The Lightning are expected to make an impact at the 2026 Winter Olympics. On Monday, the countries slated to compete in Milan announced the first six names to their preliminary rosters.

Lightning captain Victor Hedman, who led Team Sweden in the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year, will participate in the Olympics for the first time. It’s a long-awaited milestone for Hedman, who was previously set to represent Sweden at the 2022 Beijing Olympics before the NHL was forced to withdraw due to COVID.

Hedman wont be alone, several of his Lightning teammates were also named to their countries’ preliminary Olympic rosters.

Brayden Point will suit up for Team Canada, which will be Coached by Jon Cooper. Erik Cernak earned a nod from Team Slovakia. Zemgus Girgensons will slate in for Latvia, and Oliver Bjorkstrand will represent Denmark.

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