After nearly a year of qualification competition, the men’s ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy is nearly set!
Similarly to the 2022 tournament, Slovakia, Latvia, and Denmark won the final qualification groups to advance to the Olympics.
Group D
It was the Slovaks emerging victorious in Bratislava to earn a spot in the Olympic Games for a ninth consecutive time. The reigning bronze medalists had a few nervous moments in their qualification efforts, but finished with a perfect 3-0-0-0 record.
They began the tournament with a narrow 2-1 win over Austria, then beat down a resilient Hungary side 7-3, before clinching a qualifying spot by defeating Andrey Shutov and Kazakhstan, 3-1.
Forwards Marek Hrivík (1+2) and Martin Pospíšil (0+3) led the team with 3 points each, as 18 different players recorded at least 1 point. Samuel Hlavaj was fantastic in net, posting a 92.9 SV% in his 3 wins.
Standings
- Slovakia | 3-0-0-0 | 9P | 12-5 GD
- Kazakhstan | 2-0-0-1 | 6P | 8-6 GD
- Austria | 0-1-0-2 | 2P | 6-7 GD
- Hungary | 0-0-1-2 | 1P | 8-16 GD
Group E
The 2023 World Championship bronze medalists earned their ticket to Milano Cortina with ease. Latvia got the best of Slovenia, 4-2, then cruised to a 5-1 win over Ukraine, and lastly, handed Pierre-Édouard Bellemare and France a heartbreaking 5-2 loss.
This will be Latvia’s seventh Olympic birth, and it came with the help of just one NHL player. That was defender Uvis Jānis Balinskis and his 4 (1+3) points. Rodrigo Ābols, who will look to make the Philadelphia Flyers roster, and tournament MVP Kaspars Daugaviņš, also scored 4 points. Roberts Bukarts added 3 goals, and in exhibition play prior to the event, became the sixth player in national team history to score 100 points.
Kristers Gudļevskis, who is known for his heroic efforts against Canada at the 2014 Olympics, won all 3 games for the Latvians.
Standings
- Latvia | 3-0-0-0 | 9P | 15-4 GD
- France | 2-0-0-1 | 6P | 14-8 GD
- Slovenia | 1-0-0-2 | 3P | 9-11 GD
- Ukraine | 0-0-0-3 | 0P | 5-18 GD
Group F
Back in 2021, Denmark upset Norway in Oslo to qualify for their first ever Olympics. The Norwegians wanted to return the favour in Aalborg, but fell short to a Danish team that won 4-1.
With NHL players expected to participate at the 2026 Games, this would be the first time Denmark plays in a best-on-best tournament. It was not an easy qualification by any means, as both Great Britain and Japan — who miraculously got to overtime — pushed the Danes to their limits. A pair of late second period goals from Nicklas Jensen, along with 30 saves from Frederik Andersen, led them past Mats Zuccarello and Norway.
It would be wrong not to mention the appearance of brothers Markus Holton Lauridsen and Oliver Holton Lauridsen. Both players used their mother’s name “Holton” for the first time in a tournament. This was because she is dealing with a severe illness, but still wanted her sons to compete for the Olympic dream.
Standings
- Denmark | 2-1-0-0 | 8P | 10-4 GD
- Norway | 2-0-0-1 | 6P | 11-8 GD
- Great Britain | 1-0-0-2 | 3P | 6-11 GD
- Japan | 0-0-1-2 | 1P | 6-10 GD
Final Tournament
The projected groups for the men’s ice hockey tournament are as follow:
Group A: Canada, Sweden, Switzerland, Italy
Group B: Finland, Germany, Czechia, Denmark
Group C: Russia*, United States, Slovakia, Latvia
At the current moment, Russia is still included in the tournament program. The final decision on their ongoing ban will be made in February of 2025. If the Russians are barred from Olympic participation, then the best second place team from the final qualification round will replace them. That nation is France — who are hosting in 2030.