The 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan will feature some of the best talent the NHL has to offer.
Not only will fans get to see superstars go head-to-head, but they’ll also witness the young bucks earn their way onto Olympic rosters and showcase what they have to offer before reaching their prime years.
While this isn’t an exhaustive list, here are three tiers of notable under-25 NHL players who will either be stars on their national team, likely additions or bubble players for the 2026 Olympics.
Tier 1: Stars
The players in this tier are projected to play a significant role for their respective countries at the Olympics. One thing they all have in common is that they are arguably already star players for their NHL teams.
Tim Stutzle, C, Germany
Tim Stutzle will be a crucial piece of Team Germany if they are to have any success in this tournament. There are only seven German players active in the NHL, so Stutzle, Leon Draisaitl, JJ Peterka and Moritz Seider will need to do a lot of heavy lifting.
Stutzle, 23, has emerged as a real star over the last three seasons, scoring at least 70 points or more. Last season, he led the Ottawa Senators in scoring with 79 points in 82 games.
At the 2025 men’s World Championship, Stutzle had two assists and a minus-4 rating in five games. He drew attention at the 2021 world juniors when he put up five goals and 10 points in five games for Germany.
Lucas Raymond, RW, Sweden
Lucas Raymond starred on Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off. He and defenseman Erik Karlsson led Team Sweden with three points each.
Raymond is coming off a career-high season, recording 80 points in 82 games for the Detroit Red Wings. The 23-year-old could be top young star of the Olympics in men’s hockey.
Jack Hughes, C, USA
At the 4 Nations, Hughes didn’t have the best outing for Team USA. He recorded just one assist in the tournament. However, at the 2026 Olympics, there will be more games for the 24-year-old to get his feet under him.
Last season, Hughes scored 27 goals and 70 points in 62 games for the New Jersey Devils. His campaign ended early after a heavy crash into the boards against the Vegas Golden Knights on March 2. The center underwent shoulder surgery.
Projecting Team USA's 2026 Olympic Roster
The NHL’s 2025-26 season is fast approaching, as are the 2026 Olympic Winter Games. With that in mind, we’re analyzing each prominent team’s projected rosters. We started the process by <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/projecting-team-canada-s-2026-olympic-roster">looking at Team Canada</a> on Tuesday. And today, it’s Team USA's turn to be examined.
Tier 2: Likely Locks
In this tier, the players listed have a strong chance of making the Olympic roster of their respective teams. There could be a chance they fall out, but they’re favored to feature in Milan.
Leo Carlsson, C, Sweden
Leo Carlsson, 20, was a member of Sweden’s 4 Nations roster. He was more of an extra forward rather than a roster player, as he only made one appearance in the tournament and logged 14:37. But with another season under his belt, he could rise on Sweden’s depth chart.
In his sophomore NHL campaign, Carlsson recorded his first 20-goal season and added 25 helpers for 45 points with the Anaheim Ducks in 76 games.
Thomas Harley, D, Canada
Last year, not many suspected Thomas Harley to be a part of Team Canada or their success in the 4 Nations. Nonetheless, when he was brought in to replace the injured Shea Theodore, he stood out in a good way, with an assist and an average of 18:17 of ice time in two games.
Because of how he played and handled himself, it’s possible he comes back for the Olympics. The 24-year-old also scored 16 goals and 50 points in 78 regular-season contests for the Dallas Stars last year before adding four goals and 14 assists in 18 playoff games.
Anton Lundell, C, Finland
Anton Lundell is as steady as they come for Team Finland and the Florida Panthers. Even as a young player, the 23-year-old plays a responsible game. In his first four seasons in the NHL, he’s recorded between 33 to 45 points each year as a third-line center.
Last year, Lundell scored 17 goals and a career-high 45 points in 79 games with the Panthers while winning 53 percent of his faceoffs. Not to mention, he has two Stanley Cup championships to his name. It’s safe to say that he’ll be a lock for Team Finland for years to come.
Honorable mentions: Jake Sanderson (USA), Moritz Seider (Germany), JJ Peterka (Germany), Juraj Slafkovsky (Slovakia), Kaapo Kakko (Finland), Lukas Reichel (Germany), Arturs Silovs (Latvia), Jiri Kulich (Czechia), Dalibor Dvorsky (Slovakia), David Jiricek (Czechia), David Spacek (Czechia), Simon Nemec (Slovakia), Samuel Honzek (Slovakia), Maksymilian Szuber (Germany), Damian Clara (Italy)
Projecting Team Canada's 2026 Olympic Roster
The 2026 Olympic Winter Games aren’t all that far away, and with the elite NHL talent we’re going to see in the Games, hockey fans are in for a treat.
Tier 3: Bubble Players
These players are exceptional young talents in the NHL, but due to the depth and quality of hockey talent in their countries, they could be overlooked. They’re in this tier because a hot start to the season could make them leapfrog someone else on the depth chart or be the go-to player in case someone else gets injured.
Macklin Celebrini, C, Canada
Macklin Celebrini had a solid performance at the 2025 World Championship, scoring three goals and six points in eight games for Canada.
Featuring at the World Championship puts Celebrini on Canada’s radar for the 2026 Olympics.
“I know being on the ice with him and then seeing him day-to-day and what he puts into it, I’m sure that’s something that’s made him a better player right away,” Sidney Crosby told reporters at Canada’s Olympic orientation camp last week. “As the year went on last year, he got better and better. And that will be a big building block. He’s earned the right to be in the conversation.”
Whether he sneaks his way onto the roster or not, he’ll be in the conversation one way or another. The 19-year-old center had 25 goals and 63 points in his rookie season with the San Jose Sharks.
Celebrini's 'Earned The Right To Be In The Conversation' For The Olympics, But Whose Spot Does He Take?
Is Macklin Celebrini better than Connor Bedard?
William Eklund, LW, Sweden
Celebrini’s Sharks teammate, William Eklund, is in a similar situation.
He’s shown great promise in his first two full seasons in San Jose, registering 45 and 58 points in those campaigns. The 22-year-old also saw a dramatic improvement in the plus-minus department, going from a minus-45 in 2023-24 to a minus-seven in 2024-25.
Considering Sweden’s forward depth isn’t as deep as that of the Canadians and Americans, Eklund likely has the best chance in this tier of making the Olympic team, at least as an extra skater.
Dustin Wolf, G, USA
The Calder Trophy runner-up, Dustin Wolf, showed the NHL he can be an elite goalie in the league. In 53 starts for the Calgary Flames, the 24-year-old netminder recorded a 2.64 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage, nearly leading his team to the post-season.
There are some incredible goaltenders who are ahead of Wolf on the USA’s depth chart. Three-time Vezina Trophy winner and Hart Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, Thatcher Demko, Joey Daccord, Jeremy Swayman, John Gibson and even Anthony Stolarz could all be in the mix to go to Milan, depending on how the start of next season goes.
The Calder winner, Lane Hutson, has an outside chance of making the team despite not being at the orientation camp. The offensive defenseman had a whopping 60 assists and 66 points in 82 games.
Cole Caufield, RW, USA
Caufield was one of the biggest snubs from Team USA’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster. Among American NHL players, Caufield had the fifth-most goals last season, with 37. He also recorded a career-high 70 points for the Montreal Canadiens.
The 24-year-old also put up four goals and eight points with the United States’ World Championship team in 2024.
Caufield will be 25 when the Olympics arrive. He’ll try to earn a spot over Chris Kreider, Brock Nelson or Vincent Trocheck, but the Americans will want to have a bottom six that can play a solid two-way game with options on the penalty kill.
Honorable mentions: Lane Hutson (USA), Simon Edvinsson (Sweden), Simon Holmstrom (Sweden), Joakim Kemmell (Finland), Ville Heinola (Finland)
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