With rosters coming out this week, which Senators will represent their countries at the 2026 Olympics in February?
As hockey fans settle in for the World Juniors over the holidays, they won’t have to wait long for another round of great international hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. The Ottawa Senators are likely to be well represented at the event, with final rosters set to be announced on Wednesday.
Here’s a look at the Ottawa players we believe have at least an outside chance of playing for their country in Milan, along with their odds of making the team.
Team Canada
1. Drake Batherson (5%) – Batherson is averaging 1.09 points per game this season, so the offence is definitely good enough to be there. However, while he’s made great strides in his overall game and defensive play, when stacked up against Canada’s very best, he's not quite there yet.
Team Denmark
2. Lars Eller (100%) – Eller was named to Denmark’s preliminary roster earlier this year, and assuming he recovers from his current injury, he’s a lock for the squad.
3. Mads Søgaard (80%) – Søgaard has played for the national team before, and while his numbers in Belleville have been pretty rough this season, Søgaard and starter Freddy Andersen are the only Danish goalies with NHL experience.
Team Finland
4. Nikolas Matinpalo (75%) – Like Jake Sanderson, Matinpalo was added to Finland’s roster for the Four Nations Face-Off as an injury replacement. He's also been to two of the country's last three World championships. He’s done nothing this season to hurt his stock, even showcasing his ability to play on his wrong side in the best league in the world. He should be a solid bet to be back with the team, at least as an extra.
Team Germany
5. Tim Stützle (100%) – Probably the biggest lock of all. He’s already been named to Germany’s preliminary roster. The Germans have some NHL stars like Leon Draisaitl and Moritz Seider, but more than half the roster will be made up of players from the German leagues. Stutzle is a slam dunk for the 2026 Olympics, and the next four after that.
Team Sweden
6. Linus Ullmark (70%) – Ullmark didn’t have the best start to the season, but he’s rounding into form. That said, his stats may scare off Team Sweden as they ask themselves, is Ullmark a better option than one of Jacob Markström, Filip Gustavsson, or Jesper Wallstedt? I tend to think he is.
7. Fabian Zetterlund (20%) – Like Ullmark, Zetterlund has been heating up lately, but Sweden’s forward depth is outstanding. Zetterlund needed a much stronger start to the season to really put himself in the mix.
Team USA
8. Brady Tkachuk (100%) – Tkachuk is a lock, already named to the preliminary roster. He was in the MVP discussion at the Four Nations event last February, and the Americans will be counting on him again.
9. Jake Sanderson (90%) – After being called in as an injury replacement in the short 4 Nations event, he's only improved since then. So it’s hard to imagine Sanderson not being part of the team. With Quinn Hughes now healthy (and probably in a better mood after the trade), the only question is whether Sanderson cracks the starting six.
10. Shane Pinto (30%) – Pinto played for Team USA during their gold medal run at the Worlds last spring and was invited to the summer orientation camp. That alone put him in the conversation, but he needed to continue his scorching start. A cold stretch and then his current injury have likely hurt his chances.
Rosters must be submitted by this Wednesday, Dec 31, and most nations are expected to announce their final selections on the same day. The 12-nation, 12-day Olympic tournament runs from February 11 to 22. The NHL will take a 19-day break, pausing after their games on Thursday, February 5th and then returning to action with games on Wednesday, February 25.
Steve Warne
The Hockey News Ottawa
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