Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen will represent Finland at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
December 26, 2025. One fateful call pinged Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen’s phone.
The call came around a year after he was named to Finland’s 4 Nations Faceoff roster, a move that came about as a result of his stellar play to start the 2024–25 season. It was his first time representing his home country since winning Gold at the 2019 IIHF World Championship. Now, in the midst of his sixth season in the NHL, he’ll be reprising his role as a goaltender for Team Finland — this time at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
“It was a cool, little late Christmas gift,” he joked on Friday morning after the official roster was released.
“That’s the call you want to get,” he elaborated. “To be honest, I’ve been trying to visualize that moment and kind of attract and imagine myself being there, because that’s obviously been a big goal, not just for this year, but for a long time. So when the phone rang, I was obviously really happy that my family was there to share the news. It’s something I will never forget.”
Lankinen was one of 19 players who were named to Finland’s roster earlier today, with the Canucks goaltender joining former Gold medal-winning World Championship teammates in Kaapo Kakko, Joel Kiviranta, Eetu Luostarinen, Niko Mikkola, and Henri Jokiharju. For the most part, Finland’s roster looks similar to the group of players they iced for the 4 Nations Faceoff — albeit with the omission of Aleksander Barkov (injured), Patrik Laine, Juuso Välimäki, and Urho Vaakanainen.
“It’s a great, great roster. I think we showed last year in 4 Nations that we can compete, and we’ve got some really good quality players. I think the only goal is to win gold,” Lankinen added. “We know each other. It’s a small country, so everybody knows each other anyway. We’re a good group of guys and, like I said, I think we can be really competitive.”
The fact that there hasn’t been much of a change-up from their 4 Nations roster isn’t necessarily a bad thing, Lankinen noted. With Finland being a smaller country, he pointed out that the fact that the players all know each other already is and has been a strength of theirs in previous international play.
“I think that’s been an advantage of Team Finland forever, just because the guys are so committed and we have good chemistry in the locker room. That’s what we’re gonna keep building on.”
The 4 Nations Faceoff gave the four teams involved — Finland, Sweden, USA, and Canada — somewhat of a preview as to what they could expect from one-another come Olympic time. Lankinen discussed last year’s 4–3 overtime win against Sweden, which included his Canucks teammate Elias Pettersson, and expressed his excitement at facing him again.
“We had a good matchup last year in 4 Nations and we got the better of them, but they have a really competitive team as well. Everybody has; it’s the best of the best. So I’m looking forward to it.”
![Feb 17, 2025; Boston, MA, USA; [Imagn Images direct customers only] Team Finland goalie Kevin Lankinen (32) makes a save during warmups prior to a 4 Nations Face-Off ice hockey game against Team Canada at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images](https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/2f39de71-af6a-448c-bfe3-da84ce494744.jpeg)
While this isn’t Lankinen’s first time representing his team internationally, it is his first time representing Finland at the Olympics. NHLers haven’t been present at the Olympics since 2014 in Sochi. The only players on Finland’s 2026 roster to be named to that 2014 team are Barkov, Mikael Granlund, and Olli Määttä. Lots has changed since the last time that NHL players took part in the Olympics — for many, it’s been a long-time coming.
“It’s gonna be a really big thing,” Lankinen said of what it means for NHL players to be back at the Olympics. “I’m sure people are going to be glued to their TVs and watching, and it’s a special day for the Finnish national team to announce the team. Now we’re just focusing on this day-to-day stuff, and when the time comes, we’ll be ready to go.”
Like Lankinen, many NHL players will be taking part in the Olympics for the first time in their careers this year. For many, that simple call marks the beginning of childhood dreams coming true.
“I used to watch them all the time. Obviously, I remember watching Teemu Selänne and Saku Koivu and all my heroes back then, and then even the Vancouver Olympics in 2010 here was a big deal, Turin 2006, all these memories. Just being able to be part of that, and because it’s the Olympics, it’s every four years. But even more so this year, because NHL players are there — it’s gonna be a lifetime event.”
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