This year, the NHL returns to the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014. As such, the world’s best players will get a chance to compete, including four members of the San Jose Sharks. Let’s take a look at San Jose’s representatives at the tournament, all of whom are forwards.
Macklin Celebrini, Canada
In his sophomore campaign, Macklin Celebrini is having one of the best seasons ever for a teenager. His 81 points are fourth in the NHL and lead the Sharks by a huge margin. He is by far their most important player and has completely turned their fortunes around, taking the Sharks from the league’s worst team to a fringe playoff contender.
Celebrini worked his way up through the Canadian national system, having represented his country at the U17, U18, World Juniors and World Championships. He posted 31 points across 24 games in those tournaments. Although he started this season as a borderline candidate for Canada’s Olympic roster, his strong play throughout the season made him a no-brainer addition. While he’s naturally a center, he has been practicing on the wing due to how many elite centers Canada has, giving him a chance to show his versatility for a team that has won gold medals at each of the last two Olympics where NHL players have suited up.
Philipp Kurashev, Switzerland
After joining the Sharks this offseason as something of a reclamation project, Philipp Kurashev proved his impact on offense. Even though he’s been limited to 34 games due to injury, his 17 points already top last season’s 14. After what was obviously a down year with the Chicago Blackhawks, he’s revitalized his career as a member of the Sharks and got healthy in time to return for the Olympics.
Related: Guide to the 2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Tournament
Kurashev has extensive experience with the Swiss national team, appearing in nine different international tournaments, including four World Championships. During his most recent such competition in 2024, he had two assists in eight games as Switzerland won the silver medal. Now he’ll play for them at the Olympics for the first time while charging back up for the final stretch of the NHL season as well.
Pavol Regenda, Slovakia
In a limited sample size, Pavol Regenda is having a career year in his first season with the Sharks. He unexpectedly scored six goals in his first five games, including his first career NHL hat trick. He now has eight goals in 16 games, helping to place him sixth in points per game among rookie-eligible skaters with at least 15 games played. Whether this is at all sustainable remains to be seen, but he’s clearly benefited from his time with the Sharks in terms of both the ice time he receives and the linemates he gets to play alongside, and his strong play has helped him earn his Olympic roster spot.
Unlike his fellow Sharks Olympians, Regenda had to play in the qualifying round, scoring two goals in three games to get Slovakia to the main tournament in the first place. He’s also the only Sharks Olympian to have previously played in the Olympics. Prior to his NHL career, when he was still playing in his home country, he posted one goal and three assists in seven games to help Slovakia earn a bronze medal. He will be an underdog at the Olympics this time around, but he’s clearly thrived in that role.
Alexander Wennberg, Sweden
Alexander Wennberg has established himself as one of the Sharks’ most important veterans in his second season with the franchise. His steady, mistake-avoidant style of play is a crucial piece of such a young team, and he’s already surpassed last season’s point total in 22 fewer games. He also recently committed to the Sharks’ next era by signing a three-year extension, symbolizing how the organization is ready to move out of their rebuild.
Appearing in his first Olympics, Wennberg has won three silver medals with Swedish youth teams and appeared in three World Championships. After six years away from international competition, he returned at the 2025 Worlds, registering one goal and three assists in 10 games to help Sweden earn bronze. He’ll look to continue that success this year, but the Olympics are a different kind of tournament.
Sharks Get New Chance at International Representation
The last time the entire hockey world turned their attention to an international tournament was at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, where the Sharks didn’t have any players. While being able to take a break has benefits, playing at the Olympics carries positives as well. Celebrini, Kurashev, Regenda and Wennberg get to stay in game shape and earn the pride of representing their countries on a worldwide stage while hopefully giving the Sharks some newfound positive attention at the same time.
Even better for the Sharks, those players could use the Olympics as a way to generate positive momentum for what has turned into an improbable playoff push. Ultimately, it’s a good confluence of factors for both the players as individuals and the Sharks as a team.
