Twelve years and three cycles later, NHL players returned to the Olympics, and the tournament delivered.<\/p>\n
There was an appetite for best-on-best international hockey in the men\u2019s game \u2014 4 Nations proved that last February, as the first tournament with NHL talent since the 2016 World Cup of Hockey. But that was just a sampler of what was to come. The Olympics were the main course.<\/p>\n
The bar was set high, and while the tournament wasn\u2019t without its kinks \u2014 the rink-size drama, gimmicky rules like three-on-three overtime, extremely stringent rules around highlight distribution \u2014 it started with a bang with Slovakia upsetting Finland in the prelims, and ended with a classic.<\/p>\n
And in between, international star power was on display. Juraj Slafkovsk\u00fd and Dalibor Dvorsk\u00fd showed what difference-makers they can be, without much NHL support. Zach Werenski showcased his elite game to the rest of the world that doesn\u2019t tune into Columbus Blue Jackets hockey on a nightly basis. Prospect Alberts \u0160mits<\/a> showed how he can compete against the game\u2019s biggest stars, while non-NHLers like Leonardo Genoni, Martin Gernat and Frederik Tiffels all had standout performances.<\/p>\n From the 4 Nations to the \u201cHeated Rivalry\u201d effect, and now the Olympic stage, it\u2019s been a big year for hockey. Now, as the season resumes, the NHL has to build on that momentum.<\/p>\n Hellebuyck\u2019s MVP-caliber play<\/p>\n Narratives around Connor Hellebuyck\u2019s play in high-pressure situations have swirled over the last few years. While his defense left him exposed in the 2024 playoffs against the Avalanche, he didn\u2019t handle his workload well, either. When it seemed like he was in for a redemption arc last spring, with more defensive support and arguably his best regular season yet, Hellebuyck wilted against the Blues in Round 1.<\/p>\n So one of the big questions for Team USA was who would earn the starter\u2019s net, considering 1) the depth at the position and 2) Hellebuyck\u2019s more pedestrian numbers (relative to his usual heights) since returning from injury.<\/p>\n Hellebuyck answered those questions with sparkling play. And in the highest-pressure situation, he was absolutely phenomenal.<\/p>\n Hellebuyck was the driving force behind Team USA\u2019s gold medal. He only gave up one goal against Canada, despite facing 42 shots from some of the best offensive threats in the world, including 23 slot shots and 12 chances off the rush, all of which added up to an xG of 5.8 per Sportlogiq\u2019s model<\/a>. He came up with the stop of the tournament, with a paddle save against Canada\u2019s Devon Toews to keep the game tied 1-1 early in the third.<\/p>\n THAT WAS ONE HELLE-BUYCK OF A STOP. \ud83d\ude33 pic.twitter.com\/N3wCimdBGw<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) February 22, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n Hellebuyck didn\u2019t just have the hot hand for one game. He was the best goaltender of the Games, and a key reason why the penalty kill went 18-for-18. Through five starts, he allowed six goals on 137 shots for a .956 save percentage and earned a tournament-high 5.92 goals saved above average.<\/p>\n Between a solid showing at the 4 Nations and a game-breaking performance for the USA, Hellebuyck has changed his reputation<\/a>. It\u2019s just unfortunate he likely won\u2019t get to ride this clutch gear into the playoffs; that could have been a real test between pressure and fatigue, considering how much he generally plays by April.<\/p>\n Big Game Matthews<\/p>\n Auston Matthews hasn\u2019t earned a reputation as The Guy in big moments, either. Instead, the fact that his regular-season goal-scoring rate (0.62 goals per game) hasn\u2019t translated to the playoffs (0.38 per game), with only two playoff series wins under his belt, tends to be the focal point.<\/p>\n While Matthews wasn\u2019t the hero for Team USA, he wasn\u2019t just along for the ride. His two-way game was a pivotal part of the USA\u2019s success throughout the tournament. Offensively, he stepped up with three goals and six points heading into the gold medal game. Matthews added to that total with a primary assist on Matt Boldy\u2019s opening goal against Canada. That assist brought him up to a team-high 31 scoring chance contributions (tracked by the amazing Dimitri Filipovic of the PDOCast<\/a>).<\/p>\n Defense is tricky to measure because it\u2019s hard to quantify a player essentially stopping something from happening. But against Canada, his backchecks \u2014 first on Brad Marchand, then to break up a rush chance from Macklin Celebrini \u2014 set the tone. Every detail matters in tight games, and Matthews\u2019 all-around game was clutch.<\/p>\n The Hughes brothers\u2019 next level<\/p>\n The word \u2018gamer\u2019 gets thrown around in hockey \u2014 it\u2019s usually thought of as a clutch player, who embraces a playoff style and thrives in the big moments. So players like Matthew and Brady Tkachuk generally get branded as gamers, not Quinn or Jack Hughes.<\/p>\n Some of it is due to opportunity \u2014 Quinn and Jack aren\u2019t super brash and don\u2019t have much playoff experience. Quinn wasn\u2019t healthy enough to play at the 4 Nations, while Jack had some ups and downs. His injury woes this year added another question mark to his role for Team USA.<\/p>\n This time, the Hughes brothers rose to the occasion.<\/p>\n Despite limited usage (73:40 through six games), Jack Hughes was one of the best American offensive generators. And he did all of that damage on the wing, on Brock Nelson\u2019s right on the fourth line, then Dylan Larkin\u2019s left on the third. Heading into the gold medal game, his shooting and playmaking combined for 27 scoring chance contributions, which ranked third on the team and in the top 15 of the tournament. In the final, he added another two chances and two chance assists, including the golden goal. When accounting for minutes played, Hughes\u2019 scoring chance contributions shook out to 26.9 per 60, which ranked second in the tournament to Connor McDavid. It was a reminder of what a game-changer he can be when healthy (and outside of the Devils\u2019 system, considering how many of his teammates excelled away from New Jersey at the Games).<\/p>\n Quinn Hughes, on the other hand, logged heavy minutes for Team USA \u2014 a team-high 141, to be exact, which ranked third behind only Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell of Finland. Hughes was a one-man breakout machine whose decision-making and pace sparked the team from the back end. He gave the USA a jolt off the rush and bought his teammates time and space in the offensive zone with his possession-heavy game and evasiveness. It\u2019s all an extension of what the Wild have been getting out of their new No. 1 defenseman; if he can keep up his post-trade levels down the stretch, Hughes could jump into consideration for both the Norris and Hart.<\/p>\n Passing the Canadian torch<\/p>\n Despite missing a few Olympic cycles, due to the NHL\u2019s absence and a snub back when he was 18, Sidney Crosby is one of the faces of Canadian hockey. At 38 years old, he is still performing at an elite level. While he probably has the chops to be a difference-maker in the next four years, it\u2019s way too early to predict his status for 2030.<\/p>\n But if this is it for Crosby<\/a>, it does feel like the Team Canada torch has officially been passed to Connor McDavid and Macklin Celebrini.\u00a0<\/p>\n Even with some lapsed coverage on the golden goal, McDavid still had a dominant tournament. He led the entire field in points (13) and scoring chance contributions. But that was, honestly, all to be expected at this point. McDavid is a force whenever he is on the ice, and his game always rises to match the moment. \u00a0<\/p>\n The more surprising element for Canada was what a difference-maker Celebrini was on this stage at 19 years old.\u00a0<\/p>\n In just his second NHL season, Celebrini is establishing himself as one of the best players in the world. He can be dynamic off the rush or slow the game down with his patience and puck-handling. That, paired with the massive gap in value between him and the next best player in San Jose, has fueled his place in the Hart Trophy conversation as a sophomore.<\/p>\n All of that earned him a place on Team Canada, but the question was how much he would actually play. Head coach Jon Cooper answered that early, with a top-line placement that he maintained throughout the tournament. Celebrini was one of the most noticeable players for Canada throughout the games; his speed and ability to drive right to the slot were on display every game. He generated a tournament-high 35 scoring chances, according to Filipovic\u2019s tracking, and contributed to another 14 chances. And that offense led to his second-best 10 points in six games.<\/p>\n Canada\u2019s future blue line<\/p>\n After Josh Morrissey was sidelined, a potential flaw for Canada became glaring: the lack of puck-moving defensemen behind Cale Makar and Thomas Harley. As much as Shea Theodore stepped up to add a spark at the bottom of the lineup, he just wasn\u2019t deployed enough. He contributed to three scoring chances in less than nine minutes of play in the gold medal game, in favor of players like Travis Sanheim and Colton Parayko, who each played upwards of 15 minutes.<\/p>\n There was always a risk of some redundancy, with Sanheim, Parayko and Drew Doughty all on the roster, leaving out more offensive options like Matthew Schaefer and Evan Bouchard. So with this tournament in the books, it\u2019s something Canada\u2019s management has to learn from ahead of the World Cup of Hockey in 2028 and the next Olympics in 2030. Changes on defense may not have stopped Canada from getting goalied in the gold medal game. But having more skill on the back end could have better activated the bottom-nine forwards and given the team a deeper approach.<\/p>\n Stone and Marner\u2019s chemistry<\/p>\n International rosters are a blend of the best talents from around the professional world. Without much time to practice as a group, it helps to find some common links to build off, whether it\u2019s past combinations in these settings or regular-season chemistry. On the women\u2019s side, for example, Team USA rolled out an all-Seattle Torrent line of Hannah Bilka, Alex Carpenter and Hilary Knight to kick off the tournament. Team Canada rolled out Mitch Marner and Mark Stone together on the third line.<\/p>\n Marner only shared the ice with Stone in 27 percent of his five-on-five minutes this season with the Vegas Golden Knights. But the two showed a lot of promise on both ends of the ice for Canada, while playing as Crosby\u2019s wings (and then Nick Suzuki\u2019s). And that may be something for the Golden Knights to try and tap into as play resumes, especially with Marner playing center. While it obviously stacks two of Vegas\u2019 best two-way threats together, Stone\u2019s defensive game could help ease Marner\u2019s transition back to playing the middle.<\/p>\n Necas\u2019 power play impact<\/p>\n Colorado\u2019s power play is far too talented to sit dead last in the league in scoring rate, with just 5.08 goals per 60. Makar, Nathan MacKinnon and Martin Necas are all staples of that top unit, with players like Brock Nelson, Gabriel Landeskog, Artturi Lehkonen and Victor Olofsson all rotating through that top unit to find the right balance. But what if a tweak in strategy, with some Olympic insight, could help unlock what should be a dangerous unit?<\/p>\n All three of Necas\u2019 goals for Team Czechia were one-timers from the left circle on some sort of man-advantage. Against France, David Pastrnak teed him up on the power play from the point. Two days later, against Switzerland, Filip Hronek\u2019s lateral pass set up Necas scoring a six-on-five goal to tie the game with two minutes left in regulation. Then against Denmark, Hronek assisted on another Necas one-timer, this time on the power play.<\/p>\n Two of Necas\u2019 four power-play goals this season were scored similarly in Colorado, but it\u2019s not his primary position. MacKinnon is generally stationed on the left, while Necas (before getting bumped off PP1 for the last few games heading into the break) was the bumper. But maybe it\u2019s worth leaning on Necas\u2019 hot right-handed shot from the left circle, and either shifting MacKinnon to the slot or letting him rove around the formation to make the power play an actual advantage again for the Avs.<\/p>\n Hlavaj\u2019s rising stock<\/p>\n Genoni of Switzerland, Samuel Hlavaj of Slovakia and Damien Clara of Italy all earned praise for their Olympic efforts. Genoni has been a staple for Switzerland for some time, and at 38 doesn\u2019t exactly have an NHL future. But Clara (who was drafted by the Ducks) and Hlavaj (of the Iowa Wild) may.<\/p>\n Hlavaj is such an interesting one, because his 3.33 goals-against average and .884 save percentage are among the worst numbers in the AHL \u2014 a league that isn\u2019t exactly filled with elite goal scorers. But before Slovakia\u2019s Cinderella run came to a crashing halt in the semifinal round, Hlavaj\u2019s 0.932 save percentage was top-five in the tournament.<\/p>\n What makes his story even more intriguing is the fact that his 2024-25 regular-season numbers were actually better than his goalie partner in Iowa: Jesper Wallstedt.<\/p>\n As much as stellar goalie performances against some of the superteams of the world can generate attention, realistically there is only so much to learn about a player in a tournament setting. It\u2019s only one small chapter of a player\u2019s career, and in Hlavaj\u2019s case, it was only a five-game sample. But stack this experience with his 2024-25 season, and his 2023 World Championship play that put him on the Wild\u2019s radar <\/a>in the first place, and it gives the situation a little more substance. His status as an RFA this summer, the fact that teams around the league could use inexpensive goalie depth, and the possibility Wallstedt could become expendable in a true needle-moving trade are something to keep an eye on in the future.<\/p>\n The PWHL draft is loaded with star power<\/p>\n No one got a bigger boost at these Olympics than some of the up-and-comers in the women\u2019s game. Caroline Harvey has developed into an MVP-caliber defender in Wisconsin and is likely to be the first pick in the PWHL draft this year. Laila Edwards, who set up Hilary Knight\u2019s tying goal in the gold medal game, and Abbey Murphy, whose combination of elite skill and pesky play was a standout for the USA, are likely top-five as well.<\/p>\n After backstopping Switzerland to the bronze medal, Andrea Br\u00e4ndli could become a starter in the PWHL very soon. Between Nelli Laitinen, Petra Nieminen, and Tessa Janecke, teams are going to infuse even more skill this summer. Any of these players could become a future cornerstone for a PWHL franchise, just like Taylor Heise, who assisted on the golden goal, is for the Frost, or Alina M\u00fcller of the Fleet, who scored her second bronze-medal-clinching goal for Switzerland.<\/p>\n The PWHL\u2019s impact was strong across the tournament, and there is even more talent incoming.<\/p>\n Data via Dimitri Filipovic and Hockey Stats<\/p>\n