The Philadelphia Flyers officially have their third Olympian. Joining Travis Sanheim (CAN) and Rodrigo Abols (LAT) at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics: defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen.
Ristolainen was named to Finland’s 4 Nations Face Off roster last season before being held out of the tournament due to injury. That said, it should be no surprise that the Flyers’ Finnish blueliner got the nod to represent his country at the Winter Olympics.
At the same time, Ristolainen has played just 8 games since returning from injury. He will certainly be prepared well in advance for the Olympics. However, with such a small recent sample size, it shows how much trust Finland has in the defenseman.
This will be the first time Ristolainen has represented his country on international ice since 2016-17, when he was a part of the Finnish World Cup team.
Ristolainen has 784 games and counting in the NHL during his career. In those games, he has 56 goals and 250 assists for 306 total points. This season, he has 2 assists in his 8 games.
The Flyers’ defenseman is poised for a big role for the Finnish blueline at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Team Finland will play its first game on February 11th.
Read More: Olympic Bound: Travis Sanheim to Represent Canada in 2026 Winter Olympics