Olympic Week: Which Under-25 NHL Stars Could Seize Roster Spots in 2026?

In a short, high-pressure hockey tournament like the Winter Olympics, a little veteran savvy often goes a long way. But sometimes a little youthful enthusiasm can be just what the doctor ordered.

At the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, Team North America's 23-and-under roster became tournament darlings with their speed-and-skill oriented game. A decade later, players from the next generation could get a chance to build their legacies while playing beside veteran teammates on the Olympic stage.

So far, eight teams have secured a spot in the 2026 tournament, which will see NHL players back in the mix for the first time since 2014. 

Italy gets one spot as the tournament host. Here are the other seven (eight including Russia), listed in order of their 2024 IIHF World Ranking:

Note: Russia ranks second, but its Olympic eligibility remains uncertain. For now, its ongoing ban from IIHF events extends to 2025. So Russian players are not included in this article.

Here, we'll shine the spotlight on players who will be 24 or under in February of 2026, and have a reasonable shot at making their nations' Olympic teams. Depending on their birthdates, that makes them 22 or 23 as of August 2024.

Competition will be fierce, to say the least.

Remember when 20-year-old Drew Doughty earned a spot on Canada’s 2010 Olympic team in Vancouver, after being drafted less than two years earlier? It was unexpected and serves as a good reminder that surprises can happen.

Canada has some question marks around its netminding, but there’s a deep talent pool of skaters which will make it tough for many kids to get noticed, but it won't be impossible for a youngster to snag a spot on the squad.

Wyatt Johnston should earn strong consideration. With 106 points in just two NHL seasons, he’s the top scorer from the 2021 draft class and will be just 22 in February of 2026.

Connor Bedard should also contend for a roster spot. He’ll be into his third NHL season by 2025-26, although still just 20 years old.

Among the slightly older Canadians, continued progress could lead to Olympic opportunities for Seth Jarvis, Alexis Lafreniere or Quinton Byfield. All three were drafted in 2020 and made huge strides last season. Byfield will still be 23 in February of 2026, while Jarvis and Lafreniere will be 24.

The Finns are the defending gold medalists in men’s hockey, after winning gold in Beijing in 2022. And in the past, they haven’t shied away from bringing younger players to the Olympics. In 2014, freshly drafted 18-year-old Aleksander Barkov got into two games in Sochi.

In Italy, the Finns will have a strong crop of players in their mid-20s. But there aren’t many young guns in the mix at the moment, unless 2024 picks Konsta Helenius or Emil Hemming go on a major tear.

The youngest Finn to play in the NHL last season was 2022 first-rounder Brad Lambert, who got into just one game with the Winnipeg Jets. 

Finland’s youngest player could well be the man they call 'Baby Barkov.' Anton Lundell will be a mature 24-year-old playing in his fifth NHL season by the time the Games roll around.

Lukas Dostal had a great breakout season in 2023-24, including a gold medal at the men's world championship. But he's already 24, so he doesn't qualify for this list. 

The brightest young Czech stars that could make the team are defenseman David Jiricek and forward Jiri Kulich. 

A 2022 first-rounder, Kulich will be just 21 in 2026. And while he has played just one NHL game for the Buffalo Sabres so far, he has been a standout in international play at lower levels. He earned MVP honors at the 2022 World U-18 Championships, then followed that up with tournament all-star nods at world juniors in both 2023 and 2024.

Jiricek has 47 games of NHL experience so far and will be 22 at the time of the Winter Olympics.

Unless there's a ringer in the pipeline, don't expect to see under-25 representation on the Swiss team in Italy. Only 10 players from the nation of 8.7 million skated in the NHL last season, and all will be over that age threshold by 2026.

Some of the younger players from the Americans' phenomenal 2019 draft class will still be under 25 when the Olympics roll around. That list includes Jack Hughes and Matt Boldy, currently the two highest-scoring players from that 2019 group.

Depending on how the next year goes, the pair should earn consideration among an absolutely stacked group of forwards. At the younger end of the spectrum, let's see if Matty Beniers, Matthew Knies or Logan Cooley can get their names into the conversation.

The American back end is also stacked, but it would be a surprise not to see Brock Faber in the mix for a roster spot following his phenomenal rookie year. He’ll be 23 when the Olympics come around. 

And while Quinn Hughes should be a lock at age 26, it’s not impossible that Luke Hughes could join both his brothers in wearing the red, white and blue.

Bonus points to Faber, Beniers and Knies for previous Olympic experience. All three suited up in Beijing in 2022, while they were still in college.

The Swedes didn’t put a single player into the first round of the 2024 draft, but they have some strong young talent that could challenge the veterans for Olympic roster spots.

That list starts with Leo Carlsson, who showed that he could compete with men at the world championship before he was drafted in 2023. 

William Eklund could also play his way into the conversation with a strong sophomore campaign, and on the blue line, Philip Broberg and Simon Edvinsson will each have another year to develop their game and try to push into the mix.

Only seven German skaters suited up for an NHL game in the 2023-24 season, so it should be all hands on deck in Italy.

Moritz Seider leads the charge of young guns, and he’ll be 24 at Olympic time. The 2020 draft-class stars Tim Stutzle, J.J. Peterka and Lukas Reichel are one year younger and should also play significant roles.

Three more teams will qualify in IIHF tournaments to be held in Europe in late August. 

If you're hungry for more exciting young guns in the tournament, put your rooting interests behind No. 9 Slovakia (Juraj Slafkovsky and Simon Nemec), No. 10 Latvia (Arturs Silovs) and No. 13 Austria (Marco Rossi).