Ice Hockey: 10 NHL stars who could be ones to watch at Milano Cortina 2026, from Auston Matthews to Connor McDavid
As the best National Hockey League players look ahead to their return to the Olympic ice at Milano Cortina 2026, who can we expect to see in Italy?
Ice Hockey
The stars of the National Hockey League (NHL) are returning to the glamour of the Olympic Games.
NHL players will compete in the Olympic Winter Games at Milano Cortina 2026, in what will be the first time they appear on the Olympic stage in 12 years.
Many of the best ice hockey players on the planet will get the chance to represent their nation as 12 already qualified teams, including Canada and the United States, will compete for medals in Italy.
Who will be the biggest stars to shine at Milano Cortina? Here are the NHL players set to leave their mark on the Olympic rink.
Connor McDavid (Canada, Edmonton Oilers)
Perhaps no one will relish the opportunity to compete at the Olympic Games more than Connor McDavid, Canadian hockey’s poster boy.
The seven-time NHL All-Star captained the Edmonton Oilers to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2024 and has three World Championship gold medals to his name across all age levels, with the Stanley Cup trophy and Olympic gold next on McDavid’s career checklist.
Sebastian Aho (Finland, Carolina Hurricanes)
Defending Olympic champions Finland will be able to strengthen their squad for Milano Cortina with Sebastian Aho, who recorded a career-high 53 assists in 2023-24.
Aho will also get to represent his country in the 4 Nations Face-Off, a new tournament also including the United States, Sweden, and Canada, in February 2025.
Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes will hope to represent Finland at Milano Cortina 2026.
David Pastrnak (Czechia, Boston Bruins)
David Pastrnak was Czechia’s hero in the 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship, as he scored the crucial opening goal in the final period of the 2-0 gold medal game win against Switzerland.
He has spent a decade in Boston, going into his 11th year on the team, netting over 100 goals across his last two NHL campaigns with the Bruins.
Nico Hischier (Switzerland, New Jersey Devils)
Nico Hischier is the highest-drafted Swiss-born NHL player, after the Devils picked him as number one in the 2017 NHL Draft.
The talisman from Brig will aim to write history with Switzerland, the world championship silver medallists from 2024, who have not medalled in Olympic men’s ice hockey since their home Games at St. Moritz 1948.
Auston Matthews (USA, Toronto Maple Leafs)
The NHL-powered United States squad will surely be spearheaded by Auston Matthews, one of the forces of the North American elite league with the Maple Leafs.
Matthews has many accolades to his name: Toronto’s first American-born captain, NHL All-Star Game MVP, and regular season top scorer with 69 goals, all in 2024 alone. But Olympic gold would be the cherry on the cake of his outstanding career.
Elias Pettersson (Sweden, Vancouver Canucks)
Elias Pettersson is one of Sweden’s most exciting stars in the NHL, brought in as a 5th pick for the Vancouver Canucks in 2017.
The center has already tasted gold with his nation, part of the Swedish squad that triumphed at the 2018 World Championships, and has since played seven seasons and counting for Vancouver.
Sweden's Elias Pettersson in action for the Vancouver Canucks.
Leon Draisaitl (Germany, Edmonton Oilers)
Leon Draisaitl has stood out as a league leader for years, becoming the first German hockey player to win the regular season awards for the NHL’s top scorer, MVP and most outstanding player.
The Oilers man is hoping to follow in the footsteps of his father, Peter Draisaitl, who competed at three Olympic Games between 1988 and 1998.
Juraj Slafkovský (Slovakia, Montreal Canadiens)
Not many NHL players can boast being an Olympic medallist ahead of the 2026 Winter Games, but Juraj Slafkovský can. The Slovak prodigy played at Beijing 2022 before joining the NHL, and had a pivotal role in Slovakia’s bronze medal, their first Olympic ice hockey medal.
Slafkovský was named tournament MVP, and later that year was drafted to the Canadiens as the first overall pick. There is plenty more to come from the 6’3 left wing who is chasing more Olympic success.
Zemgus Girgensons (Latvia, Tampa Bay Lightning)
Zemgus Girgensons has over a decade’s experience in the NHL with the Lightning, but before that he made his Olympic debut at Sochi 2014.
He got on the scoresheet in Latvia’s final group game against Sweden as they finished bottom of Group C. A chance at redemption and a second Olympic Games is a tantalising prospect for Girgensons.
Nikolaj Ehlers (Denmark, Winnipeg Jets)
Denmark are competing in their second Olympic men’s ice hockey tournament at Milano Cortina, thanks to the heroics of Nikolaj Ehlers.
The Winnipeg Jets wing played a key role in the final Olympic qualifiers, recording a goal and three assists in three games to send the Danes to back-to-back Games for the first time ever.