Whereas many of the worldwide hockey superpowers can be competing in Italy for the 2026 Olympics, there can be one notable absence. The Worldwide Olympic Committee (IOC) upheld sanctions that forestall Russia from taking part in group occasions, like ice hockey, on the Olympics.
Though the IOC is allowing some particular person Russian athletes to compete underneath a impartial flag, that will not be the case for the hockey group. Consequently, among the greatest gamers on the earth can be watching from residence.
Alexander Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin will miss what is going to seemingly be their final likelihood to compete for a gold medal. Different stars, like Kirill Kaprizov, Nikita Kucherov and Andrei Vasilevskiy, must wait not less than 4 extra years till they will participate within the Olympics.
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If the Russians had been allowed to compete, they’d area one of the expert rosters within the match. They’d have the offensive firepower to hold with groups like Canada and america, and they might have a goaltending battery able to slamming the door on even probably the most potent offenses.
So, what would a Russian Olympic roster appear to be? What would the strengths and weaknesses be? What can be the Russians’ odds of capturing a gold medal? Let’s dive into all of that with our hypothetical roster projection.
What would a Russian Olympic hockey group appear to be?
Forwards: Elite on the wing, missing at heart
- Ivan Demidov, Canadiens
- Pavel Dorofeyev, Golden Knights
- Kirill Kaprizov, Wild
- Nikita Kucherov, Lightning
- Evgeni Malkin, Penguins
- Kirill Marchenko, Blue Jackets
- Roman Kantserov, KHL
- Vladislav Namestnikov, Jets
- Valeri Nichushkin, Avalanche
- Alex Ovechkin, Capitals
- Artemi Panarin, Rangers
- Andrei Svechnikov, Hurricanes
- Dmitri Voronkov, Blue Jackets
- Danila Yurov, Wild
It is onerous to beat this assortment of wingers, and Canada might be the one group that may come near matching it. Kucherov, Kaprizov, Panarin and Ovechkin are all official superstars. Marchenko, Dorofeyev and Nichushkin are all underrated affect gamers. This Russian roster is oozing with firepower on the wings, however this ahead group additionally showcases a transparent shortcoming.
Nonetheless, the Russian group can be sorely missing expertise on the heart place. The 39-year-old Malkin would most likely take first-line obligations, and the rookie Yurov would anchor the second line. Behind them, you have got Namestnikov and a KHLer in Kantserov. That is lower than very best in a best-on-best match just like the Olympics. That stated, Kucherov, Kaprizov and Panarin hardly want an elite heart to drive play. That trio might carry the ahead group on their very own.
Russia would be capable of mild up the scoreboard, however might it outscore groups with much better heart depth? That will be an uphill battle.
Defensemen: A stable group, however who’s the true No. 1?
Right here we encounter one other key weak spot on this hypothetical Russian roster. There are some stable gamers right here — Sergachev, Gavrikov, Provorov and Zadorov amongst them — however are there any true No. 1 choices within the combine?
Sergachev can be the almost certainly candidate, however he is produced blended outcomes as a top-pairing defenseman for the Mammoth. He is beneath water at five-on-five, and I doubt that may enhance in opposition to harder competitors in Italy. Gavrikov and Zadorov would match extra of the shutdown mould, however I nonetheless suppose they’d be on the incorrect aspect of a mismatch in opposition to the easiest forwards on the earth, although that duo would convey loads of physicality.
Essentially the most attention-grabbing participant on this combine can be Mintyukov, a former first-round choose who hasn’t achieved that potential in Anaheim but. He has probably the most upside of all of the Russian defensemen, however his ground can also be fairly low. On this occasion, I believe the Russians would take him as a result of he is able to making some celebrity performs, one thing the remainder of this blue line lacks.
Goalies: Higher than Workforce USA?
The one nation that would remotely method this degree of goaltending can be america, and I nonetheless suppose the Russians would have a slight benefit. Russia has three true stars in purpose, and this roster would not even embody back-to-back Stanley Cup champion and two-time Vezina Trophy winner Sergei Bobrovsky.
The one drawback the Russians would have is figuring out which goalie can be their No. 1 in Italy. Maybe that may go to the elder statesman in Vasliveskiy, who has a pair of Stanley Cup wins and a Vezina Trophy on his resume. All Vasilevskiy has accomplished this season is submit an .918 save proportion whereas main the Lightning to the highest of the East.
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Sorokin is having probably the greatest seasons of his total profession — and that is a fairly excessive bar to clear. His .871 high-danger save proportion is thru the roof, and Sorokin has pulled that off behind an Islanders roster that always would not stack up in opposition to its competitors on paper.
Assuming he can be wholesome in time for the Olympics, Shesterkin is one other adorned goaltender from Russia. The 2022 Vezina Trophy winner is likely one of the few issues that is been working for the Rangers this season, and he’s subsequent to unbeatable when he is at his greatest.
This trio has mixed to save lots of 44.2 targets above common in 2025-26, per Pure Stat Trick, and each is within the high 10 of that class with Shesterkin and Sorokin topping the checklist at Nos. 1 and a pair of, respectively. No different group has that form of help in purpose, and it is one of many largest the reason why the Russians can be able to taking down Canada, Workforce USA and different worldwide hockey superpowers for the gold medal.
How Russia would affect the hockey gold medal odds
Frankly, different high contenders are lucky that Russia will not be taking part in 2026. The Russians can be totally able to making a gold medal run, and that is mirrored within the odds.
I despatched my roster projection to the specialists at SportsLine, they usually calculated gold medal odds. As issues stand now, Canada and Workforce USA are the clear favorites to win gold at +120 and +190, respectively. The addition of Russia would change that stability of energy a bit.
The Russian roster above can be +250 to win the gold medal, and it could additionally ding they odds for Canada (+150) and america (+210). That is not precisely a small shake-up, and the trail to Olympic gold can be a lot more durable for each group if Russia was making the journey to Italy.
