The St. Louis Blues have five players representing their country for the 2026 rendition of the Olympic Games from Milano Cortina, Italy. One of those players is in their first NHL season and can use this showing in the best-on-best tournament to their advantage.
Representing Team Slovakia, Dalibor Dvorsky is going to have his hands full over the next few weeks as the best hockey teams in the world are assembled. For his squad, he is one of seven NHLers to make the team, including the 2022 first overall selection for the Montreal Canadiens, Juraj Slafkovsky.
Big opportunity for a young player
This is a huge opportunity for Dvorsky to showcase his skills on a global stage. There will be fierce competition with every game, but this has been something that he has been used to since becoming a pro hockey player last season. Whenever a big obstacle gets in the 20-year-old’s way, he seems to find a way to adapt and get over it.
He has been a huge help for a floundering Blues team this season, and the roots have been laid for his future in the organization. Putting on a solid showing with one of the lower-tier hockey teams in these Olympic Games could help him in two ways. It shows General Manager Doug Armstrong and future GM Alexander Steen what he is capable of, and it also puts the NHL on notice that he is not to be considered a top-10 selection “bust”.
Has done well representing his country before
The last time he wore the Slovakian colors was during his incredible run with the World Junior Championships from 2022 through 2025. Most notably, the 2025 tournament, in which he was among the top scorers, with five goals and four assists for nine points. Dvorsky was a driving force behind his nation’s overall placement.
Despite being knocked out by silver medal winner Finland in the Quarterfinals, Dvorsky was a bright light. That should be the case here as well in the 2026 Olympic Games, as Slovakia has a serious chance to be a sleeper team in this tournament. Can Dvorsky turn it up a notch, representing his home country, again?