Teams and players from the NHL who will be featured during the next Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina
Though the Winter Olympics are 527 days away, this weekend is crucial for 12 national men's hockey teams vying for a spot in Milano Cortina.
Three European cities-Bratislava, Riga, and Aalborg-will host the final Olympic qualifying rounds.
Canada is already secured, and many debate who should join Connor McDavid on the team. Meanwhile, teams like Latvia, Denmark, and Slovakia are battling for their last chance at qualification.
Here's the current qualification status:
Qualified Teams:
Canada
Finland
Russia* (pending decision)
U.S.A.
Germany
Sweden
Switzerland
Czechia
Italy (Host)
Qualifying Tournaments:
Bratislava, Slovakia:
Slovakia (9) / Missing key players like Juraj Slafkovsky and Erik Cernak but relying on Tomas Tatar, Martin Pospisil, and Simon Nemec.
Austria (13) / Missing Marco Rossi but featuring Marco Kasper and David Reinbacher.
Kazakhstan (15)
Hungary (18)
Riga, Latvia:
Latvia (10) / Missing Arturs Silovs and Teddy Blueger, but includes Uvis Balinskis and Zemgus Girgensons.
France (14) / Led by Pierre-Édouard Bellemare and Alexandre Texier.
Slovenia (19) / Without Anze Kopitar.
Ukraine (27)
Aalborg, Denmark:
Denmark (11) / Includes Frederik Andersen, Mads S�gaard, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Lars Eller, and Nikolaj Ehlers.
Norway (12) / Features Mats Zuccarello, Micheal Brandsegg-Nygard, and Stian Solberg.
Great Britain (17)
Japan (24)
Each location features a mix of NHL talent and emerging stars, making for a thrilling qualification process.
Source: Sportsnet
Looking at the teams, NHL players competing at Olympic qualifiers
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 1 | 52 ANSWERS Teams and players from the NHL who will be featured during the next Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina Do you think there are enough good NHL players from the smaller countries in the Winter Olympics? | ||
| Yes | 31 | 59.6 % |
| No | 21 | 40.4 % |
| List of polls | ||
