For the first time since 2014, NHL players will participate in the Olympics. The competition comes on the heels of the NHL’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, which drew plenty of attention amid political tensions between the United States and Canada.
Team Canada won that tournament, thanks to an overtime goal from Connor McDavid. Since then, the Americans won gold at the World Championship — their first victory at a men’s international tournament since 1996. Four Utah Mammoth players played for Team USA at that tournament (though two of them have since been traded away).
While the two North American teams are the clear-cut favorites, countries like Sweden, Finland and Czechia are also out to prove themselves. Needless to say, it should make for some must-watch hockey.
Here are a few Mammoth players who could be chosen to represent their respective countries in Italy in February. We’ve categorized them into three groups: locks, likelies and long-shots.
The locks
JJ Peterka: Team Germany
The German national team caused a stir when it left JJ Peterka out of its first six players named to the Olympic squad. They later clarified that it was only because he didn’t have an NHL contract at the time, which could have caused complications.
Rest assured that, barring any injuries, Peterka will absolutely be on the team. He’s one of just seven active Germans in the NHL and he’ll be a big part of any success they have.
Karel Vejmelka: Team Czechia
Czechia has more than twice as many NHL goalies as it has NHL defensemen — but there’s no question Karel Vejmelka is among the top three.
The now-29-year-old was named Utah’s team MVP last season after keeping them in the playoffs until the final few games. He’s also played for his country on a number of occasions, including the 2024 World Championship, where he won a gold medal.
Olli Määttä
Olli Määttä played a huge role for Team Finland at the 4 Nations tournament after seemingly every other defenseman bowed out due to injuries. It’s unlikely that the Finns are that banged up again, but expect Määttä to play a big role for them regardless.
He’s a decorated veteran who has an innate ability to slow the game down. That’s invaluable in the big moments.
The likelies
Clayton Keller: Team USA
Entire articles have been written on why Clayton Keller deserves to play for Team USA. Whether or not GM Bill Guerin agrees remains to be determined.
Keller is often overlooked because of his size, but don’t count him out. He distributes the puck perhaps as well as anyone and he makes the players around him better. The Americans missed him in 2025, and they might not make the same mistake in 2026.
Kevin Stenlund: Team Sweden
If he makes Team Sweden, don’t expect Kevin Stenlund to score many big goals. He’s among the best penalty killers and face-off takers in the world, and those are the main jobs he’d be expected to do on the Olympic team.
The long-shots
Dylan Guenther: Team Canada
People are just starting to realize how good Dylan Guenther really is. He’s a pure sniper and he already has chemistry with Connor Bedard, who is likely to make Team Canada.
Guenther was not invited to Canada’s orientation camp this summer, though that doesn’t disqualify him from making the team. If he has a particularly hot start to the season, don’t count him out.
Logan Cooley: Team USA
Like Guenther, Logan Cooley is just starting to surface as a truly elite hockey player. Because he doesn’t have the long-standing reputation of some of the other Americans, don’t be surprised if he doesn’t make it.
But if Team USA is looking for a dynamic, versatile guy who plays with a ton of heart, they need not look further than No. 92 in black and blue.
Vítek Vaněček: Team Czechia
As mentioned, Team Czechia has plenty of goalies to choose from. Vejmelka and Lukas Dostál will almost certainly be the top two guys, but the third spot will probably depend on how the season goes for each guy.
New Mammoth goalie Vítek Vaněček is in the mix. His competition includes:
- Petr Mrázek
- Jakub Dobeš
- Dan Vladař
- David Rittich
Juuso Välimäki: Team Finland
You can’t help but feel bad for Juuso Välimäki. He was so excited about being selected for Finland’s 4 Nations roster, and he made it known by wearing his royal blue gear at practice well before the tournament started. But despite all the injuries to their defense corps, he didn’t get to play a single game.
When the tournament wrapped up, he was immediately placed on waivers. Nobody picked him up (which has got to sting), so he found himself suiting up for his first AHL game in three years. In that game, he tore his ACL.
Per the team’s initial injury report, he’s expected to be out eight to nine months, which places his estimated return window between November and December.
It’s probably a long shot that he’d be ready to compete at the Olympic level a month or two after returning from such a long-term injury, but because Finland doesn’t have a ton of elite defensemen, it’s not impossible that he gets the nod.
