With the news dropping earlier this week that the NHL will be returning to both the 2026 and 2030 Olympics, it’s never too early to start predicting who may represent their country on the world’s biggest stage.
To jog your memory, the last time NHL players were permitted to play in the Olympics was all the way back at the 2014 games in Sochi. In that tournament the Calgary Flames had a total of just two players at the tournament, Ladislav Smid representing Czechia and Reto Berra for Switzerland.
With the current state of the franchise, there’s a good chance we see another low turnout of Flames at the 2026 games. So who in the organization has the best shot? Let’s break it down from the locks to the dark horses.
Olympic locks on the Calgary Flames
This group (or in this case, this player) should be a lock to make their countries’ roster in 2026 and play an important role for their team.
Rasmus Andersson – Sweden
If there’s anyone on the Flames roster who should be a lock to represent their country it’s Rasmus Andersson. Andersson will be just 29 at the time of the tournament and still very much in the prime of his career. Sweden also doesn’t have very many locks on their blueline which should make it rather easy for Andersson to get in.
At this point, the likes of Rasmus Dahlin and then Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson who will both be 35 in 2026 are likely the only sure things. From there you’ve got names like Mattias Ekholm who will be 35, and Jonas Brodin and Hampus Lindholm who will both be 32. Not only should Andersson make the team, he’ll likely feature in a top-four role as well.
Outside shots at the Olympics
The below group of players have a legitimate chance to represent their country at the 2026 tournament but they are far from locks and could be in tough to earn a roster spot.
Jacob Markstrom – Sweden
If the tournament were held this season Jacob Markstrom would be in the lock category. However, by the time the tournament rolls around in February of 2026, Markstrom will have just turned 36 years old. For context, the oldest goalie at the 2014 tournament was Robert Luongo who was 34.
Sweden will have a big group of goalies to pick from which won’t help his chances either. You’ve got Linus Ullmark who will be 32 and then a group of young guns in Filip Gustavsson, Samuel Ersson, and top prospect Jesper Wallstedt who will be 23 by then. Is there a chance Markstrom will carry his strong play from this season through another two years and defy Father Time? Potentially, but the odds are slim.
Mikael Backlund – Sweden
Mikael Backlund is in the same spot as Markstrom. If the tournament were held today, he’d very likely be playing for Sweden but in 2026 it may be too late for him. Backlund will be a month away from turning 36 when the tournament happens and given Sweden’s depth at forward it will be tough for him to make the team at that point of his career.
Down the middle, Sweden will have the likes of Elias Pettersson, Joel Eriksson Ek, Mika Zibanejad, Leo Carlsson, Elias Lindholm and William Karlsson to pick from. Perhaps Backlund makes the roster as a veteran, shutdown presence given his experience but the odds won’t be in his favour given Sweden’s depth.
MacKenzie Weegar – Canada
The only current Flame who could even sniff what will be a stacked Canadian roster is MacKenzie Weegar. Still, his chances are slim. Case in point, during what has been a tremendous season this year for Weegar, he would still be far from a lock to make Team Canada right now. With the tournament not happening for another two years, Weegar’s chances will likely only go down.
Canada already has some locks in Cale Makar, Devon Toews and Shea Theodore and then there’s a group of really strong candidates in Noah Dobson, Dougie Hamilton, Evan Bouchard, and Josh Morrissey to round out the group. We also can’t forget about a will-be 36-year-old Alex Pietrangelo who has been a mainstay for Canada at these tournaments.
Perhaps a 32-year-old Weegar could bump out one of the fringe names listed above, but it would take some very strong play over the next two seasons to happen. It’s far from impossible, but probably unlikely given the plethora of options.
Daniel Vladar – Czechia
Daniel Vladar hasn’t put up strong results over the past calendar year, but Czechia isn’t exactly drowning in options between the pipes. They’ve got a group of middling NHL goalies to pick from in Petr Mrazek, Lukas Dostal, Vitek Vanecek, Karel Vejmelka, David Rittich and Jiri Patera all fighting for three spots along with Vladar.
No one in that group really stands out above the rest, meaning Vladar has a real shot to earn a spot if he plays well over the next two years but given his past results that doesn’t look likely.
Olympic locks if their country qualifies
The below group of players are locks to make their countries’ rosters given the lack of NHL options available, however, their teams have not yet qualified for the tournament. While these teams have players playing in Europe, given that the Olympics will be played on NHL-dimension ice rinks, it would be a sound strategy to turn to players who can get results in the smaller rinks. That’s why these players could all be considered locks for their unique experience that differs from European players.
Samuel Honzek – Slovakia
The Flames 2023 first-round pick Samuel Honzek has yet to play a single game of pro hockey however he’s likely already a lock to make Slovakia’s roster for the 2026 tournament if they qualify. Honzek will be 21 by the time the tournament occurs and should have a year and a half of pro hockey experience by then.
Given Slovakia has only had six forwards play NHL games this season, Honzek should have no problem cracking their roster in 2026 as a first-round pick.
Martin Pospisil – Slovakia
Martin Pospisil should be the Flames’ second representative for Slovakia at the 2026 tournament if they make it there. He’s one of only six Slovakian forwards to play NHL hockey this year and is third among all Slovakians for points in 2023–24 behind only Tomas Tatar and Juraj Slafkovsky. Not only will he be on the team he’ll very likely play in a top-six role role.
Yegor Sharangovich – Belarus
Not only does Belarus have to qualify, they also have to be allowed to participate in the tournament. If they are there in 2026, Yegor Sharangovich will be Belarus’ top forward and best player by a wide margin. He’s one of only two Belarusian forwards in the NHL this year and he leads the second player by 17 points. If Belarus is there, it’ll be the Sharangovich show.
Ilya Solovyov – Belarus
Similar to Sharangovich, if Belarus is at the tournament Ilya Solovyov will be there representing them. Only two Belarusian defencemen have played NHL games this year, with Solovyov’s six games leading the way. By 2026, there’s a chance he’ll be a full-time NHL defenceman. Given the lack of options for Belarus, Solovyov will be playing a ton of minutes.
Mathias-Emilio Pettersen – Norway
Only two Norwegians have played professional hockey games in North America this year; Mats Zuccarello in the NHL and Mathias-Emilio Pettersen in the AHL. Norway typically carries a ton of veteran European league forwards to these tournaments but a 24-year-old Pettersen would play a key role given his experience in the AHL.
