With NHL gamers again within the Winter Video games and Russia not collaborating as a consequence of IOC sanctions, Canada is able to reclaim its distinction because the world’s prime nation in males’s hockey. And most sportsbooks imagine it’ll do exactly that on the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy.

The NHL hasn’t despatched its gamers to the Winter Video games since 2014, when Canada gained its ninth total gold medal and third in 4 Olympics. The Canadians took dwelling the bronze in 2018 however did not medal 4 years in the past for the primary time since dropping to Russia within the quarterfinals and inserting seventh within the closing rankings in 2006.

Canada can snap a tie for many Olympic golds with the Russian workforce, which gained seven because the Soviet Union and one every because the Unified Group (1992) and Olympic Athletes from Russia (2018). With a roster that features the likes of Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini, the possibilities of that occuring are extraordinarily good.

The US hopes to have a say in that matter because it seeks its first gold because the “Miracle on Ice” workforce in 1980. Group USA has gained solely two medals in 11 Winter Olympics since then, with each being silver.

Canada and the U.S. are thought-about the highest two contenders for the gold medal by a big margin, with the Canadians priced between +100 and +130 on the main sportsbooks and Group USA between +175 and +190. Rating third throughout the board is Sweden (between +470 and +750), which hasn’t gained gold since 2006 and hasn’t medaled since taking silver in 2014.

Different nations anticipated to be within the operating for a spot on the rostrum are Switzerland, Finland and Czechia. The NHL is nicely represented by all three groups, in addition to Sweden, whereas the league additionally has gamers on the rosters of Germany, Latvia, Denmark, Slovakia and France.

The preliminary spherical of the Olympic event begins Wednesday, Feb. 11, as every of the 12 groups face the opposite three of their group as soon as. The nations are then ranked, with the highest 4 advancing straight to the quarterfinals and the remaining collaborating within the playoff spherical. The bronze medal recreation takes place on Feb. 21, whereas the winner of the gold medal shall be determined the next day.

Let’s dive into the facility scores coming into the preliminary spherical of the 2026 Winter Olympics males’s hockey event, which can embrace the highest 5 groups with the perfect likelihood to win gold, in addition to their present odds to win gold at DraftKings Sportsbook. For extra Winter Olympics betting suggestions and recommendation, try our Winter Olympics betting information.

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Olympic males’s hockey energy scores 

1. Canada (+115)

Group Canada has virtually the very same roster that gained the 4 Nations Face-Off event a 12 months in the past, when it defeated Group USA in additional time within the closing. It consists of three of the highest 4 scorers within the NHL this season in McDavid (96 factors), MacKinnon (93) and Celebrini (81). The Canadians even have Sam Reinhart, Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand, who gained the Stanley Cup with the Florida Panthers final marketing campaign. There are solely two gamers with earlier Olympic expertise, however Sidney Crosby and defenseman Drew Doughty each helped the nation win gold in 2010 and 2014. Colorado Avalanche teammates Cale Makar and Devon Toews anchor the blue line, whereas Mark Stone and Mitch Marner of the Vegas Golden Knights present further offensive punch. One can say Canada’s solely query mark is its goaltending, however Jordan Binnington has carried out nicely on the massive stage over his profession as he backstopped the St. Louis Blues to their lone Stanley Cup championship in 2019 and was within the crease for Canada in final 12 months’s 4 Nations event.

2. United States (+175)

Group USA additionally has solely two gamers with Olympic expertise, as defensemen Brock Faber of the Minnesota Wild and Jake Sanderson of the Ottawa Senators each had been on the 2022 squad as collegiate gamers when it completed fifth in Beijing. The Individuals’ roster additionally has a close-knit really feel to it because it possesses two pairs of brothers. Ottawa’s Brady Tkachuk and Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk each had been on the U.S. workforce on the 4 Nations tourney together with New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes, who shall be joined in Milan by Minnesota’s Quinn Hughes — the NHL chief amongst defensemen with 52 assists. Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Vegas’ Jack Eichel and Matt Boldy of the Wild are main offensive threats whereas three-time Vezina Trophy recipient Connor Hellebuyck, who is also the reigning Hart Trophy winner, figures to see nearly all of the motion within the crease. There is not a lot of a drop off in any respect in objective as Jake Oettinger of the Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins netminder Jeremy Swayman are also on the roster.

3. Sweden (+650)

In no way ought to the Swedes be ignored on this event. Their roster is chock-full of NHL gamers, together with Filip Forsberg of the Nashville Predators, Toronto’s William Nylander and Elias Pettersson of the Vancouver Canucks, and has six earlier Olympians. Defensemen Oliver Ekman-Larsson of the Maple Leafs and Erik Karlsson of the Penguins helped Sweden to the silver medal in 2014, as did Colorado captain Gabriel Landeskog and Minnesota’s Marcus Johansson. Victor Hedman of the Tampa Bay Lightning, who gained the Norris Trophy in 2018 and the Conn Smythe in 2020, shall be a secure drive on the blue line whereas the trio of New Jersey’s Jacob Markstrom and Minnesota teammates Filip Gustavsson and Jesper Wallstedt will occupy the crease. Wallstedt (4) and Gustavsson have posted a complete of seven shutouts for the Wild this season.

4. Finland (+1000)

The Finns are hoping to efficiently defend their first gold medal in males’s hockey however have just one returning participant from the 2022 roster — defenseman Mikko Lehtonen, who additionally was on their 2018 workforce that completed sixth and performed in 26 NHL video games in 2020-21 with Toronto and the Columbus Blue Jackets. Dallas defenseman Miro Heiskanen and Eeli Tolvanen of the Seattle Kraken additionally had been on Finland’s 2018 membership, whereas Utah Mammoth blue-liner Olli Maatta and Mikael Granlund of the Anaheim Geese helped the nation seize bronze in 2014. Sebastian Aho of the Carolina Hurricanes and Dallas teammates Mikko Rantanen and Roope Hintz determine to supply offense in Milan whereas Nashville’s Juuse Saros is more likely to be Finland’s No. 1 goaltender.

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5. Czechia (+2500)

Whereas Switzerland has extra returning Olympians (10) than Czechia (seven), I give the latter the nod for the fifth spot as a consequence of their dynamic offensive duo of David Pastrnak and Martin Necas. Pastrnak leads Boston and is sixth within the NHL with 71 factors whereas Necas ranks second on the Avalanche with 62 and is seven targets away from eclipsing the profession excessive of 28 he set in 2022-23 with Carolina. Tomas Hertl of the Golden Knights (22 targets this season) is also a scoring menace and Anaheim’s Lukas Dostal is a strong choice in internet for the Czechs, who have not medaled since successful the bronze in 2006. Roman Cervenka, who had a 39-game stint with the Calgary Flames in 2012-13, shall be showing in his fifth Winter Video games whereas defenseman Tomas Kundratek shall be a three-time Olympian. Defenseman Radko Gudas of the Geese and New York Islanders ahead Ondrej Palat each represented their nation in 2014.