The three biggest standouts of the Olympic men's hockey tournament were at different positions – and came from different countries.
The 2026 Winter Olympics ended Sunday on a thrilling note with Team USA beating Team Canada 2-1 in overtime to claim the gold medal in men's hockey.
From our perspective, the three stars of the tournament were all from different countries. And all three are at different positions, showing you that the planet's top players can make an impact in different ways.
With that said, here are our picks for the three stars of the Olympics, starting with the player who was voted the most valuable player by the accredited media in Milan:
1. Connor McDavid, C, Canada
Not only was McDavid voted MVP and made the media all-star team, but the tournament directorate also named McDavid the best forward.
In six games, McDavid dominated as you'd expect the world's best player would at the Olympics, posting a whopping 11 assists and 13 points. He broke the record for most points in an Olympic tournament with NHL participation.
McDavid used his otherworldly speed and vision to create chance after chance for his Canadian teammates. And while the Edmonton Oilers superstar failed in his goal of leading Canada to a gold medal, you can't pin the loss to the U.S. on him.
At 29 years old, McDavid experienced the first of what will be multiple Olympic appearances. And he availed himself very well in the 2026 Games.
In a perfect world, you might have wanted McDavid to score more often. But his premier skills as a playmaker were perfectly suited to make his Canadian teammates among the best in the tournament.
McDavid had all the pressure to produce an Olympic championship, and while he failed in that regard, you'd better believe he's going to be even more determined to win the Stanley Cup this spring and gold four years from now.
2. Connor Hellebuyck, G, United States
The Americans' championship performance Sunday was in large part due to the incredible play of Winnipeg Jets goalie Hellebuyck, who stopped 41 of 42 shots to give his team the chance to win they were looking for.
He was an easy choice for the tournament directorate as the best goaltender.
In five games at these Olympics, Hellebuyck was stellar, posting a .956 save percentage and a 1.18 goals-against average. He kept the Americans alive in their game against Sweden when it went to overtime, and he very rarely let his play sag against easier opponents.
Any doubts about Hellebuyck being a big-game, high-stakes netminder were put to bed for good in this tourney. The 32-year-old benefitted from playing behind a terrific American defense corps, but when the U.S. needed him to come through with big stops against Canada in particular, Hellebuyck delivered as advertised.
Hellebuyck may not even get the Jets into the playoffs this season, but his Olympics performance demonstrated that, given enough talent around him, Hellebuyck can be the needle-moving netminder his teams have needed him to be.
3. Juraj Slafkovsky, LW, Slovakia
The Slovaks were the big overachievers in the 2026 Games, and Slafkovsky's step-up effort was a major reason why.
In six games, the 21-year-old posted four goals and eight points to sit in fourth place among all Olympic scorers. He scored the opening goal of the tournament and added another in a huge round-robin win over Finland, which went a long way toward clinching a bye into the quarterfinals.
The Montreal Canadiens left winger was playing in his second Olympics after earning MVP honors in 2022 at just 17 years old, but there's still a sense he's just tapping into his potential as a difference-maker on the global stage.
Slafkovsky has 21 goals and 45 points in 57 games with the Habs this season, but at a time when he was the main target of Slovakia's opponents, he proved he can be a major-impact performer.
If Team Slovakia can surround him with a deeper group of players in the 2030 Games, Slafkovsky could raise his game to even higher levels. He's got many more Olympics in front of him, and he is still showing there's plenty of upside in the effort we're going to see from him down the line on the global stage.
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