2026 Olympic men’s hockey team preview: Italy

Feb 10, 2026, 10:00 ESTUpdated: Feb 9, 2026, 11:24 EST

Credit: Vanna Antonello

Italy might not have a single player with NHL experience, but they’re the most diverse team around. Of the 25 players named to their roster, 15 of them are dual citizens. Most are Canadian or American in some fashion, but Germany, Sweden and even South Africa are represented.

Unfortunately, that’s not going to do much to change Italy’s Olympic hopes. Nobody expects them to be competitive – last place is the most likely finishing position. But the hosts will want to put on a show, just as they did when they won the Division IA World Championship back in April.

Made up of players primarily playing in the ICEHL – a league shared by Italy, Slovenia and Austria – Italy definitely has some speed to work with. A win seems unlikely, but will the Olympic spirit be enough for this group to pull off a miracle upset?

LOOKING BACK TO 2006

Damn, it’s been that long? Italy last played in the Olympics two decades ago and hasn’t come close to qualifying naturally ever since. The format back then was a bit different: the 12 teams split into two groups, with two teams from each side missing out on the playoffs. A 7-2 loss to Canada in the opening game wasn’t great, only for Italy to lose 6-0 to Finland the following day (it was scoreless after 20 minutes, though). Italy would tie Germany 3-3 two days later before once again losing, this time 4-1 to Czechia. The Italians would go on to tie Switzerland (who shut out Canada earlier on), giving the fans something to be excited about to close the tourney.

OFFENSE

Yeah, scoring goals will be an issue for this club.

But one player with the chance to be a real difference maker is former Montreal Canadiens prospect Matt Bradley. He never made it to the big leagues and played in only a handful of AHL games. But he has been quite productive over the past two seasons with HC Bolzano, and has been one of Italy’s best players already in his first year with the national team.

It’s expected that Bradly will be joined by former Peterborough Petes forward Tommy Purdeller on the top line – the 21-year-old has one of the best shots on the team. Nick Saracino plays with Purdeller with Pustertal, showing some decent chemistry, especially on the give-and-go. It’s not a great top line by any means, but it’s the best Italy has.

Swedish-born forward Mikael Frycklund was highly productive during his time in the Allsvenskan. Now in Italy, he should give the team a solid playmaking boost. He’s arguably the team’s best passer up front, and he’s built like a tank. Look for him to be paired with a shooter, such as Alex Petan (Nic Petan’s brother) or Dustin Gazley. Petan hasn’t played in many World Championships recently but is known for his hard work ethic and offensive instincts. Gazley, meanwhile, has been Italy’s best player internationally this season, which isn’t surprising given he was a productive AHLer for about half a decade in the 2010s.

Goals will be exceptionally hard to come by, but Alessandro Segafredo has been one of Italy’s best sharpshooters the past two years. The former WHLer can be known to carry the puck a bit too much, but he makes it count more often than not, it seems. Diego Kostner is a solid fourth-liner who lays it all on the line every game. Don’t expect him to shoot much, but he’ll hit guys and block shots. For a bit more speed, Tommaso De Luca is quick and loves to get the puck into scoring situations.

With no real game-changing forwards up front, Italy is going to have a hard time generating anything of substance. Fortunately, a lot of the forwards play together during the season, so there’s some chemistry there. But don’t be surprised if they finish the round robin with just 2-3 goals.

DEFENSE

As is often the case for Italy, look for former Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Thomas Larkin to handle top-pairing duties. The 6-foot-5 defender plays a no-nonsense game, and he’s crafty with the puck, too. Larkin has an excellent shot and isn’t afraid to launch it from everywhere. And given he has worn the captain’s C for about half a decade now, they clearly value his leadership.

Larkin is expected to play alongside fellow Schwenniger Wild Wings defender Alex Trivellato. The 6-foot-2 defenseman has been part of the Italian national team program for over 15 years. His rise to where he is today was a bit of a slow one, including time in the third-tier German league after concluding his junior career. But now, he’s a regular contributor for both his club team and Italy’s national program, often serving as more of the defensive counterpart to Larkin.

While most defenders typically play in the ICEHL, Phil Pietroniro has made his presence known in the top Czech league over the past few years. He has looked good, too, bringing the boom to every shift despite being just 5-foot-9. He’s no slouch with the puck, either.

Born in Toronto, Greg DiTomaso is one of Italy’s more notable transplants. He is potentially the team’s best offensive defenseman, having put up excellent numbers internationally over the past two years. He has also been excellent in the ICEHL, where he often plays more than 21 minutes per game. To keep the chemistry alive, look for DiTomaso to play alongside Pusteral defense partner Daniel Glira. He’s a mobile defender who plays a heavy game, and he can shut opponents down without much difficulty – something he even showed at the top World Championship a few years back.

As for the rest of the crop, Luca Zanatta is a veteran defender who is smart, can run the power play and has a great shot to boot. Former CHL blueliners Dylan Di Perna and Jason Seed will likely focus more on playing shutdown hockey, with the pair potentially swapping out for each other at points over the next two weeks.

It’s no secret that the Italian blueline is the worst in the tournament. But, hey, if you need any extra motivation to perform at your best, doing so on home ice at the Winter Olympics is a good time to show up.

GOALTENDING

Goaltending will be a fascinating position for the Italians. Davide Fadani was the starter at the Division IA World Championship last year, his first major event as a No. 1 goalie. He has also played some excellent hockey with EHC Kloten in Switzerland’s top league, mostly outplaying former Florida Panthers prospect and goalie partner Ludovic Waeber.

But Italy started Damian Clara – the lone NHL prospect on this team – in the pre-tournament, suggesting they could lean towards him. At 21, he’s the youngest goaltender on the team, but definitely the one with the most promise. The SHL has been a challenge for him at times, but being a starter at 21 is no small feat – especially over former NHLers Erik Kallgren and Collin Delia. All things considered, the 6-foot-6 keeper still looks like a promising goaltending prospect, and he has generally looked good internationally this season, too.

On the veteran front, 32-year-old Gianluca Vallini currently serves as a backup on his ICEHL team. He has primarily represented Italy in smaller international events but has been the third goalie at two World Championships. Don’t expect him to see any game action in Milan, though.

COACHING

Does the name Jukka Jalonen sound familiar? It should. He coached Finland’s men’s team from 2008-24 – and, most importantly, he led the squad to gold in 2022. It was the biggest moment of his hockey coaching career, and now he’s set to lead the ultimate underdogs. Notably, he also coached Italy during its run in the Division IA World Championship last spring. Jalonen is well respected, especially for his ability to get his lineups to kill plays and stay strong defensively. He has a tough task ahead of him, but, by all accounts, he might be the best coach Italy has ever had internationally.

BURNING QUESTION

Can this be the start of something more?

There isn’t a person on the planet who expects Italy to be competitive. They have rarely managed to stay in the top division of the World Championship in consecutive years, and their best Olympic finish ever – an eighth-place finish – came back in 1948. But, as is the case for any of the smaller teams in the tournament, this is the perfect platform for growth. We’ve seen hockey registration improve in China and South Korea after the past two Olympics, and growing the game domestically is the only way Italy’s program will ever ascend.

Bringing in imports from North America is one thing, but that typically hasn’t led to long-term growth. Would letting Italian NHLers play help them in the short-term? Maybe. It’s one thing for players to remain home in Italy, knowing the Olympics were on the horizon. But if those players leave and ICEHL starts to suffer, Italy’s program won’t progress the way it must to become a consistent top-level threat like Denmark or Latvia has.

PREDICTION

It’s always special for the home team to play in front of its fans on the world’s biggest stage. Given all the talk about the rink not being ready in time, it’ll be nice for Italy to open the tournament against a team like Sweden. But after the early excitement wears off, it’s going to be an ugly tournament. It was one thing for South Korea or China to compete – they didn’t have to face NHL superstars. Unfortunately for Italy, this isn’t going to be a joyous experience – but it’ll be one the 25 men will cherish forever.

FULL ROSTER

GOALTENDERS
Damian Clara (Anaheim Ducks)
Davide Fadani
Gianluca Vallini

DEFENSEMEN
Dylan Di Perna
Gregory Di Tomaso
Daniel Glira
Thomas Larkin
Phil Pietroniro
Jason Seed
Alex Trivellato
Luca Zanatta

FORWARDS
Matthew Bradley
Tommaso De Luca
Cristiano DiGiacinto
Luca Frigo
Mikael Frycklund
Dustin Gazley
Diego Kostner
Daniel Mantenuto
Giovanni Morini
Alexander Petan
Tommy Purdeller
Nick Saracino
Alessandro Segafredo
Marco Zanetti

PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE

Feb. 11 vs. Sweden: 3:10 PM ET
Feb. 13 vs. Slovakia: 6:10 AM ET
Feb. 14 vs. Finland: 10:40 AM ET

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