The NHL is off to Italy to participate in the Winter Olympic hockey tournament for the first time since 2014. That means that the NHL will take a 19-day break to allow dozens of players to compete for their countries in what promises to be one of the most exciting tournaments of the season.
The Ottawa Senators are sending six players to the Olympics, the ninth-most from one NHL team. They’ll be spread out over four teams in Italy, which is a lot to keep track of. With the tournament kicking off on Feb. 11, here’s a handy guide to know who to watch and when.
Team USA: Tkachuk and Sanderson
The Americans are expected to be a powerhouse at the Olympics; it’s almost unfathomable to imagine the team getting anything less than a silver in a rematch against the 4 Nations Face-Off Final, which saw the USA fall 3-2 to Canada in a tightly-fought game. Team captain Brady Tkachuk and all-star defenceman Jake Sanderson both scored in the 4 Nations Face-Off Final and will play pivotal roles in trying to take home a gold.
Tkachuk is expected to be on the first line with his brother, Matthew Tkachuk, and Jack Eichel, which is hardly a surprise. Every time he suits up for the Americans, he’s been one of the team’s best players. He led the USA with seven goals at the 2023-24 World Championship, and was third in scoring on both the 2018 U20 World Juniors and the 2017 U18 World Juniors. But it’s that grit that he brings that is the most valuable; few fans could forget his tilt with Sam Bennett at the 4 Nations Face-Off. International hockey rules will prevent him from fighting, but that won’t do anything to reduce his intensity on the ice.
Thanks to a very deep defence corps, Sanderson may be in a more reduced role, but he’s also one of two players on the Americans’ roster with previous Olympic experience after he and Matt Boldy joined the 2022 Olympic team as college students. It may have only been one game, but he registered an assist in the matchup and having that knowledge from Beijing could prove invaluable. He also joined the Americans at the 2023-24 World Championship and helped the USA win a gold medal at the 2021 World Juniors.
When to Watch:
All times for the scheduled games listed in this article are in Eastern Standard Time (EST). Also listed are the Canadian channels carrying the preliminary games. If you don’t have access to those channels, CBC Gem will also stream every Olympic hockey game and requires a free account to watch.
If you want to check out the USA’s full schedule, click the link to see The Hockey Writers’ full breakdown of the tournament.
- Feb. 12: Latvia vs United States, 3:10 p.m. (Sportsnet, CBC)
- Feb. 14: United States vs Denmark, 3:10 p.m. (TSN)
- Feb. 15: United States vs Germany, 3:10 p.m. (TSN, CBC)
Team Denmark: Eller and Sogaard
The Danes secured just their second appearance at the Olympic Games in the nation’s history with a big 4-1 win over Norway on Sep. 1, 2024. In that game, Lars Eller, who was playing with the Pittsburgh Penguins, recorded an assist on Denmark’s first goal, giving him a team-leading four points in three games. Now, at 36 and a Senator, he will get his first shot at playing at the Olympics, likely on the top line with Nikolaj Ehlers and Oliver Bjorkstrand.
“I remember watching the Olympics on TV as a kid,” said Eller. “I remember the first time I watched was in Japan in 1998, and I watched every other Olympics after that, and now I finally get to play in one myself and it’s going to be all the best of the best representing their national teams.”
Related: Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Tournament
Joining Eller is one of the youngest on the Danish Olympic Team, Mads Sogaard. He, too, was part of the roster that beat Norway, but didn’t see any action over the four-game qualifying tournament. That’s likely how it will go again, as Denmark will likely rely on Carolina Hurricanes’ starter Frederik Andersen and Frederik Dichow, who helped the Danes upset Canada at the 2025 World Championship in May. Still, if he gets in net, he has an impressive international resume, having 14 appearances at the U20 and U18 levels and was on the previous Olympic qualifying roster.
When to Watch:
Full Denmark Schedule
- Feb. 12: Germany vs Denmark, 3:10 p.m. (TSN)
- Feb. 14: United States vs Denmark, 3:10 p.m. (TSN)
- Feb. 15: Denmark vs Latvia, 1:00 p.m. (CBC Gem)
Team Germany: Tim Stutzle
The Germans could surprise at the Olympics largely due to Tim Stutzle. He was one of the first players named to the roster, along with Moritz Seider and Lukas Reichel. Those three have been teammates in almost every major international competition since 2018 and helped transform Germany into a highly competitive hockey nation.
The only time Stutzle wasn’t joined by Seider or Reichel was at the 2021 World Juniors, where he was named the tournament’s best forward and named to the tournament All-Star team. Now that they’re reunited, the Germans could be a team to watch in Group C. Although they are both centres, Stutzle and Leon Draisaitl both likely end up on the top line alongside right-winger JJ Peterka, another former World Junior teammate of Stutzle’s.
When to Watch:
Full Germany Schedule
- Feb. 12: Germany vs Denmark, 3:10 p.m. (TSN)
- Feb. 14: Germany vs Latvia, 6:10 a.m. (TSN)
- Feb. 15: United States vs Germany, 3:10 p.m. (TSN, CBC)
Team Finland: Nikolas Matinpalo
Nikolas Matinpalo returns to represent Finland after a surprising inclusion in the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he replaced an injured Rasmus Ristolainen. Before that tournament, he had only played one major international tournament, dressing for eight games at the 2023 World Championship. But his three games in February 2025 put him back on Finland’s radar, and he joined the Finns at the 2025 World Championship, where he was one of the team’s best defencemen. In eight games, he put up two points and finished with a plus-3. He won’t play a ton at the Olympics, but expect him to anchor the Finns’ third pairing.
When to Watch:
Full Finland Schedule
- Feb. 11: Slovakia vs Finland, 10:40 a.m. (TSN, CBC)
- Feb. 13: Finland vs Sweden, 6:10 a.m. (TSN)
- Feb. 14: Finland vs Italy, 10:40 a.m. (Sportsnet, CBC)
Looking Ahead to the Playoffs
After the preliminary games, teams will be sorted into a playoff. The top team in each Group, plus the highest-scoring second-place team, will earn a bye to the quarterfinals, while the bottom two teams in each group will play an additional playoff game to earn a spot in the second round. The USA are practically guaranteed to earn one of those byes, while Germany could earn the fourth spot if it can pile up some goals against the Danes and Latvians. If not, the Germans still have a great chance to make it to the quarterfinal with a favourable first-round matchup.
Likewise, the Finns also have a good shot at being in the quarterfinal, although they’ll need to get ahead of Sweden and Slovakia in Group B to secure a bye. If international hockey has taught us anything, it’s that you can’t ever count out Finland, and they will have a potent offence with their NHL stars. That just leaves Denmark, which will have a rough time in Group C, but a bit of luck could go a long way for the plucky Danes, and they’ve already proven they can hang with the top teams in other tournaments.
After that, though, it’s impossible to tell. Just like the World Juniors, the Olympics are always difficult to predict because of the speed and competitiveness of the tournament. Thankfully, for Senators’ fans, they’ll have plenty to watch and cheer for during the NHL break, no matter what happens.
