The first round of elimination has come and gone, and all four of the Utah Mammoth’s Olympians are still standing.
Here’s how the tournament has gone for each of them to this point.
Clayton Keller, Team USA
You know what’s rare? When a team goes undefeated through the entire group stage, but is still one of the most heavily criticized in the tournament.
That’s the boat Team USA is in. They were the lone powerhouse in Group C, which featured the fewest NHL players in the tournament. Those were games Team USA was supposed to win by seven or eight goals, but they only beat each team by three or four goals.
When the American coaching staff was searching for a spark, they turned to Mammoth captain Clayton Keller, who skated in his first game of the tournament on Sunday against Germany. He did not register a point in the game, but his line did score.
All signs point to him remaining in the lineup on Wednesday against Sweden, which should be USA’s toughest test yet.
JJ Peterka, Team Germany
As one of the only NHL players on his team, JJ Peterka’s role has understandably been big. His 20:58 of playing time per game is the fourth-most among all forwards in the tournament.
Peterka has factored into a third of Germany’s goals in the tournament: one goal and three assists for four points in four games.
Germany’s quarterfinal game is against Slovakia. On paper, the teams are somewhat evenly matched, with seven NHL players each. That said, Slovakia has exceeded most people’s expectations to this point, so Germany will need a big performance to make the semifinals.
Olli Määttä, Team Finland
As a defensive defenseman, Olli Määttä’s job is to bring stability. That’s what made him so valuable to both Utah and Team Finland last season, though his role on both teams has decreased this year.
Määttä has averaged just 13 minutes a game, though he’s somehow Finland’s fifth-most used defenseman. Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell carry the team in that regard, both landing in the top four in the entire tournament in terms of ice time.
With an assist and a +2 rating, Määttä’s contributions to his team have been net-positive. And his calm, intelligent demeanor, which helped the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup in both 2016 and 2017, tends to rub off on those around him in the best possible ways.
Finland is the favorite in their quarterfinal matchup against Switzerland on Wednesday.
Karel Vejmelka, Team Czechia
Karel Vejmelka leads the NHL in wins this season, but he can’t crack his national team’s lineup. It doesn’t make much sense, does it?
The decision not to play him likely stems from his most recent international play. In seven games for Czechia last year, he managed a 4-3-0 record with a .891 save percentage and a 3.13 goals-against average — numbers that don’t jump off the page.
Lukáš Dostál and Dan Vladař, on the other hand, had elite numbers in their most recent tournaments, respectively.
Czechia is not the only European team to make head-scratching decisions regarding NHL stars at these Olympics. Sweden has received criticism for their limited usage of Filip Forsberg, Jesper Bratt and others while Pontus Holmberg and Alex Wennberg play amply.