Anaheim Ducks Who Have the Best Chance of Playing at the 2026 Olympics

It was recently announced that in 2026, NHL players would be returning to Olympic action for the first time since 2014. Do any Anaheim Ducks have a shot at playing in Italy?

Two years from today, NHL players will represent their countries in the Winter Olympics for the first time since the 2014 Olympic Games in Sochi, Russia. That tournament saw Canada defeat Sweden for the Gold Medal and Finland defeat the United States to take home the Bronze. As one would expect, speculation has already begun regarding which NHL players will make their way to Northern Italy in February 2026.

The Anaheim Ducks will have several players hopeful to make their country’s respective roster. Each country will be sending 22 skaters (14 forwards and 8 defensemen) along with 3 goaltenders. The Ducks’ current roster is stockpiled with young, high-end talent. With two more years of development, a number of those talents could find themselves among the top 25 players from their respective countries.

Taking a look into a crystal ball, which Anaheim Ducks have a reasonable shot of playing hockey in Milan in two years?

Mason McTavish: McTavish is the only logical possibility on the Ducks roster to make the 2026 Canadian Olympic Team. Mason is in his sophomore season in the NHL and has taken a significant jump from a production standpoint (.72 points per game) since his rookie season(.54 points per game). He’s ultra-competitive, good in transition, and doesn’t often lose a one-on-one puck battle. When he does, his high motor takes over and he’ll claw tooth and nail to create another.

In his career, McTavish has performed exceptionally well on a big stage. He’s scored 11 goals and 11 assists in 9 World Junior Championship games and captained Team Canada to a Gold Medal in 2022. That year was a busy one for McTavish. After the World Juniors, he headed to Beijing to represent Canada in the 2022 Olympic Games where he only managed an assist in five games. He finished 2021-22 with an appearance in the Memorial Cup where he scored six goals and two assists in five games for the Hamilton Bulldogs of the OHL.

As of now, McTavish would be considered a long shot to make the 2026 Canadian Olympic Team. There’s an incredibly deep talent pool of forwards that will be vying for a spot. If McTavish continues on his trajectory or can exceed it, there’s an outside chance he can be one of the 14 forwards selected.

Troy Terry: Terry continues to grow and evolve his game year after year. His production was lacking early in the 2023-24 season but has gained traction and he’s now on pace for his third consecutive 60-plus point season. It’s a tall task to be that consistent on teams who dwell near the bottom of the standings like the Ducks have over that time. Terry is one of the craftier players in the league and uses that talent to get the puck to dangerous areas of the ice. He has an active, effective defensive stick and can draw defenders toward him before dishing to teammates with better looks at the net.

Like Mctavish, Troy Terry has performed well on the biggest stages he’s had in his career. In his 2016-17 sophomore season at the University of Denver, he led his team in scoring with 45 points in 35 games en route to a National Championship. A few months before that, he scored seven points in seven games representing the United States at the World Junior Championship where he put on a performance for the ages when he went four for four in shootout attempts between the semi-finals against Russia and the finals against Canada. Terry also represented the United States at the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang where he tallied five assists in five games. Terry will be 28 years old at the start of the 2026 Olympics.

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Trevor Zegras: Zegras is one of the most offensively gifted players in the NHL today. Like Terry, he had back-to-back 60-plus point seasons in 2021-22 and 2022-23; his rookie and sophomore NHL seasons, respectfully. His deception coupled with his IQ and vision make him a threat to score or pass at any moment. Whether he uses his sublime puck skills to back defenders away or draw them near, he does so to create dangerous looks for himself and his teammates.

Zegras’ best performance in his career came in the 2021 World Junior Championships where he decisively led his team in scoring with 18 points in 7 games en route to a Gold Medal. His next closest teammate had eight points. Zegras will be 24 years old when the 2026 Olympic Games are underway.

A similar conundrum lies at the feet of Zegras and Terry that does at McTavish’s. Team USA will have a deep pool of supremely talented forwards to select from at the 2026 Olympics. Both players will have to take an even more significant step or two if they want a chance of making the roster and heading to Milan.

John Gibson: Gibson is one of the most talented goaltenders in the NHL. His traditional and underlying numbers haven’t reflected that statement, however. His numbers took a dip after the 2017-18 season, but a significant portion of that can be attributed to the team in front of him and the chances they were giving up on a nightly basis. Gibson rarely allows a soft goal and consistently gives his team a chance to win.

Gibson last represented Team USA at the 2013 World Championships where he posted a .951 SV% in five games. The winter prior, he concluded the 2013 World Junior Championships with a .955 SV% in seven games when his team won the Bronze Medal.

Gibson will be 32 years old at the time of the 2026 Olympics, but that’s not the only uphill battle he’ll have to face if he wants to make the Team USA roster. A trio of Vezina-caliber goaltenders stand in his way; Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, and Thatcher Demko.

Leo Carlsson: Carlsson might have the best chance of any Duck to represent their country at the Olympic Games in two years. The 19-year-old has made an immediate impact at the NHL level in his short 32-game career thus far. He is consistently thinking two to three steps ahead of his opponents and can dissect a play like a seasoned NHL veteran. His cerebral skills combined with his six-foot-three frame, lightning-quick hands, and powerful stride will make him a potent scorer and defensive forward for years to come.

In his draft-eligible season, Carlsson scored three goals and three assists in seven World Junior Championship games in the winter and added five points in eight World Championship games over the summer.

By 2026, Swedish forwards like Nicklas Backstrom and Michael Backlund will either be at or near retirement age. There are a handful of near-locks to make the roster like Elias Pettersson, William Nylander, Filip Forsberg, etc. But after that, the forward positions will have some vacancies. If the progress seen from Leo Carlsson in just his first four-plus months in the NHL is any indication, by the time he’s 21 and hoping to make the Team Sweden Olympic squad in 2026, he’ll already be one of the NHL’s better two-way forwards. 

Lukas Dostal: Dostal is 23 games into his first full NHL season. His SV% is around league average (.901) and -1.3 GSAx. Dostal plays a reliable and sound game between the pipes. He’s always square to pucks and smart on his angles while excelling at puck-tracking and fighting through screens. At least once per game, Dostal will make an incredible save or play look so casual and routine. A soft goal allowed is a rare occurrence with Dostal in net.

Dostal last represented Czechia at the 2022 World Championships where he only saw one, but his SV% was .944.

Dostal will be 25 years old at the time of the 2026 Opening Ceremony in Milan. He’s one of a handful of Czech goaltenders currently active in the NHL. His biggest competition towards making the roster will likely be Vitek Vanacek, Karel Vejmelka, and Daniel Vladar. Smart money would be on Dostal making the team and possibly starting most games for Czechia.

With so many of the Anaheim Ducks’ most talented players and prospects being under 24 years old, it would be a solid bet to see more of them represent their countries at the 2030 Olympic Games than in 2026. However, a lot can change in two years.

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