For the first time since 2014, the NHL is allowing its players to compete in the Olympics. Four Utah Mammoth players were selected to represent their respective countries in Milan next month.
Clayton Keller, Team USA
After being left off Team USA’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster last winter, Mammoth captain Clayton Keller made it clear that he should have been there.
He ranked third among all Americans in points last season, with nine points in five games against USA GM Bill Guerin’s Minnesota Wild. He also captained Team USA to its first World Championship victory in 92 years.
“It means so much to me, and I’ve worked tremendously hard,” Keller said. “Any time you can represent your country, it’s the best feeling ever.”
When Guerin FaceTimed him with the news, Keller was getting ready for practice on Long Island and missed the calls — twice.
“Bill Armstrong came in and was like, ‘Check your phone.’ I was hoping that was a good sign,” Keller said.
Team USA has not won gold at the Olympics since 1980 — the event that inspired the movie “Miracle.” Their last championship in a best-on-best tournament came at the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, so the program is looking to end its losing skid.
JJ Peterka, Team Germany
Germany isn’t exactly a superpower in the hockey world, so it enters every tournament as the underdog. That said, it did take advantage of the NHL players’ absence in 2018 with a run to the gold medal game. It finished second to earn silver.
But German hockey is on the rise. It has produced Leon Draisaitl, a bona fide top-five hockey player in the world. Tim Stützle, Moritz Seider and Mammoth forward JJ Peterka are also on the rise.
Peterka is one of those guys who can score from anywhere. He beats goalies with range, and he can stickhandle in tight with the best of ‘em. In the past, he was criticized for his defensive play, but that has taken massive strides this year, to the point where it’s hardly a concern at all.
Utah acquired him in a blockbuster trade with the Buffalo Sabres this summer, and he has been exactly what they’ve needed him to be thus far.
Germany’s top players are always a tight group. Many of them grew up playing together, and those who are separated by age gaps still end up on the same national team every year for the World Championship. Peterka recalls playing, at some point, with everyone on that team but Draisaitl.
“Always playing against him is pretty hard, and not the most fun thing, so being on the other side will be great,” Peterka said of Draisaitl.
Karel Vejmelka, Team Czechia
Czechia has nearly three times as many goaltenders in the NHL as it has defensemen. Even so, Mammoth starting goalie Karel Vejmelka made the cut.
“Veggie” had a rocky stretch earlier in the season, but he seems to have worked out the kinks over the last month or so. He thrives in high-pressure environments, and he seems to get even better when the crowd chants his name.
Utah’s record when he’s in net has been much better than when he’s not, and that’s a testament to how important he is to the team.
Vejmelka’s international resume is a long one, which includes medals of every color: a gold and a bronze from the World Championship and a silver from the U18 World Juniors. Czechia’s last Olympic gold came in 1998, and their last medal overall was a bronze in 2006.
Olli Määttä, Team Finland
Olli Määttä is one of just a few 2014 Olympians returning for 2026.
Finland is the reigning champion, having won gold in 2022. Määttä owns a bronze medal from his time at the 2014 Olympics.
This season hasn’t been Määttä’s strongest. Fresh off a three-year contract extension, he has dealt with frequent healthy scratches in addition to a seemingly minor injury. But he has been a steady presence his entire career, and that’s what Finland expects out of him at the Olympics.
Määttä filled a big role at the 4 Nations tournament last year, as injuries to several of Finland’s top defensemen left the team scrambling. He played 20 minutes a game and recorded two points in three contests. Finland isn’t expected to have the same injury misfortune this year, so Määttä’s role will likely be decreased — but he’s a utility knife in the sense that he can play anywhere in the lineup and still make a difference.
