Today marks the first time since 2014 that NHL players will appear in the Winter Olympics, with the preliminary games beginning Wednesday morning and the Nashville Predators organization well represented.

Four Preds — Roman Josi (Switzerland), Filip Forsberg (Sweden), Erik Haula (Finland) and Juuse Saros (Finland) — are competing in Milano Cortina.

Josi is the lone Predators skater who is appearing in his second Olympics. The other three are making their debut on one of the largest stages for professional athletes. Preds athletic trainer Kevin Morley is a member of Team U.S.A’s staff, as well.

Haula and Saros will play against Slovakia in the first preliminary round game today at 9:40 a.m., while Forsberg and Sweden will take on Italy this afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

Team Switzerland and Josi’s first game at the Olympics will be played on Thursday against France at 5:10 a.m. This will be the second time Nashville’s captain will be part of the Olympics after last appearing in 2014. Josi was also officially named captain of Switzerland on Tuesday.

The U.S. will play its first game on Thursday versus Latvia at 2:10 p.m. Fans will have to wait and see a potential matchup against Team Canada later in the tournament.

On Friday, Forsberg and the Swedes will face off against Finland, with Haula and Saros opposing him.

Following the three preliminary games, the 12 teams move into a single-elimination playoff format, which starts Tuesday, Feb. 17, at 5:10 a.m.

The Winter Olympics feature 147 NHL players across the table, with at least one representative from all 32 teams. According to the NHL, there are 79 players with previous Olympic experience at this year’s games.

One noticeable difference spectators will notice in these Olympics is that all hockey players will be wearing a neck guard. This is a result of former NHL Player Adam Johnson suffering a fatal cut to his neck in October 2023. He was 29 years old.

The International Ice Hockey Federation voted two months later to make it mandatory for players to wear the neck guard during international competition.

Starting next season in the NHL, new players are required to wear cut-resistant neck guards. Skaters with at least one game of NHL experience before the 2026-27 season will be grandfathered in, ultimately making it an optional rule for veterans.

The American Hockey League has already made mandatory that all its players wear neck protection. The requirement went into effect on Aug. 23, 2024, ahead of the 2024-25 season and is still the case today.

Nashville’s Olympians on the international stage:

Roman Josi played in four games at the 2014 Olympics before Switzerland lost 3-1 to Latvia in the qualification round.

Overall, when representing Switzerland during his hockey career, Josi has won three IIHF World Championship silver medals and a silver medal playing for Team Europe at the World Cup of Hockey in 2016.

Erik Haula won silver at the 2014 IIHF World Championship and has made 70 appearances with Finland’s national team during his hockey career. He was also part of the inaugural 4 Nations Faceoff last year, playing three games.

Goalie Juuse Saros has appeared in 12 games for Finland’s national team. He went 4-6 representing his country during the 2024-25 season, playing in both the World Championship and 4 Nations Faceoff.

Filip Forsberg, making his Olympic debut, has played in 30 games for Sweden’s national team, scoring 13 goals and eight assists. He was also at the 4 Nations faceoff last season.

Forsberg has two gold medals (2012 and 2018) from the IIHF World Championship and two silver medals from the same tournament (2013 and 2014).

All Olympic hockey games can be watched on NBC and Peacock throughout the tournament.