded, dynamic, and gritty Team USA.  (Photo by Claus Andersen/Getty Images)

1. United States

• C Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights)
• D Quinn Hughes (Vancouver Canucks)
• C Auston Matthews (Toronto Maple Leafs)
• D Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins)
• LW Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators)
• LW Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers)

Maybe there's a bit of bias here, but considering they're coming off of a World Championship and a near 4 Nations title, I think you've got to put the Americans at No. 1, especially with the weapons we're seeing here.

Matthews, Eichel, Hughes, both Tkachuks, McAvoy.

Damn.

I also think it's worth noting that the American first six includes the most sandpaper by a mile with the Tkachuks, who I'm sure are already itching to make some teams' time in Italy hell.

Now, I'm aware that the Americans didn't name a goalie, but I think the key difference between them and the Canadians is that we all already know who the top two goalies for the team are likely to be: Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger.

That's enough to give the Americans the edge in my book.