The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games in Italy kick off on Feb. 6 with the opening ceremony. A number of athletes with ties to Minnesota are slated to compete. Get to know the hometown heroes aiming for gold.
Minnesota Natives
Alpine Skiing
Lindsey Vonn (Burnsville): Growing up in Burnsville, Lindsey Vonn was wearing skis at age two. Now, with 82 World Cup victories, 138 World Cup podiums, and the first American woman to win gold in downhill skiing at the Olympics, Vonn has her sights set on another podium finish after a spectacular comeback from retirement and injury. Vonn underwent a partial knee replacement in April 2024 to address pain and deterioration resulting from years of high-impact competition. Her reentry into racing after six years away marked new territory, pushing whats thought possible in the professional arena. On Jan. 30, competing in the World Cup in Crans-Montana, her final downhill race before the Olympics, Vonn crashed at the top of the course and was airlifted for evaluation with concerns of a knee injury. She was the third skier to crash at the competition, racers citing poor visibility and course conditions. Despite sustaining a ruptured ACL, she’s confident she can still compete.
Paula Moltzan (Prior Lake): Buck Hill alum and Prior Lake native, Paula Moltzan is back for her second Olympics. Being a key member of the gold-winning team at the World Championships in Courchevel-Meribel in 2023 and a World Championships bronze medalist in Saalbach, Austria in 2025, Moltzan will take her specialty in slalom and giant slalom to northern Italy.
Cross-Country Skiing
Jessie Diggins (Afton): Three-time Olympic medalist Jessie Diggins is the No. 1-ranked cross-country skier in the world for the second year in a row. Growing up in Afton, Diggins will retire after this 2025-2026 season, after winning 33 World Cups and 87 podiums. There’s no stopping this athlete as she hurtles into her last Winter Olympics.
Zak Ketterson (Bloomington): Hailing from Bloomington where he lives and trains, Zak Ketterson is off to his first Winter Olympics with the U.S. cross-country ski team. Previously a Stifel U.S. Ski team member and representing the U.S. in both the World Junior and World Championships, the professional Nordic skier is sure to be a highlight this Olympic season.
Biathlon
Lucinda Anderson (Golden Valley): Born in Golden Valley, Lucinda Anderson will be making her debut in this year’s Olympics in northern Italy. She first started as a cross-country skier before trying biathlon in 2024, and it’s only gone up from there. Recognized as a member of the U.S. Biathlon’s Project X program, Anderson made two other debuts in 2024 in the IBU Cup and the World Cup in Hochfilzen, Austria later that year.
Margie Freed (Apple Valley): Making her debut in this year’s Winter Olympics, Margie Freed first started skiing in Apple Valley where she grew up. Later joining the Craftsbury Green Racing Project as cross-country skier, Freed’s first full year as a biathlete wasn’t until 2025. One of her career highlights was competing at the World Cup held in Minneapolis in 2024. After only a full year of training, she’s sure to be an Olympic feature.
Ice Hockey
Jackson LaCombe (Eden Prairie): The 25-year-old, first-time Olympian from Eden Prairie is no stranger to winning on the ice. A defenseman for the Anaheim Ducks, LaCombe played for Team USA in the 2025 IIHF World Championship, scoring 5 points for the team to help them secure the first win in the competition in 92 years.
Brock Faber (Maple Grove, U of M/Wild): The Maple Grove native and University of Minnesota graduate Brock Faber heads to Italy for his second Olympic Games. Faber plays defense for the Wild and was named a finalist for Rookie of the Year in 2024 in his first full season with the team. He takes inspiration from his sister, Paige, who has a cognitive disability and competes for Minnesota Special Hockey; Faber is involved with the Minneapolis 2026 Special Olympic USA Games, happening in June.
Brock Nelson (Warroad): Nelson, with an already impressive resume—five world championships, 300 career goals, and 300 career assists–looks to add “Olympian” to his list of achievements. The Colorado Avalanche forward hails from Warroad and fulfills a family legacy of excellence on ice, his grandfather and great uncles all competing in Olympic Games.
Jake Oettinger (Lakeville): The goaltender for Team USA and the Dallas Stars, Oettinger is no stranger to the spotlight. His NHL debut in the game leading into the Stanley Cup Final and a second appearance in the Final set the tone for his superstardom. Oettinger grew up in Lakeville and went to school at Boston University.
Rory Guilday (Chanhassen): Guilday, born and raised in Chanhassen, has been lacing her skates since age 5. In seventh grade, a brain tumor resulted in the loss of sight in her right eye, and a setback from playing contact sports. Persevering, she won the Herb Brooks Award her senior year of high school, finished as a two-time First Team All-Ivy League player at Cornell, and was drafted as a PWHL first round pick in 2025 by the Ottawa Charge.
Taylor Heise (Lake City, U of M/Frost): The first overall pick of the 2023 PWHL Draft, Minn. Frost forward Taylor Heise heads to Italy for her first Olympic Games. The Lake City native already boasts two gold and two silver finishes at the IIHF World Championships, two Walter Cup wins, and the 2024 PWHL Playoffs MVP honor.
Kelly Pannek (Plymouth, U of M/Frost): A veteran on the world stage, Pannek has become an indispensable part of Team USA, playing in her third Olympic Games and looking to add to her hardware. Gold in Pyeongchang in 2018 and silver in Beijing in 2022, seven IIHF World Championship appearances yielding four gold and three silver medals, and back-to-back Walter Cup wins in 2024 and 2025 places Pannek up with the greatest of all time.
Lee Stecklein (Roseville, U of M/Frost): The only player with a stronger claim to GOAT status than Pannek? Her teammate and fellow Minnesotan Lee Stecklein, whose three NCAA titles with the University of Minnesota, eight IIHF World Championship medals, two Walter Cups, and three Olympic medals, make Stecklein one to watch.
Grace Zumwinkle (Excelsior, U of M/Frost): Another Frost player means more excellence: two more Walter Cup wins, three IIHF World Championships, and a Beijing Olympic appearance for Excelsior-born Grace Zumwinkle. The forward played for the University of Minnesota and was the sixth Gopher in program history to score 100 career goals.
Speedskating
Giorgia Birkeland (White Bear Lake): A member of the Long Track National Team from 2020-2025, Giorgia Birkeland first started speed skating in her hometown of White Bear Lake. U.S. Speedskating offers glimpses of Birkeland’s career highlights including the 2020 World Junior Long Track Championships, participation in two Four Continents Championships, and competing in the World Championships for both 2023 and 2024. This will be her second Olympic qualification.
Greta Myers (Lino Lakes): From playing ice hockey for 12 years in her hometown of Lino Lakes to trying speed skating, Greta Myers is off to her first Olympics at only 21 years old. Myers has placed in the 2020, 2022, and 2023 World Junior Championships and the World Championships in 2024 and 2025.
Snowboard
Iris Pflum (Minneapolis): Iris Pflum from Minneapolis is headed to her first Olympic Games since snowboarding at age 9. Her qualification came two days before winning her first World Cup podium and taking third in the team event in Simonhöhe, Austria.
Curling
Aidan Oldenburg (Mapleton, MSU): Team USA highlights Oldenburg’s Minnesota State Fair juggling flaming torches performance to “We Didn’t Start the Fire” with his older brother. It deserves to be shared here, too. Outside of setting unreachable fun fact standards, Oldenburg finished third at the 2025 U.S. Olympic Team Trials in mixed doubles and second lead in men’s curling. He graduated from Minnesota State, Mankato with a BS in ecology and captained the varsity Valorant esports team.
Rich Ruohonen (Brooklyn Park, Hamline University): Growing up curling at the St. Paul Curling Club, Ruohonen has gone on to represent Team USA in two world championships, and won back-to-back medals in the senior world championships. If the 54-year old alternate competes in Milano Cortina, he will be the oldest American to ever compete at the Olympic Games.
Cory Thiesse (Duluth): Born in Duluth, Cory Thiesse competed with St. Paul Curling Club and holds eight world championship appearances. The 2026 Olympic Games will be her second after competing in Pyeongchang in 2018.
Tabitha Peterson Lovick (Burnsville): Curling since age 10, Tabitha Peterson Lovick won back-to-back junior national championships and a bronze medal for Team USA at the 2010 junior world championships with her sister, Tara. In the professional arena, Peterson Lovick has five national championships, two Olympic appearances, eight years at the women’s world championships and two for the mixed doubles team. Peterson Lovick is the skip for Milano Cortina 2026.
Tara Peterson (Burnsville): Dentist by day, elite curler by night, lead Tara Peterson alongside her sister Tabitha has five national titles and a bronze medal at the 2021 World Championships. This will be her second Olympic Games.
Luc Violette (Eagan): A curling star and hockey player since age five, Luc Violette is a five-time junior national champion with five World Junior Championship appearances. The men’s and mixed doubles competitor resides in Eagan.
Aileen Geving (Duluth): Aileen Geving, a Duluth native, Duluth Curling Club member, and University of Minnesota Duluth graduate, heads to Italy with two Olympic and three world championship appearances.
Para Ice Hockey
Landon Uthke, (Albert Lea): The 18-year-old defenseman from Albert Lea makes his Paralympic debut at Milano Cortina, heading into the competition with experience on the international stage. Uthke played in the 2025 IPH Cup and the 2025 Para Hockey Cup, taking home a gold medal. He grew up playing alongside future Team USA teammate Liam Cunningham for the Rochester Mustangs and the Minnesota Wild sled hockey teams.
Minnesota Connections
These athletes are connected to Minnesota through professional sports team or schools.
Ice Hockey
Quinn Hughes (Wild): Getting traded to the Minnesota Wild in late 2025, Quinn Hughs had three goal shots in only 26:55 of ice time and scored in the first 54 seconds of the third period during his debut. Previously earning the U.S. bronze at the 2018 IIHF World Championship and playing for the NHL First and Second All-Star teams, Hughes is ready for his first Olympics.
Matt Boldy (Wild): After signing a three-year contract with the Minnesota Wild in 2021, Matt Boldy signed a seven-year contract with the Wild in early 2023. He was the No. 12 pick in the 2019 draft, and became the fourth rookie in Wild history to score three goals in 2022 in a 7-4 win against the Detroit Red Wings. This will be Boldy’s first Olympics.
Kendall Coyne Schofield (Frost): Captain for the Frost and Team USA, Kenday Coyne Schofield steps onto the ice looking for what could be her fourth Olympic medal. Following silver in Sochi in 2014, Coyne Schofield led the team in shots on goal in Pyeongchang in 2018, where the squad took home gold. In 2019, Coyne Schofield was the first woman to compete in the NHL All Stars skills contest and won Bob Allen Women’s Player of the Year, honoring an American-born women’s hockey player.
Britta Curl-Salemme (Frost): In her first season for the Frost, forward Britta Curl-Salemme was named to the All-Rookie Team after winning the Walter Cup in the 2025. Curl-Salemme played five seasons with the University of Wisconsin, taking home three NCAA titles and 179 points in 181 games. A member of the Olympic residency program in the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, Curl-Salemme will compete for the first time in Milano Cortina.
Abbey Murphy (U of M): Forward and Captain of the Gophers Abbey Murphy will be participating in her second Olympic Games on the U.S. women’s hockey team. Previously leading the team to silver in the Beijing 2022 Winter Games, Murphy’s feats as a three-time member of the U.S. Under-18 Women’s Select Team and playing in four International Ice Hockey Federation Women’s World Championships will surely take her to gold this year.
Speedskating
Conor McDermott-Mostowy (Macalester College): The Macalester College grad took up speedskating in his youth, making the switch to long track at age 17 and finding success on the national team. His first national title came in 2021 in the 1,000m. The next year, McDermott-Mostowy publicly came out as a gay athlete, calling for more visibility and representation in sports. This will be the skater’s first Olympic Games.
Curling
Ben Richardson (Chaska): Born in Miami and a graduate from the Cleveland Institute of Music, Ben Richardson moved north to enter the curling scene in Minnesota. He trains alongside teammate and roommate Danny Casper at the USA Curling National Training Center in Chaska.
Danny Casper (Chaska): Skip for Team USA, Danny Casper attended the University of Minnesota and trains in Chaska with teammate and roommate Richardson. In 2024, Casper developed a rare autoimmune disease, limiting his mobility and hindering his performance. Still working through the effects during Olympic Trials, Team Casper upset Team USA’s most decorated curler, John Shuster, and landed a qualification for Milano Cortina.
Korey Dropkin (Duluth)
A University of Minnesota Duluth graduate, the 2025 Olympic Team Trials Mixed Doubles winner brings a lifetime of experience and seven world championship appearances to Milano Cortina 2026.
Taylor Anderson-Heide (U of M): Lead for the women’s team and second in mixed doubles, Taylor Anderson-Heide is a five-time national champion and placed top three in two different U.S. Olympic Trials, calling the University of Minnesota her alma mater.
Wheelchair Curling
Oyuna Uranchimeg (Burnsville/Hamline): The Mongolian-American Paralympian will compete in her second Olympic Games, bringing experience from Beijing 2022 and four world championship appearances. The Hamline University grad now works in Emerging Media for University of St. Thomas, in St. Paul.
Para Ice Hockey
Liam Cunningham (Saint Thomas Academy): Liam Cunningham’s sled hockey career began at age seven after a diagnosis of a degenerative bone disorder in his legs. He goes to Saint Thomas Academy and plays alongside Team USA teammate Landon Uthke for the Minnesota Wild sled ice hockey team. At age 15, he made the national team and at 17, was the youngest player on the 2025 World Para Ice Hockey Championship roster.
Minnesota Athletes Competing on Other Olympic Teams
Minnesota Wild
Nico Sturm plays for Germany in his first Winter Games.
Filip Gustavsson representing Sweden is consistently a top goaltender, keeping a save percentage above .900 across all competitions and becoming the first goaltender in franchise history to put up a shutout in multiple season-openers.
Jesper Wallstedt goaltender for Sweden as first in the NHL in save percentage and shutouts and November Rookie of the Month.
Marcus Johansson competes for Sweden, as an injury replacement for Wild teammate Jonas Brodin, bringing his veteran composure to the squad.
Joel Eriksson Ek leads the NHL in face-offs taken, second in goals and points per game for the Wild, and will compete for Sweden in his first Olympics.
Minnesota Frost
St. Cloud State graduate, top 10 Huskies all-time scorer, and Frost forward Klára Hymlárová will skate for the Czech Republic in her second Winter Games.
Forward Denisa Křížová to play for the Czech Republic, playing for Frost after a season with the Minnesota Whitecaps.
St. Cloud State University
Svenja Voigt of Germany will be one of four players from the St. Cloud State women’s hockey team heading to northern Italy for her first Winter Olympic Games.
Emilia Kyrkkō will suit up in goal for Finland in her first Olympics.
Siiri Yrjölä, sophomore for the Huskies, will represent Finland at Milano Cortina.
Laura Zimmerman will play forward for Switzerland in her second Olympic campaign.
Erik Haula joins the Finland team alongside teammate and goaltender Juuse Saros from the Nashville Predators.
University of Minnesota – Twin Cities
Nelli Laitinen scored seven points at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games, helping Team Finland earn bronze. This will be Laitinen’s second Olympic Games.
Josefin Bouveng’s position as the Gopher’s forward will come to a pause as she joins Team Sweden in her second Winter Olympic Games after earning gold at the 2026 Youth Olympics.
Natália Mlýnková, forward for the Golden Gophers, will compete for the Czech Republic in her second Olympics. She plays with the title of 2023-24 Hockey East Player of the Year from her time in undergrad at the University of Vermont.
U of M freshman Tereza Plosová will play for the Czech Republic, bringing years of experience in international competitions and in the Swedish Women’s Hockey League.
University of Minnesota Duluth
Defender Ida Karlsson joins UMD’s list of known hockey players who have played in the Olympics as she takes on this year’s Games with Team Sweden.
Thea Johansson will be pausing her work in the 9th-ranked UMD women’s hockey team to play for Sweden.
Emma Soderberg, playing for the Bulldogs in their 2022-23 campaign, will play goalie for Sweden. This will be Soderberg’s second Olympics, her time in Beijing in 2022 bearing five shutouts and a .925 save percentage.
Tindra Holm will get in goal for Sweden boasting 2024 National Women’s Goalie of the Year semifinalist and NEWHA Goaltender of the Year.
Adam Gajan, sophomore goaltender for the Bulldogs, will play for Slovakia at Milano Cortina.
February 3, 2026
1:21 PM