National Hockey League (NHL)’s shining stars are returning to the Olympic Games after 12 years.
NHL players will compete in the Olympic Winter Games at Milano Cortina 2026, in which the best of ice hockey players will showcase their prowess. 12 already qualified teams will be bidding for Olympic glory.
In the run-up to the Olympic battle, here are the top NHL players to watch out for at Winter Olympics 2026.
Connor McDavid (Canada, Edmonton Oilers)
Canadian hockey’s poster boy Connor McDavid would be one of the top players featuring at Milano Cortina 2026. 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. He would be hoping to fill his cabinet with a Stanley Cup trophy and an Olympic gold.
Sebastian Aho (Finland, Carolina Hurricanes)
Sebastian Aho will be the backbone of Defending Olympic champions Finland at the Olympic Games 2026. Aho, who recorded a career-high 53 assists in 2023-24, will be looking forward to carrying the momentum till the Games.
Aho will represent his country in the 4 Nations Face-Off, a new tournament that also includes the United States, Sweden, and Canada, in February 2025.
David Pastrnak (Czechia, Boston Bruins)
David Pastrnak played a key role in Czechia’s victory in the 2024 Ice Hockey World Championship. He scored the crucial opening goal in the final period of the gold medal game against Switzerland which they won 2-0.
Pastrnak has spent a decade in Boston, going into his 11th year on the team, scoring over 100 goals across his last two NHL seasons 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.
Hischier, who has not won an Olympic medal, will be eyeing to create history. Switzerland, the world championship runners-up from 2024, who have not bagged an Olympic medal in men’s ice hockey since their home Games at St. Moritz 1948.
Auston Matthews (USA, Toronto Maple Leafs)
Auston Matthews will headline the United States squad at Winter Olympics 2026. One of the biggest names in the NHL, Maple Leafs star, would hope for an Olympic podium finish.
Matthews is Toronto’s first American-born captain, NHL All-Star Game MVP, and regular season top scorer with 69 goals, all in 2024 alone.
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Elias Pettersson (Sweden, Vancouver Canucks)
Elias Pettersson is one of Sweden’s top-most stars in the NHL, brought in as a 5th pick for the Vancouver Canucks in 2017.Pettersson was part of the Swedish squad that won gold medal at the 2018 World Championships, and has since played seven seasons (and counting) for Vancouver.
