Ten Florida Panthers players are descending on the 2026 Winter Olympics. Here are the Cats who will be representing Team Finland.
The NHL may be on a long break for the 2026 Winter Olympics but there are still plenty of opportunities to see the Florida Panthers during the pause.
That’s because there are not one, not two, but ten Panthers players participating in the men’s hockey tournament at the Olympics in Milan, as well as several team coaches and staff members.
THN Florida has been going nation-by-nation to break down which Florida players and staffers were suiting up for their respective countries, and this time we’re talking Team Finland.
The Panthers will have three players wearing the blue and white of Finland, matching the most Cats players at the Olympics with Team Canada.
They are Anton Lundell, Eetu Luostarinen and Niko Mikkola.
There would’ve been four Panthers representing Finland if Florida captain Sasha Barkov was healthy, but he continues to recover from major knee surgery after suffering a torn ACL and MCL during Training Camp back in September.
If you include staff members, Finland has the largest contingent of Panthers at the Olympics.
That’s because Panthers assistant coach Tuomo Ruutu will also be on the bench for Team Finland as an assistant coach.
Early indications are that Lundell and Luostarinen will skate on the same forward line for the Finns, as they do often while playing in Florida.
Joining Lundell and Luostarinen on the right wing was Kappo Kakko, with Oliver Kapinen also getting some rushes on the wing.
As for Mikkola, he was seen on the left side of a pairing with Rasmus Ristolainen.
The first game of the Olympics for the Finns will be Wednesday at 10:40 a.m. ET against Slovakia. They also play on Friday at 6:10 a.m. against rival Sweden and on Saturday at 10:40 a.m. against the host country Italy.
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Photo caption: Feb 17, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Finland forward Eetu Luostarinen (27) during warmups prior to a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game against Team Canada at TD Garden. (Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images)