As we draw closer to the 2026 Winter Olympics at Milano-Cortina, all 12 teams have announced their Men’s rosters ahead of the games. For the first time in over a decade, NHL players will be playing on the biggest international stage representing their countries. The Carolina Hurricanes will be sending four players to the Winter Games on three separate teams. That said, which three players should fans watch this upcoming Olympics?
Sebastian Aho – Finland
It comes as no surprise that Sebastian Aho will be representing the Hurricanes on Team Finland for the Milano-Cortina games, as he was one of the first players announced back in the summer. He’s been a pivotal part of the national team for over a decade, but will be participating in his first Olympic Games. He was one of the first players also announced for the 4-Nations Face-off last season. He was featured in the new NHL YouTube series called “NHL My World”, which goes behind the scenes with some players heading to the Olympics. The one involving him discussed his journey from Finland to Raleigh and how his career has gone since joining the Hurricanes.
Related: Carolina Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho’s Sneaky Top-20 NHL Point Season
The last time Aho participated for Finland, outside the 4-Nations, was in 2018 at the World Championship. In eight games, he finished with nine goals and 18 points, along with a plus-15. It’ll be interesting to watch the Hurricanes and Finnish alternate captain take the ice at the Olympics for the first time. With how he’s been playing for the Hurricanes, hopefully that can translate in Italy next month.
In 2025-26, Aho is third on the Hurricanes in goals (17) and leads in assists (35) and points (52) through 52 games. He is one behind Andrei Svechnikov for second and six behind team-leader Seth Jarvis. Aho has been an important player for both teams in his career. Will he add an Olympic Medal to his trophy case?
Jaccob Slavin – USA
The second player to watch is defenseman Jaccob Slavin. It’s been a tough season for Slavin, who missed 34 games in his first stint on injured reserve with a lower-body injury after playing the first two games of the season. Then, on Dec. 19 against the Florida Panthers, he sustained an upper-body injury and missed six more games. He’s only managed to play 12 games for the Hurricanes during the 2025-26 season but has tallied two assists, with the first one as his 300th NHL point.
Team USA defenseman Jaccob Slavin (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)
Despite missing so much time, that did not deter USA Hockey from naming Slavin to its 2026 Men’s roster for the Milano-Cortina games back on Jan. 2. USA Hockey general manager Bill Guerin called Slavin to give him the news and told him not to “step on any Legos”, as he was building some with his kids when he got the call.
Outside of playing for Team USA in the 4-Nations Face-off, the only time Slavin represented USA Hockey was in 2014 during the U-20 World Juniors. He played in five games, finishing with one goal and two points, along with a plus-1 rating. This will be the biggest tournament for him on the international stage, as he is the lone American and Hurricanes defenseman going to the Olympics. After a stellar performance at the 4-Nations, where people finally took notice of why he is considered the best defensive defenseman in the NHL, there is no doubt that he will be doing his usual “Slavin doing Slavin things” in Italy next month.
Nikolaj Ehlers – Denmark
Last but not least, the third player to watch from the Hurricanes at the 2026 Winter Olympics is Danish forward Nikolaj Ehlers. Ehlers will be joining teammate Frederik Andersen as both will represent Denmark after the two helped the Danes qualify back in 2024. During the Olympic Qualifiers, Ehlers had three goals and four points in four games. He followed that performance up with three goals in four games for Denmark at the 2025 World Championship, giving him four goals and 10 points in nine international games. When it comes to representing Denmark, Ehlers performs at an elite level.
Related: 3 Players on Denmark’s Men’s Team to Watch at the 2026 Winter Olympics
This will be the first time “Fly” will represent Denmark at the Olympics, and he has stated how excited he is to be able to do so for his home country on a stage like this. “The Olympics is the biggest tournament you can participate in, and it’s something I followed myself when I was younger. It was something special with the best players in the world against each other. So now to be allowed to play an Olympics for Denmark is a dream come true.”
So far for the Hurricanes in 2025-26, Ehlers is third on the team in points (40), second in assists (26), and fifth in goals (14) in 52 games. He has six goals and 14 points through the first 13 games of 2026. Three of those goals have come on the power play as he’s been a one-man zone entry on the top power-play unit in Carolina. It’s more than likely that he will be the main guy for Denmark going into Milano-Cortina next month, since they are in the same group with Slavin’s USA, along with Germany and Latvia.
When it comes down to it, it’ll be fun for Hurricanes fans to see all four players represent their countries on the biggest international stage in February. Between Aho, Slavin, Ehlers, and Andersen, there will be a ton of Caniacs watching their guys pursue the dream of winning a medal, preferably a Gold in Milano-Cortina. Regardless of how it plays out, don’t be surprised to see a lot of Finland, USA, and Denmark Olympic jerseys at the Lenovo Center following the 2026 Winter Games.
