On Monday, the 12 countries that will play hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan, Italy revealed the first six players that will be on their roster. There were some shockers and a lot of expected names.
The Chicago Blackhawks only had one player named, and that was forward Lukas Reichel, who was one of the first six named to Team Germany. He is listed alongside Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stutzle, Moritz Seider, Philipp Grubauer, and Nico Sturm. It’s a bit surprising that J.J. Peterka, a potential Blackhawks trade target, was left off in favor of Reichel, but the latter did something that the management team liked.
Although Reichel is the only Blackhawks player named in the “first six” portion of the roster reveal, he is far from the only one who could play his way onto an Olympic roster.
Canada
Connor Bedard did not make Team Canada for the 4-Nations Face-Off. You have to earn playing on a team like this. Bedard is talented enough, but he must have a wonderful start to the 2015-26 season if he wants to play for Canada at the Olympics.
He wasn’t one of the first snubs either. There were a handful of other players who didn’t make it who would have been replacements over Bedard. That doesn’t mean that things can’t change for him this time. If he comes out of the gate and looks like that point-per-game superstar he was projected to be, Hockey Canada will consider him.
United States
It may be a bit early for them in their careers, but forward Frank Nazar and defenseman Alex Vlasic are on the radar of Team USA. Each of them did a great job playing for Team USA at the 2025 World Championships. Playing in that tournament has been known to get players in the good graces of USA Hockey.
For Nazar, who led that tournament in scoring, it might be hard for him to make the team simply due to the fact that Team USA already has multiple highly skilled, smaller players.
As for Vlasic, he needs to have a strong start to the season defensively if he wants to make it. He'd be in a defensive-minded role if he played on this team. Stars like Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski, Charlie McAvoy, and Adam Fox are there to create offense from the blue line.
Vlasic would be perfect in a shut-down role, which the United States will need against teams like Canada and Sweden. Jaccob Slavin is the best defensive defenseman in the league, but you never know what kind of injuries or circumstances arrive in 2025-26. If a strong player with those skills becomes needed, Vlasic will have his name in the hat.
Finland
Teuvo Teravainen, who had an underrated season in 2024-25 in his return to Chicago, will be on Team Finland. He is on the outside of being a "first-six" player named, but his skills in the offensive zone will earn him a spot on the team.
Teravainen can score goals, but his playmaking at even strength and on the power play is what makes him an extra valuable player. There are a lot of elite players on Team Finland who will take full advantage of Teravainen as long as he gets the ice time he needs.
He probably should have played more in the 4-Nations Face-Off, but there was a lot of overreacting going on due to the short length of that event. In the Olympics, Teravainen should be able to have the time/opportunity needed to make some noise.
Sweden
Team Sweden has options in goal. Jacob Markstrom and Linus Ullmark are likely the leading candidates. Filip Gustavsson is in the mix as well. These were the three goalies that made the initial Team Sweden roster for the 4-Nations Face-Off.
An injury to Markstrom forced them to make Sam Ersson the new third string on the team. Blackhawks goalie Arvid Soderblom was an option for a replacement, but they went with Ersson instead.
Following the end of the NHL regular season, Soderblom joined Team Sweden for the World Championships, and he did a great job. Ersson and Markstrom were his teammates there.
If circumstances force Sweden to dip into their goaltending depth, the young Blackhawks goalie will be considered.
Soderblom is an RFA right now, so Chicago should make sure they get him signed to be Spencer Knight's backup before the regular season begins. Once that happens, he can start truly focusing on his game ahead of what could be a huge year for him.
Switzerland
Philipp Kurashev is not a lock to be on the Blackhawks in 2025-26 as he is an RFA. It is up to them if they want to bring him back, but he’s still a part of the team for now.
Kurashev, despite having a tough year, will be on the Swiss National Team. Despite being a solid hockey country with high-end talent, it doesn’t have the depth that other countries do. A player like Kurashev, who has shown promise in the NHL at times, will be one of the bottom-six forwards on Team Switzerland.
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