Olympic hockey has often been played on an ice surface larger than NHL regulation, but it appears the 2026 Games will be played on a more contained area at less than 197 feet from end to end.

TSN Hockey Insider Chris Johnston updated the situation Tuesday on Insider Trading as the race to have the rink ready for February continues.

“I mean, at this point, the dimensions, it does not sound like, will be exactly to NHL spec,” Johnston explained on Insider Trading. “And what I think is most interesting about this development is that it caught the NHL, or at least some people there, by surprise. And, you know, basically what I’ve been told is that the International Ice Hockey Federation approved a rink size of 60 metres by 26. That’s a little bit more than three feet short of a typical 200-foot length on an arena.

“And that’s significant. I mean, look, the takeaway from the 4 Nations tournament earlier this year was that there was no space out there. With how fast and skilled these guys are, there wasn’t a lot of room to maneuver. And so, at least at this stage, we’ll have to see if there’s any chance to change it or what might develop out of this. But it does sound as though the main rink in Milan is currently not as long as a typical NHL building.”

If the ice surface remains below the standard it could further influence the decisions of general managers, with USA’s Bill Guerin already stressing the need for players who can hit.

“Honestly, I just don’t think you can put into words how tight those games were (at 4 Nations),” Guerin explained to The Athletic last month. “How little room there was to operate. And how well these elite players can check. In NHL games, they’re not always counted on to do that, but when they are, they can. And not everybody can play in those situations.

“No matter what their offensive gifts are, if you can’t check, it’s probably not the tournament for you. … There’s just no room out there.”

It’s also been reported that Team Canada is looking for size, with the Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson very much on their radar after being left off the 4 Nations squad.