Martin Pospisil is going to be an Olympian.
On Monday morning, the teams that have already qualified for the men’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina announced the first six players who will be on their rosters.
That included the pesky Calgary Flames winger, who was on the list of a half-dozen NHLers who will be representing Slovakia at the tournament.
The announcement wasn’t exactly a surprise, there was little intrigue about whether Pospisil would wind up being included on the Slovakian team. He played a key role in helping the country qualify for the international tournament last summer, registering three points in three games.
He also had seven points in seven games at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, but Pospisil’s offensive numbers aren’t really what make him an effective player. It’s his physicality and willingness to go into the hard areas of the ice and get under opponents’ skin that have helped him establish himself as an everyday contributor for the Flames over the past two seasons.
Pospisil was third in the NHL in hits this season, with 301, and was praised by Flames head coach Ryan Huska for making adjustments to his game after discipline became a concern early in the year.
It will be interesting to watch where Pospisil plays for the Slovaks, as he was used at centre during the qualifying tournament, but after a brief experiment in the middle with the Flames was quickly shuffled back to the wing.
Slovakia won a bronze medal at the 2022 Olympics and announced a dynamic first six players that included Juraj Slafkovsky, Simon Nemec, Martin Fehervary, Erik Cernak and Tomas Tatar. Flames prospect Sam Honzek played on the country’s team at this year’s world championship and will be pushing to join his countrymen.
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Pospisil was the only Flames player named on Monday as the 12 teams that will participate in next year’s Olympics named their first six players. There will be further Calgary representation, though, as locally born-and-raised stars Cale Makar and Brayden Point were both among the half-dozen players named to what is sure to be a star-studded Canadian roster.
Full teams won’t be announced until early 2026 and there’s a strong possibility that a few more Flames could get their names called. Rasmus Andersson was the only Flames player who participated in the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, but there are obviously significantly more teams who will be participating.
Here are a few of the local lads who could get their names called when final rosters are due:
MacKenzie Weegar, D
By all accounts, Weegar was one of the very last cuts made by Team Canada brass ahead of the 4 Nations Face-Off, and a strong start to the 2025-26 season could see him in contention for a call-up. He’s a two-way blueliner who was top-25 in the NHL among defencemen in plus minus, at +18, and points, with 47. The Canadian team is going to be loaded with offensively-talented d-men, so Weegar’s versatility could be an asset.
Rasmus Andersson, D
Whether he’s still with the Flames when the Olympics roll around is a big question, but Andersson made his way onto the Swedish roster for the 4 Nations tournament and has proven himself to be a guy who can quarterback a power-play and play heavy minutes on both ends of the ice. Last year was a down year, but Andersson should be in contention for his national team one way or the other.
Dustin Wolf, G
This isn’t as much of a long shot as it might seem. Sure, the Americans are absolutely stacked with goaltending talent and Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger will surely be their one-two, but it’s worth noting that those are the only two shot-stoppers hailing from the United States who had more wins than Wolf did in his rookie season. There’s a tonne of depth available to the American management team, but if they’ve got any eye towards the future, Wolf will surely be in the mix, at least.
Adam Klapka, RW
With only 37 NHL games on his resume, Klapka is still not a finished product, but the way he played down the stretch for the Flames didn’t just earn him first-line minutes for the Flames — it also got him an invite to represent Team Czechia at the 2025 IIHF World Championship. He’s brimming with potential and it would be absolutely no surprise to see him skating at the Olympics.
Mikael Backlund, C
At 36 years old, Backlund may be nearing the back-end of his long and storied career with the Flames, but you know he wouldn’t turn down the opportunity to skate for Sweden at the Olympics if he’s asked. His penalty-killing prowess and leadership would be what earns him an invite, but given the considerable offensive talent available to the Swedes, those could be attributes that have real value.
Dan Vladar, G
How much did Vladar’s performance at the 2025 IIHF World Championship catch the eye of Czechia brass? The Flames backup is an unrestricted free agent as of July 1 and he won’t struggle to find employment somewhere. Whether or not that’s in Calgary is the big question, but the .951 save percentage and 1.09 goals-against-average he posted in four games at the spring’s world championship will surely have him in contention for an Olympic call.