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Leon Draisaitl, Sebastian Aho leading the way for Team Germany & Finland in 2026 Milan Olympics

Modified Jun 16, 2025 13:39 GMT

Germany may not have competed in the 4 Nations Final, but they will be in the 2026 Milan Olympics. So will a lot of countries, as it will not be restricted to four teams.

Additionally, NHL players will be allowed to compete. These nations have long gone to the Olympics without the top National Hockey League players, but that's changing.

For Germany, Leon Draisaitl leads the way in their initial six announcement. He will be joined by Moritz Seider, Nico Sturm, Lukas Reichel, Tim Stutzle, and Phillip Grubauer.

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Germany has some of the NHL's best players, but they weren't able to showcase that during the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this year. They'll finally get the chance in 2026.

Finland did get the chance to compete in the 4 Nations, so its NHL representation was on full display. Nevertheless, their initial six have also been announced for Milan next year.

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Sebastian Aho leads the way, but they have a deep roster headlined by Mikko Rantanen, Esa Lundell, Miro Heiskanen, Juuse Saros, and Aleksander Barkov.

Aho is the star of the Carolina Hurricanes and one of the top Finnish players in the world. His status for the Olympics was never really in doubt, but a thrilling playoff run (15 points in 15 games for Carolina and a +3 overall) cemented him as a dependable performer that the nation can lean on.

NHL stars and others announced for 2026 Milan Olympics

Less than a year out from the 2026 Milan Olympics, several countries have announced the top six players they'll be taking to Italy next year. There are some stars from the NHL present.

Switzerland is going to have several stars. Roman Josi, Nico Hischier, Jonas Siegenthaler, Timo Meier, Kevin Fiala, and Nino Niederreiter will be present.

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The Czechian team will be led by David Pastrnak, Martin Necas, Radko Gudas, Lukas Dostal, Ondrej Palat, and Pavel Zacha.

Italy, the host team for the 2026 Milan Olympics, has some stars, too. Luca Zanatta, Thomas Larkin, Diego Kostner, Tommy Purdeller, Damian Clara, and Daniel Mantenuto have been announced.

Sweden participated in the 4 Nations Face-Off. They will return with the following six: William Nylander, Adrian Kempe, Victor Hedman, Lucas Raymond, Rasmus Dahlin, and Gabriel Landeskog.

William Nylander will play in the Olympics (Imagn)

Finally, Latvia's team will be made up of Elvis Merzlikins, Rodrigo Abols, Uvis Balinskis, Arturs Silovs, Teodors Blugers, and Zemgus Girgensons. Team USA, Canada, and some other nations have yet to announce their six.

About the author

Zachary is a journalist covering NFL, Professional Golf, esports, and Major League Baseball at Sportskeeda. He has a degree in writing/editing from Southern Adventist University (USA), and in his spare time, he likes to play games such as Minecraft, Pokémon and Fortnite, or watch sports.

Ever since he was a youth football wide receiver, Zachary has been an avid NFL fan. He loves the Carolina Panthers, with Cam Newton being his all-time favorite player (with respect to the close second, Steve Smith). If you ever meet Zachary, prepare to hear all about how underrated Newton was and how he single-handedly dragged the Panthers to Super Bowl 50.

Zachary is also a big fan of top golfers like Tiger Woods, Wyndham Clark, and Scottie Scheffler. He enjoys watching them and hopes that Woods can return to form soon and win again.

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