The group phase of the Olympic men's hockey tournament in Milan is complete, and the qualification playoff matchups [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/olympic-men-s-hockey-qualifying-round-matchups-are-set] and a snippet of the quarterfinal have been set. Canada, USA, Slovakia and Finland received byes to the quarterfinals. The remaining eight teams will compete in the qualification playoff round on Tuesday. During this transition in the tournament, it's a good time to evaluate each team's performance so far and where they stand. Some nations have surprised, while others have disappointed following the first three games at the Olympics [https://thehockeynews.com/news/tag/2026-olympics]. Here are the Olympic men's hockey power rankings following the preliminary round, taking into account the preliminary round standings and expectations for the rest of the tournament. 1. CANADA Previous power rankings: 1 [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/olympic-men-s-hockey-power-rankings-canada-hold-the-edge-on-paper]Preliminary round overall ranking: 1 It shouldn't surprise anyone to see Team Canada at the top of this list. They've been the most dominant team in the tournament, outscoring their opponents 20-3 across the three group contests. Canada has scored the most goals and conceded the fewest at this tournament, and they faced dark-horse teams, Czechia and Switzerland. Olympic Men's Hockey: Canada Set For Quarterfinal, Dismantling France In Final Group Game [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/0dbf6924-5402-42ac-a3e0-c05e274a557b.jpeg] Olympic Men's Hockey: Canada Set For Quarterfinal, Dismantling France In Final Group Game Team Canada wraps up the group phase with a crushing 10-2 win over France, setting itself up for their quarterfinal outing on Wednesday. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/olympic-men-s-hockey-canada-set-for-quarterfinal-dismantling-france-in-final-group-game] 2. USA Previous power rankings: 2 Preliminary round overall ranking: 2 The two North American teams are at the top of the Olympic standings. Team USA could've claimed the top seed on Sunday in the game against Germany, but they needed to score seven more goals than they did in the 5-1 win to surpass Canada on goal differential. Nonetheless, many individuals are having great campaigns, including captain Auston Matthews, who leads the team in goals and points. USA Teammates Defend Auston Matthews Against Critics: 'You Guys Put A Lot Of Heat On Him For No Reason' [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/196e0b42-21de-4658-8e3a-ed37c874eb1a.png] USA Teammates Defend Auston Matthews Against Critics: 'You Guys Put A Lot Of Heat On Him For No Reason' Before the Olympics began, one American reporter said that Matthews lacks the “big game gene.” After two games, another wrote it is “painfully obvious” that the Maple Leafs captain is not captain material. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/olympics/usa-teammates-defend-auston-matthews-against-critics-you-guys-put-a-lot-of-heat-on-him-for-no-reason] 3. SLOVAKIA Previous power rankings: 8 Preliminary round overall ranking: 3 Slovakia opened the tournament with a surprise 4-1 win over Finland. That turned out to be the biggest win of their tournament so far because it allowed them to top Group B. Juraj Slafkovsky has led his team fearlessly and has been one of the best players at the Olympics. In three games, he has three goals and six points, which ties Canada's Sidney Crosby for the third-most points in the tournament. 4. FINLAND Previous power rankings: 4 Preliminary round overall ranking: 4 Finland didn't get the start they wanted at these Olympics. However, since that opening game, they responded nicely and earned the final spot to get a bye into the quarterfinals. The Finns picked up a massive 4-1 win over rivals Sweden in their second contest. And in their last game, they rocked the host nation Italy in an 11-0 victory. Olympic Men's Hockey: Finland Go To War With Sweden – And Win [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/890f27f4-64cd-4046-9fdb-582f061c860c.jpeg] Olympic Men's Hockey: Finland Go To War With Sweden – And Win Finnish hockey superstar Mikko Rantanen says Team Finland plays "grinding, physical, in-your-face hockey." That was on display to its fullest extent in a vicious game against Sweden at the Olympics. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/olympic-men-s-hockey-finland-go-to-war-with-sweden-and-win] 5. SWEDEN Previous power rankings: 3 Preliminary round overall ranking: 7 While they aren't in a terrible spot – set to face Latvia in the qualifying round – Sweden haven't been as dominant as expected. Despite having the same 2-0-0-1 record as Slovakia and Finland, Sweden can only blame themselves for being the seventh seed overall. They haven't had the hottest goaltending in the tournament, allowing nine goals in three games, and they haven't been as threatening offensively as their roster suggests, ranking fourth in goals-for, with 11. They were the only team to trail Italy or lose a lead to them. 6. SWITZERLAND Previous power rankings: 7 Preliminary round overall ranking: 5 Switzerland should be very happy with where they stand heading into their qualification round match against Italy. They earned the highest seed outside the top four by finishing second in Group A. In their overtime victory against Czechia on Sunday, the Swiss proved to be a team to be wary of, even if star left winger Kevin Fiala is out for the rest of the year following his leg injury. Do Not Overlook Switzerland In The Olympic Knockout Stages [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/5e77b96e-ae3b-4829-9054-40f29b114b98.jpeg] Do Not Overlook Switzerland In The Olympic Knockout Stages With a secret weapon who never played in the NHL, a coach who instilled new confidence into the national program and extra motivation to medal, watch out for Team Switzerland in the Olympic knockout stages. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/do-not-overlook-switzerland-in-the-olympic-men-s-hockey-knockout-stages] 7. CZECHIA Previous power rankings: 5 Preliminary round overall ranking: 8 Arguably, the most disappointing team of the competition so far is Czechia. For a team that seemed to be a favorite in the dark horse category, they haven't given any signs of being a medal contender at these Olympics. Czechia's only win has come against France by an unconvincing score of 6-3. In fact, the Czechs were down 3-2 at one point in that contest and were gifted a 3-on-0 breakaway while shorthanded. They lost to a Fiala-less Switzerland squad in overtime, and even though Canada was always the favorite, Czechia didn't even put up a fight against the Canadians. Olympic Men's Hockey: Czechia Hasn't Performed As Medal Contenders Like Many Expected [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/2b544f97-fa0d-4771-b76a-352c8660d29a.jpeg] Olympic Men's Hockey: Czechia Hasn't Performed As Medal Contenders Like Many Expected Despite pre-tournament hype that pegged them as a dark-horse pick to do damage at the 2026 Olympics, Czechia has faltered in virtually every game and now faces a tougher path toward Olympic gold. Can they rebound and make it to the podium? [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/olympic-men-s-hockey-czechia-hasn-t-performed-as-medal-contenders-like-many-expected] 8. GERMANY Previous power rankings: 6 Preliminary round overall ranking: 6 Germany could surprise in the final stretch of this tournament. Sure, they only recorded one win in the preliminary round, but with Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stutzle, JJ Peterka and Moritz Seider on the team, the Germans are just one chance away from breaking another nation's heart. They get a favorable matchup against France in the qualifying round, and the winner of that game plays Slovakia. There is an intriguing path for Germany to reach the semifinals of this tournament. 9. DENMARK Previous power rankings: 9 Preliminary round overall ranking: 9 Denmark have performed just about as many have expected, not providing much surprise so far aside from a 4-2 win over Latvia. However, for this qualification playoff game against Czechia, they can orchestrate one of the biggest upsets of the tournament. With Czechia struggling to meet their standards, the Danes could swoop in and take advantage of a team out of form. Ultimately, that would change the perspective of Denmark in these Olympics. 10. LATVIA Previous power rankings: 10 Preliminary round overall ranking: 10 It may be unfair to have Latvia as low as they are in this list since they did beat Germany in the round-robin. However, they haven't made much noise in the competition. They also finished at the bottom of Group C when they could've beat Denmark and finished second. But maybe there's a chance they'll upset Switzerland in the qualifying round. After all, they have two NHL goaltenders at their disposal in Elvis Merzlikins and Arturs Silovs, and they could be capable of surprises. 11. ITALY Previous power rankings: 12 Preliminary round overall ranking: 12 Technically, Italy have been the worst team in this tournament, losing all three games, recording a goal differential of minus-15 and the scoring the fewest goals. However, these underdogs deserve their flowers for how they've competed. Sure, they lost 11-0 to Finland, but think about the fear they struck into Sweden when they wouldn't go away in the opening contest. Not to mention just a one-goal loss to the Slovaks, who won the group. 12. FRANCE Previous power rankings: 11 Preliminary round overall ranking: 11 Finally, the team that will be the hosts of the 2030 Winter Olympics, France. They lost 10-2 to the Canadians on Sunday and have now conceded the most goals in this tournament with 20 across three games. They take on Germany in the qualifying round, which isn't an impossible game to handle, but France will need to play the game of their lives to stick around in this competition. They did, however, show a glimpse of exciting play when they scored three unanswered goals on Czechia and took a 3-2 lead. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/8127be64-29a5-4c3a-8ebc-51fffbeb115e.jpeg] For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.
