Casual hockey fan’s guide to the top 10 Olympic men’s hockey players
For the diehard hockey fan, the 2026 Olympics are a breath of fresh air.
It’s been 12 years since the last time NHL players were permitted to play in the Olympics, and while last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off gave us a taste of best-on-best international hockey, nothing beats the Olympics. With more star talent than ever, especially on smaller countries like Czechia and Germany, the stage is set for an excellent tournament.
But the Olympics are also a fantastic opportunity for the game of hockey to get more eyes and more fans. While Canada vs. the United States isn’t the only “heated rivalry” creating a surge in hockey’s popularity over the last year, the Olympics are an easy way to get more attention on the sport, because a larger number of people watch the Olympics, and may find their way onto a hockey game at some point. And that’s not even mentioning the smaller countries like Italy that may not watch hockey that will fall in love with the game when they see its stars on full display.
So if you’re a very casual fan or new to the sport entirely, this is a judgement-free zone. We thank you for wanting to give hockey a try, and wanting to get ahead of the curve with your hockey knowledge, which is exactly what I’m here to do. If you want to know the players to watch over the next two weeks of international hockey, look no further as we list 10 star players to watch during the 2026 Olympics in Milan, Italy.
Rasmus Dahlin, Sweden
While this would have been a great opportunity to promote the future of Swedish hockey in Leo Carlsson, injuries have kept the Anaheim Ducks center out of the tournament. But there’s still another fantastic bright spot on this Swedish squad, and it’s defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. While the 25-year-old is already in his eighth NHL season, it feels like he’s only just begun his surge to the top, especially with his Buffalo Sabres finally in contention for a playoff spot.
The playoffs will be a great moment to display Dahlin’s smooth skating and high IQ on the backend, especially when he’ll be up against his opponents’ best players, the Olympics will be a great test for his play on the big stage, especially amidst all the injuries the Tre Kronor are facing entering the tournament. He’s scoring at a career-best pace at the NHL level, so let’s see how that translates to international ice.
Leon Draisaitl, Germany
With Russia’s ban from the tournament and Slovakia’s fall from grace as a hockey superpower, Leon Draisaitl may be the lone star player outside of the big five. This is Germany’s third-straight appearance at the Olympics, but it will be Draisaitl’s first thanks to NHL participation. One could argue that Germany actually benefits from a lack of NHL talent at the Olympics (they did get silver in 2018), but you can’t deny that having the likes of Draisaitl, Tim Stutzle and Moritz Seider doesn’t help their case this season, especially when the sixth-best team in the tournament is wide open. Draisaitl has shown over the years to have the game-breaking talent to carry an Edmonton Oilers team on his shoulders, and while playing with Connor McDavid (more on him later) has benefited from that, he’s shone without his Canadian running mate as well.
Draisaitl’s big frame and awkward skating stride would have you believe he isn’t as good as he is, but when the puck is on his stick, few are as dangerous as he is, whether he’s drawing the opponent towards him and dishing it off to an open teammate or firing it into the net himself. His improved defensive game will also be put to the test as well, as he’ll be the guy when playing against other top nations, but he’s also the second-highest scoring forward in the NHL since 2015-16 for a reason. One thing’s for sure: if Germany gets a matchup with Canada, you just know he’ll want to show off with the opportunity to play against his long-time teammate in McDavid.
Connor Hellebuyck, United States
There is no better goalie in the NHL right now than Hellebuyck. Ok, maybe right now an argument could be made for a few other goalies with how he and his Winnipeg Jets have struggled this season. But over the past 5-10 years, few goalies have surpassed what Hellebuyck has achieved. Only four goalies have won the Vezina Trophy (the award for the best goaltender) at least three times since 1981, when the award was actually voted on and not just handed out to the goaltender with the lowest goals against average (which, if you’re new here, is a bad stat to analyze goalies with, so don’t bother looking into it): Martin Brodeur, Dominik Hasek, Patrick Roy and Hellebuyck, and the other three are often named as the best goaltenders of all time.
However, there is one thing lacking in Hellebuyck’s trophy case, and it makes watching him all the more interesting: no championships. In seven playoff appearances, Hellebuyck has only made it past the second round once in his career, and that was a third-round exit, and his showings in the playoffs aren’t as strong as the regular season (.917 save percentage in the regular season vs. .903 in the playoffs). In his one instance of international hockey at 4 Nations last year, he was great with a .932 save percentage, but ultimately did not make the important save with the United States losing in the finals. There are big expectations for the USA to finally capture gold in a best-on-best tournament, and no one bears that more than Hellebuyck. The Olympic stage has had some memorable goaltending performances in the past. Can Hellebuyck be next?
Quinn Hughes, United States
The United States is loaded with talent (although, for the casual viewer, if it doesn’t look like that on the ice, they didn’t exactly pick all of those talented players), but none may be more dynamic than Quinn Hughes. Not to be confused with his brother Jack, who’s also on the team and similarly skilled, but when Quinn is at the peak of his powers, there is only one other defenseman like him. Unfortunately for the Americans, the other guy is Canadian (more on him later).
When an injury kept Hughes out of the lineup for 4 Nations, that dynamism on the back end was dearly missed, especially in the finals against Canada, so having Hughes back, healthy, and freshly motivated getting away from the tanking Vancouver Canucks and onto a bigger contender in the Minnesota Wild, there’s a chance we may see the best hockey yet from Hughes in Milan. Few can match his skating and vision on the blueline, and he’ll need to play at his very best to get the United States over the finish line… finally.
Nathan MacKinnon, Canada
At his very best, MacKinnon can contend with the best of them for the pride of being the top player in the NHL. He certainly scores like it, as only McDavid has more points than him since entering the league in 2013, but there’s more to his game than just putting up points. His explosive speed terrorizes defenders, and he plays with such aggressiveness in his strides unlike any other player in the league.
With a Stanley Cup and a win with Canada at 4 Nations, he knows how to perform in the big moments. In fact, he won the tournament MVP at 4 Nations with four goals in four games, so we know he can perform at the international stage as well. If there’s any concern with his play, it’s that he tends to sacrifice defense for offense, but it’s worth it (and Canada will have plenty of talented defensive players to compensate for it).
Cale Makar, Canada
If there’s one advantage Makar has from his NHL career to his international career, it’s that he knows how to play in someone else’s shadow. While MacKinnon doesn’t hog the spotlight with the Colorado Avalanche, having two top-five players means Makar can play with other talented players and doesn’t have to be the guy.
Of course, he can also be the guy ,too. When the Avalanche won the Stanley Cup in 2022, he won the Conn Smythe trophy as the playoff MVP with 29 points in 20 games, absurd numbers for a defenseman. He also has two James Norris trophies as the league’s best defenseman, and is very well on his way to becoming just the 10th defenseman to win it three times this season. His skating and hands create such a dynamic asset on the blueline, almost like he’s a fourth forward on the ice. It will certainly stand out on Canada’s blueline as well… they were extra sure not to bring any other dynamic offensive defensemen to the tournament to take away his role.
Auston Matthews, United States
No player on this list has a larger gap between boom and bust than Matthews. At his best, he can contend with Draisaitl, MacKinnon, Makar and McDavid as the best player in the league, and he has the Hart Trophy (the league’s most valuable player) to back that claim up. He can also be the best goal-scorer in the game when he’s playing well, especially with Alex Ovechkin’s Russians not in the tournament. His 427 goals since he entered the NHL in 2016 are the most in that span, so it’s safe to say he knows how to put the puck in the net.
But lately, that hasn’t been the case. Matthews has scored 59 goals in 118 games in the last two season, a pace that would be excellent for most hockey players, but is subpar for him based on his career. He also has a habit of seeing his play slip when it matters most, as he has just 26 goals and 59 points in 68 games amidst many playoff disappointments with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and was notably caught puck-watching for the game-winning goal against Canada at the 4 Nations. The Americans need his elite talent if they want to
Connor McDavid, Canada
This list is already loaded with talent. It features players with elite skating speed and the ability to handle the puck while moving at such a pace. It features players with the ability to draw in their opponent so that it leaves their teammates wide open for an easy scoring chance, while also sporting the shot and hands to bury it themselves if left wide open. It features players with the intelligence to see the game several steps ahead of everyone else. But no player combines those skillsets like McDavid.
In a sport that features many talented players, McDavid stands alone when he is at his best. While the likes of MacKinnon and Matthews and Nikita Kucherov can reach McDavid’s level when he’s taking it slow for the playoffs, McDavid at his peak is a feat to behold. Every time the puck is on his stick, he has the opportunity to change the game, and he finally got the chance to showcase that for Canada at 4 Nations, where he had three goals and five points in four games, highlighted by the tournament-winning goal. Even if his Oilers have yet to win the Stanley Cup, it’s not by his doing: there’s a reason he’s the only player in the last 23 years to win the Conn Smythe in a losing effort. Sidney Crosby showcased in 2014 that your best player doesn’t always have to shine to win gold (one goal, three points in six games), but it’s safe to say McDavid is the player to watch in this tournament.
Speaking of Crosby, it’s hard to leave a player with an international resume like his off this list, but for the sake of representation, he just missed the cut. At 38 years old, he’s not the top-five talent he used to be, but he’s still an elite player and always saves his best for when he wears the red-and-white Maple Leaf.
David Pastrnak, Czechia
While Jaromir Jagr and Dominik Hasek cast a tall shadow as the top talents out of the Czech Republic, Pastrnak is certainly making a case to be one of them. He’s only 29 years old, and yet he’s third amongst all Czechs in career NHL points, and his 1.12 points per game is first… just a sliver ahead of Jagr’s 1.11. Pastrnak’s skill was dearly missed at 4 Nations, so it’s certainly exciting to see him perform in a best-on-best competition again after a quiet three scoreless games in the 2016 World Cup.
Czechia isn’t the hockey powerhouse they used to be, so is there any concern that a lack of surrounding talent will hinder Pastrnak’s play? If you watched the Boston Bruins, certainly not. While he started his career on a dominant line with Patrice Bergeron and Brad Marchand, but with the former retired and the latter now with the Florida Panthers, he’s been all on his own in recent seasons and still dominated. If anything, he’s looked better than ever, and is proving yet again that he can carry a team himself with the Bruins this year. Besides, he has some established chemistry with Roman Cervenka at the World Championships in 2025 (a combined 29 points in their eight-game outing). He’ll be fine.
Mikko Rantanen, Finland
If there’s one player who needs to step up in the face of adversity, it’s Rantanen. The Finns are already in tough against the likes of Canada, USA and even their Nordic rivals in Sweden when the roster is healthy, but when Aleksander Barkov went down with a torn ACL and MCL before the 2025-26 season even started, it felt like hope was already lost for Finland to compete for gold at the Olympics. Which makes it all the more important for Rantanen to shine if the Fins want any chance of an upset.
Rantanen already has that winning pedigree after a Stanley Cup win with the Avalanche in 2022, but if you thought MacKinnon and Makar had trouble truly shining in each other’s shadows, Rantanen was an afterthought on occasion, to the point where many wondered if he could perform at that level away from Colorado. He got his chance to prove them wrong after he was traded last season, and there’s not better opportunity than doing so against your old mates themselves. Rantanen had a game for the ages in a do-or-die Game 7 against the Avs in Round One, scoring a hat trick to complete a third-period comeback and secure the series win. While the Dallas Stars are certainly talented themselves, it was a statement that he didn’t need MacKinnon to succeed, and he can show that the Finns don’t need Barkov to win if he does the same in Milan.
Honorable Mentions: Macklin Celebrini, Canada; Sidney Crosby, Canada; Jack Eichel, United States; Miro Heiskanen, Finland; Roman Josi, Switzerland; William Nylander, Sweden; Moritz Seider, Germany; Juraj Slafkovsky, Slovakia; Brady & Matthew Tkachuk, United States
PRESENTED BY DAILY FACEOFF’S OLYMPIC COVERAGE
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