2026 Olympic men’s hockey team preview: France
It’s definitely an interesting time for the French national men’s hockey team.
When the 16 best countries head to Switzerland in May for the World Hockey Championship, France won’t be part of it. They’re off to Division IA for the first time since 2007, with hopes of re-qualifying for the main event in 2027. With Italy’s promotion to the main group, France will be the lone team in Milano not participating in the IIHF’s premier event this spring.
So, call this a fresh start for the French. They’re no strangers to the Olympics, and most of their team is quite experienced internationally. You never need a reason to want to take your game up another level. But after last year’s ugly showing, few teams will be as motivated to prove doubters wrong as France.
HOW THEY GOT HERE
There are three ways for a team to qualify for the Olympics: the host gets an automatic bid, and seven teams qualify based on their IIHF rankings (in this case, the 2023 ranking). The final three teams earn berths through the final Olympic qualification tournaments, with Slovakia, Latvia and Denmark making the field that way.
And then there’s France, the highest-rated team that didn’t make it out of the qualification round. With Russia banned due to the ongoing war in Ukraine, France was promoted in May of 2025, about half a year after the qualification tournaments ended. France is the 14th-ranked team in the IIHF and is now set for its 11th Olympic tournament in team history and its first since 2002 in Salt Lake.
France’s route to the Olympics was a bit unconventional, but you won’t see them complaining about it.
OFFENSE
France left off two of its most notable players this year: Pierrick Dube (who played three games with the Washington Capitals in 2023-24) and Tim Bozon, previously of the Montreal Canadiens. Both decisions were puzzling, to say the least, given that France doesn’t have many scoring weapons to choose from.
Fortunately, France will have Canadiens forward Alexandre Texier. He happens to be playing the best hockey of his career, too. His pro career has been a real mixed bag, but he always finds a way to make himself noticed for his country. Hopefully, his recent play will carry over into a mega performance in Italy.
Texier is the lone NHLer up front, but he’ll be joined by a host of familiar faces. Stephane Da Costa and Pierre-Édouard Bellemare both have NHL experience. They’ll be leaned on both as leaders, but as the team’s top two centers. Da Costa is the only French player from the KHL to make this team, and he’s set to register 50 points for the fourth consecutive campaign. He hasn’t played many international tournaments in recent years, but he’s easily the most skilled on the team. Bellemare, meanwhile, will be used in a more defensive role in what should be his last major national team tournament for his country. Expect him to wear the captain’s C like he did at the World Championship last year.
Charles Bertrand received NHL attention less than a decade ago after numerous excellent seasons in the Finnish Liiga. The hard-nosed forward has been a consistent threat in France’s top six, although the offense has never really followed. He’ll be more of a support player on France’s top line, but he’ll also be counted on as a leader.
Two players with some potential to produce include Justin Addamo and Dylan Fabre. Addamo had an excellent showing at the 2024 World Championship, showing his fearlessness with the puck. He’s 6-foot-6 and 240 pounds – he’s the closest France has to a true power forward. Fabre is much smaller at 5-foot-10, but he’s a speedy winger who loves to shoot the puck. He has been one of France’s top players internationally this year, and there’s little reason to believe that won’t continue in Italy.
If you’re seeking pure offense, that’s where Jordann Perret enters the fray. After many years of being more of a support forward, Perret has become one of France’s more lethal weapons. He has six points in three games with France already this year, and he’s quite quick, too. The rest of the French forward core is full of veterans such as Sacha Treille and Kevin Bozon – Fabre is the only forward on this team born in the 21st Century. France will be a bit more on the slower side, but they’ll at least get a decent defensive effort out of most of them.
DEFENSE
Like any back-marking team, France’s defenders will be busy. Yohann Auvitu, a 36-year-old defender with well north of 100 games played internationally, will likely play more than 20 minutes a night as France’s top blueliner. He’s no stranger to playing big minutes, and he’s no slouch on the power play, either. His best days are behind him, but Auvitu is always solid when he dons his nation’s colors.
Expect Auvitu to get paired with HC Davos blueliner Enzo Guebey. If you’re hoping for offense, you won’t find it here – he has a whopping three assists in his last 74 games in the Swiss-based National League over the past two seasons. Instead, he’s more of a shutdown guy who blocks shots, skates well and keeps things simple with the puck. For someone with a bit more skill, Jules Boscq can move the puck decently well – he was solid in the ECHL last season. Florian Chakiachvili has always been good with the puck, and is typically one of France’s better defenders at every single event.
While France doesn’t have a ton of raw skill on the back end, they definitely have muscle. Hugo Gallet is huge at 6-foot-4 and is never afraid to throw the body. Pierre Crinon is even bigger at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds – he makes it his mission to get in your way every time he can. Of the pair, look for Gallet to play some significant minutes as he usually does. There’s also Thomas Thiry, who is still trying to find his footing after getting a late start to the season, but he’s typically solid as a shutdown guy.
GOALTENDING
With Quentin Papillon not getting the nod (he was injured for most of the first half of the season), Antoine Keller will have an option to steal the crease. The 2023 seventh-round pick of the Washington Capitals started the year in the ECHL before flying back to Switzerland to tend goal for HC Ajoie. He’s been fine, and he routinely faces 40-plus shots a night. Keller had some good efforts at his first World Championship a year ago, and he’s bound to be the country’s No. 1 goalie for the next 10-plus years. The Olympics will be a whole other animal, though.
On the veteran front, Julian Junca has served as France’s backup for the past three World Championships. He actually gained some AHL experience two years ago, playing some decent hockey with the Chicago Wolves. Junca has had a good season overall, putting up some decent performances in the top Slovak league and playing well in his brief action with the French national team earlier this season. Don’t be surprised if he ends up being the No. 1 given his strong campaign.
Martin Neckar has never represented France internationally at a major senior event. But after multiple years of strong performances with the nation’s junior squads, he’s set to serve as France’s No. 3. He has been excellent in the second-tier Swiss league this season in what is already his second year of pro hockey at just 20 years old. He’s a promising keeper who could challenge for the starter gig down the line at the World Championship. For now, he’s just along for the ride.
France certainly doesn’t have a Cristobal Huet-level keeper this year. But Keller is the nation’s top goaltender since Huet called it quits and has a chance to make a real impact. He’s going to have to be so darn spectacular, though – this French team won’t give him much relief.
COACHING
Former Geneve-Servette bench boss Yorick Treille served as France’s assistant coach in the 2021 Olympic qualification tournament and took over lead duties last season. He played many seasons with the national team as a player and has gone on to help the U-20 team win gold at the D1B level and bronze in D1A action. He even coached Geneve-Servette to a surprising Champions Hockey League title two years ago. The 2025 World Championship didn’t go to plan, but he’ll have a chance to turn things around on the biggest stage of his career.
BURNING QUESTION
Can Alexandre Texier be the team’s savior?
Many of the underdog teams in the Olympics will have stars to carry them forward. Germany will have Tim Stutzle and Moritz Seider, Denmark will have Nikolaj Ehlers, and Slovakia will have Juraj Slafkovsky. France’s best hope is Texier, who has never really been a play driver but is in the midst of a solid season in Montreal. If Texier can’t step up, it’s going to be a rough tournament for France. That’s a lot of pressure, but given that he is usually the team’s top forward at any event he plays in, he’s used to it.
PREDICTION
France’s average age is 29.4, which is actually midpack compared to the rest of the tournament. But they just lack overall speed, and with many of their older players taking on big roles, it’s going to be difficult to keep up with Czechia or Switzerland, let alone Canada. France’s struggles at the World Championship will be fresh on everyone’s minds, and the decision to leave off two of their better forwards – political or not – could come back to bite them. They’ll likely spend most of the preliminary round hemmed in their own zone unless their leadership group can put on an absolute clinic. France should be able to keep things close with other minnow teams in the qualification playoff round, but don’t expect them to go much deeper than that.
FULL ROSTER
GOALTENDERS
Julian Junca
Antoine Keller (Washington Capitals)
Martin Neckar
DEFENSEMEN
Yohann Auvitu
Jules Boscq
Enzo Cantagallo
Florian Chakiachvili
Pierre Crinon
Hugo Gallet
Enzo Guebey
Thomas Thiry
FORWARDS
Justin Addamo
Pierre-Édouard Bellemare
Charles Bertrand
Louis Boudon
Kevin Bozon
Stéphane Da Costa
Aurélien Dair
Floran Douay
Dylan Fabre
Jordann Perret
Anthony Rech
Nicolas Ritz
Alexandre Texier (Montréal Canadiens)
Sacha Treille
PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE
Feb. 12 vs. Switzerland: 6:10 AM ET
Feb. 13 vs. Czechia: 10:40 AM ET
Feb. 15 vs. Canada: 10:40 AM ET
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