The opening men’s hockey game at the Milano Cortina Olympics is quickly approaching. Finland and Slovakia open the tournament on Wednesday, followed by Sweden vs. Italy.
That means we could see as many as three Avs on the opening day of the games. Artturi Lehkonen and Joel Kiviranta for Finland, and Gabe Landeskog for Sweden.
Colorado has five others participating in the event, and none of them are strangers to international play. Nathan MacKinnon, Devon Toews, and Cale Makar were all part of Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off championship last year, and they are all expected to play a significant role for the Canadians again.
Brock Nelson also played in the final game of 4 Nations, falling to Canada as a member of Team USA. He was still with the New York Islanders at the time. And Martin Necas represented Czechia at the World Championships following Colorado’s playoff exit.
Lehkonen was also part of 4 Nations for Finland. Landeskog had not yet returned and did not participate in that tournament, but he is a returning member of Sweden from the 2014 Olympics — the last time NHL players took part in the tournament.
Kiviranta represented Finland at the 2019 World Championships before he made his NHL debut.
International Appearances
Gabriel Landeskog
World Juniors (2010 and 2011)
World Championships (2012, 2013, 2017, and 2019)
Winter Olympics (2014, 2026)
World Cup of Hockey (2016)
Nathan MacKinnon
World Juniors (2013)
World Championships (2014, 2015, and 2025)
World Cup of Hockey (2016) Team North America
4 Nations Face-Off (2025)
Winter Olympics (2026)
Cale Makar
World Juniors (2018)
4 Nations Face-Off (2025)
Winter Olympics (2026)
Devon Toews
4 Nations Face-Off (2025)
Winter Olympics (2026)
Artturi Lehkonen
World Juniors (2014 and 2015)
4 Nations Face-Off (2025)
Winter Olympics (2026)
Joel Kiviranta
World Championships (2019)
Winter Olympics (2026)
Martin Necas
World Juniors (2018 and 2019)
World Championships (2018, 2024, and 2025)
Winter Olympics (2026)
Brock Nelson
World Juniors (2011)
World Championships (2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2024)
4 Nations Face-Off (2025)
Winter Olympics (2026)
