Coming out of the 2026 Winter Olympics [https://thehockeynews.com/news/tag/2026-olympics], it is clear which elite-level NHL players made the most of the global spotlight and which ones struggled to make an impact. There's no question that having a strong tournament on the stat sheet is a great sign for players as they re-acclimate to the NHL in the post-Olympic break. And players who failed to thrive at the 2026 Games will have the spotlight on them back in the NHL – and not in a good way. So it's time to look at who was hot and who was cold at the Olympics. For the hot players, we wanted to shout out some NHLers who weren't on the media all-star team. That all-star group includes Connor Hellebuyck, Quinn Hughes, Cale Makar, Connor McDavid, Macklin Celebrini and Juraj Slafkovsky. HOT: MARTIN NECAS, RW, TEAM CZECHIA Necas came into the Olympics as a stellar point-producer for the Colorado Avalanche [http://thn.com/colorado], posting 22 goals and 62 points in 52 games. As a key member of Team Czechia, Necas also delivered as advertised, putting up three goals and eight points in five games – a total that had him tied for fourth among all Olympic players. Although the Czechs disappointed in Italy, losing in the quarterfinal, you can't say the same for Necas. The 27-year-old has never had a problem scoring for his country. Since 2023-24, he's posted seven goals and 22 points in 17 games representing the Czechs at the Olympics and World Championships. At his best, Necas can hurt you as a goal-scorer and as a playmaker, and in these Olympics, he raised his game to a new level. COLD: BRANDON HAGEL, LW, TEAM CANADA Hagel's having a terrific year with the Tampa Bay Lightning [http://thn.com/tampabay], amassing 27 goals and 54 points in 50 games. In the three games just before to the Olympic break, Hagel had two goals and five points. Unfortunately for him, on a deep Canadian team, Hagel finished the Olympics with only one goal in six games. In each of his past four seasons, Hagel has posted at least 26 goals, so one Olympic tournament shouldn't change how he plays in the NHL. But he should be motivated to start a new hot streak when the season resumes Wednesday after what he did in Milan. We're not suggesting Hagel won't be invited back to Team Canada in future best-on-best tournaments, but he now has four years to build toward a better performance at the 2030 Olympics in the French Alps. Canada's Jon Cooper Blasts OT Format After Gold Medal Game: 'There's A Reason Why 3-On-3 Is Not In The Stanley Cup Final' [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/bbb68849-14b8-42ee-a075-238e8a06c226.jpeg] Canada's Jon Cooper Blasts OT Format After Gold Medal Game: 'There's A Reason Why 3-On-3 Is Not In The Stanley Cup Final' Team Canada coach Jon Cooper said he's not using the 3-on-3 overtime as an excuse for losing the gold medal game. But he said taking four players off the ice made the hockey "not hockey anymore." [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/canada-s-jon-cooper-blasts-ot-format-after-gold-medal-game-there-s-a-reason-why-3-on-3-is-not-in-the-stanley-cup-final] HOT: LUCAS RAYMOND, RW, TEAM SWEDEN Team Sweden was full of high-end offense producers, but Lucas Raymond and Mika Zibanejad were the only two to average at least a point per game. And Raymond still had three more points than Zibanejad's six. The Detroit Red Wings [http://thn.com/detroit] right winger had eight assists and nine points in only five games for the Swedes. Only Edmonton Oilers [http://thn.com/edmonton] superstar Connor McDavid (13 points) and San Jose Sharks [http://thn.com/sanjose] phenom Macklin Celebrini (10 points) had more points than Raymond. The 23-year-old entered the Olympic break on a cold streak, posting only two points in five games. But he still has 41 assists and 60 points in 56 games, a pace that will challenge his career-best 53-assist, 80-point season in 2024-25. He still is only scratching the surface of what he can be at the highest levels of the game, but Raymond is exceeding expectations. The same cannot be said for Team Sweden, which went home in the quarterfinal. COLD: TOMAS HERTL, C, TEAM CZECHIA Hertl put up 49 points in 57 games for the Vegas Golden Knights [http://thn.com/vegas] entering the Olympic break, including four points in the last five games. But in five Olympic games for Czechia, Hertl had only one point. Contrast that with his five points in 10 games at the 2022 World Championship, the last time he represented Czechia internationally – and it's even clearer that Hertl underwhelmed at the 2026 Olympics. Hertl is now 32, so at the 2030 Olympics, he'll be an elder statesman for the Czechs. But for the Golden Knights, he's still very much a key component. And Vegas will need him to get back to the pace he was on prior to the Olympics. Olympic Men's Hockey: Three Stars Of The Tournament Feature The MVP And Best Goalie [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/d674131f-bba4-43f0-9c80-59b32f3e680f.jpeg] Olympic Men's Hockey: Three Stars Of The Tournament Feature The MVP And Best Goalie The three biggest standouts of the Olympic men's hockey tournament were at different positions – and came from different countries. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/olympic-men-s-hockey-three-stars-of-the-tournament-feature-the-mvp-and-best-goalie] HOT: JOEL ARMIA, RW, TEAM FINLAND Armia hasn't been having a bad season per se, with 10 goals and 20 points in 51 games for the Los Angeles Kings [http://thn.com/la]. But Armia being Finland's top scorer in the Olympics is surprising, especially considering he averaged 12:53 of ice time. He recorded three goals and eight points in only six games. That tied him with Necas and two others for fourth place among all Olympic point-producers. Armia is a bottom-six forward and a penalty-killer who logs about 14 to 15 minutes of ice time per NHL game, so seeing him thrive on offense was rather unexpected. But Armia will be 36 years old the next time he plays for the Finns at the Olympics – and if he leads the team in points again four years from now, even people who saw him excel in Milan will be surprised. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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.
