Two members of the Carolina Hurricanes share not only a professional home but a home country. Both are in play this winter when Frederik Andersen and Nikolaj Ehlers trade the Carolina sweater for a place on the roster for Team Denmark at the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics.

Men’s Olympic hockey competition begins on
Feb. 11, and two Carolina Hurricanes players will take the ice for Denmark.
Goaltender Frederik Andersen and forward Nikolaj Ehlers will trade in their
Hurricanes jerseys for a few weeks as they chase national glory on the world’s
biggest stage.

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Andersen, who has been with the Hurricanes
since 2021, has a career save percentage of .914 and has 315 career wins. At
the 2024 Men’s Final Olympic Ice Hockey Qualification, he led Team Denmark with
a 3-0-0 record, stopping 60 of 64 shots.

 “For the first time in my career, I get to
play with a Dane in my everyday team, so that’s been fun,” Andersen said.
“We’re looking forward to sharing this experience together.” 

Since signing with the Hurricanes in early
July 2025, Ehlers
has recorded 14 goals and 27 assists in his 54 games  and
tops the all-time NHL list among Danish players in goals, points and assists.
He brought this same energy to the 2025 World Championships, scoring three
times in four games. 

The pair is preparing to shift from their
Hurricanes mindset to representing their country on the Olympic ice. 

“I’m trying to think about our season here,
which is the most important right now,” Ehlers said. “Once we’re done here and
ready to go over to Milan, it’s going to be all Team Denmark in my head.” 

Team Denmark will be making its second-ever
Olympic appearance, after finishing seventh at the 2022 Beijing Games.  

Ehlers said he’s looking forward to watching
other athletes compete and taking in the Olympic village. Most of all, he’s
proud to be representing his country, especially after the World Championships
in May.

“We made it to the semi-finals as a small
country and beat Canada 2-1 in the quarters,” Ehlers said. “That experience and
seeing the whole country behind you was something I’d never felt before, and it
was the most special feeling ever.” 

Nikolaj Ehlers, center, and Sebastian Aho, left, teammates in Carolina will represent their home countries in the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Unfortunately, Ehlers and Andersen won’t be
able to represent Denmark at the opening ceremony, as the Hurricanes are
scheduled to play the night before.

“It seems like it’s a small thing, but to us
it’s a big thing because you want to be able to take everything in and
experience everything,” Ehlers said.

Although they’re disappointed by the tight
timeline, Andersen said they’ll still try to make the most of every moment. 

The duo will set off to Milan on Feb. 7, spend
a few days training with Team Demark, and be ready for their first match on
Feb. 12. With limited time to practice together, Andersen said they held
preliminary meetings over the summer to help prepare.

“The good thing about Denmark—a small country—
is a lot of us know each other from playing against each other growing up or
with each other at different World Championships or qualification for the
Olympics,” Andersen said.

Ehlers added that Team Denmark knows each
other well on and off the ice, so he doesn’t think the quick adjustment will be
too difficult.  

“We’ve been able to create something special
within that team and that’s something I’m excited to get back to,” Ehlers said. 

Team Denmark is scheduled to compete against
Germany, the United States and Latvia at the Games.

Ehlers and Andersen won’t be the only
Hurricanes players on Olympic ice. Sebastian Aho will represent Finland, and Denmark plays against Jaccob Slavin and Team USA on Feb. 14.

Ehlers said he’s looking forward to the
challenge. Andersen said that whoever wins the Denmark–United States game will
“get some bragging rights back at home.”

Once the Olympics conclude on Feb. 22, the duo
will jump right back into the NHL season, as the Hurricanes are slated to play
again on Feb. 26.