The first two days of the 2026 Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey tournament have brought tons of excitement, an upset, and a pair of dominant victories by the odds-on favorites.
The two members of the Chicago Blackhawks’ organization participating in the competition faced off in the opening game on Wednesday, though only one was part of the active rosters. More in the links for the recap of Finland vs. Slovakia in Milan.
Also in Blackhawks news, Artyom Levshunov was listed among a recent top-12 rookie defensemen ranking, while Nick Lardis, Kevin Korchinski, and Brett Seney represented the Rockford IceHogs in the 2026 AHL All-Star Challenge.
Around the league, the United States and Canada both cruised to multi-goal wins in Italy, Juraf Slafkovsky added to his impressive Olympic resume, and why the Colorado Avalanche should be concerned down the stretch.
All that & more in the Daily!
Chicago Blackhawks Recap, News & Tidbits
Chicago Hockey Now: Teuvo Teravainen and Finland kicked off the Olympics against Slovakia on Wednesday morning. Chicago Blackhawks goalie prospect Adam Gajan is part of Slovakia’s roster, but he didn’t dress for the game and will be the team’s No. 3 netminder. The Slovaks shut down Teravainen and Finland’s offense, leading to an upset in the opening game of the tournament.
More CHN: The Rockford IceHogs hosted the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic over the last two days at the BMO Center. On Wednesday night, Nick Lardis, Kevin Korchinski, and Brett Seney helped the Central Division reach the Championship in the All-Star Challenge. Lardis scored a highlight-reel shootout goal, and Seney scored twice in four games.
Daily Faceoff: David St. Louis ranked the top-12 NHL rookie defensemen, and Artyom Levshunov cracked the list at No. 6. Levshunov played poorly leading up to the Olympic break, but he flashed his upside plenty of times earlier in the season.
Artyom Levshunov comes in at #6. David’s analysis of Levshunov is pretty similar to my own. He’s mostly struggled, but he has stretches where he shows elite skill. Hopefully his second half is better than his first. #Blackhawks https://t.co/odEHxYbhQn
— Chicago Prospects (@Chi_Prospects) February 11, 2026
NHL Trade Talk, News, & National Hockey Now
The Athletic: Macklin Celebrini, Mark Stone, Bo Horvat, Nathan MacKinnon, and Nick Suzuki scored for Team Canada, whose quest for a third consecutive best-on-best Olympic gold medal started with a 5-0 win over Czechia on Thursday morning.
IIHF.com: Italian starting goaltender Damien Clara, a 2023 second-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks, stood on his head to keep the host country competitive against Sweden. Luca Frigo gave Italy an early 1-0 lead, and despite Sweden leading 28-4 in shots on goal at the time, the score was tied 2-2 in the second period. But in the end, Sweden’s firepower proved too much, winning 5-2 in the second game on Wednesday.
More Athletic: Bubble Boy Brock Nelson showcased why he’s representing the Red, White, and Blue once again, scoring twice in the United States’ 5-1 win over Latvia to begin the Olympics. The U.S. overcame some early adversity, with two goals overturned after video reviews and the score tied 1-1 through 20 minutes. Brady Tkachuk, Tage Thompson, and Auston Matthews also scored in the victory.
Montreal Hockey Now: Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky picked up where he left off in the 2022 Olympics, scoring twice and adding an assist in Slovakia’s 4-1 upset win over Finland. The 21-year-old is now tied for the eighth-most goals in Olympic history.
Colorado Hockey Now: The Colorado Avalanche are the No. 1 seed in the league and have held that position for more than three months consecutively. Yet, there are still reasons to be concerned about Jared Bednar’s squad down the stretch of the regular season. Aarif Dean from CHN breaks down three of them.
Pittsburgh Hockey Now: In a season full of surprises, including the Pittsburgh Penguins pulling themselves out of a death spiral through December, the team has still managed to up the ante in the realm of the unexpected. Here are the five biggest surprises of the year so far, from Dan Kingerski of PHN.
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