2026 Olympic Men’s Hockey: Everything you need to know from Feb. 12
Day 1 was fun, but Day 2 was where the action really got started.
Switzerland and Canada started the day with a pair of shutout victories to kick off their tournaments. At night, Germany battled hard to beat Denmark, while the United States pulled off a big win over Latvia to start hot.
It’s still too early to get a good look at the playoff picture, but with just three days of round-robin action left in Milano, that conversation isn’t too far away.
Here’s a look at eveything that happened on Thursday in Italy:
Switzerland 4, France 0
If you like physical hockey, you definitely loved this one.
France and Switzerland played a rough-and-tumble game, with both teams looking to cause chaos, physically. In the end, Switzerland caused it on the scoreboard, scoring a pair of goals early to win the game 4-0 to start Group A play.
Both teams will be back in action on Friday, with France taking on Czechia, while Switzerland will face Canada in hopes of pulling off an upset.
Damian Riat scored just 55 seconds into the game on the man advantage, before J.J. Moser tallied one of his own at 3:06. France looked better in the second period, but the Swiss got some excellent goaltending out of Leonardo Genoni and Timo Meier scored en route to the shutout victory.
France
#5 Enzo Guebey, D: France lacks a true puck-moving defenseman, and Guebey, who is a dual citizen between France and Switzerland, only has two assists in 30 games with HC Davos this year. He had three shots in the first period alone, looking quicker and more confident than we’re used to seeing out of him. He’s not a big blueliner, but Guebey moves well and does a solid job of taking away space. His play with the puck was the most impressive element of his game, though.
#14 Stephane Da Costa, C: The former NHL forward seemed to take his team on his back in the second period, getting a couple of excellent looks alongside Alexandre Texier. Da Costa is a skilled forward who couldn’t make it work in Ottawa, but he has built a good career in the KHL as someone who can win faceoffs, power through to the crease and get quality chances on net. We saw all of that today for a French team that just didn’t have anything going for them.
Switzerland
#63 Leonardo Genoni, G: Genoni has often been viewed as one of the better goalies outside of the NHL and he looked great in this one. Genoni wasn’t tested too much early but he had to be excellent in the second period and absolutely delivered. Genoni had a .953 save percentage at the World Championship last spring, registering four shutouts in five victories. This is his third Olympics, and while Akira Schmid might be an NHL goaltender, look for Schmid to be the starter thanks to his poise, athleticism and impressive CV.
#21 Kevin Fiala, LW (Los Angeles Kings): While a lot of his best chances came on the power play, Fiala was exceptionally noticeable for the Swiss. He had five shots, including a couple of excellent chances that nearly beat Antoine Keller in the second period. Fiala loves exploiting open space, especially in the middle of the ice. His ability to find his linemates through traffic is impressive, too. You can always count on Fiala showing up big when he has a chance to represent his country.
#28 Timo Meier, RW (New Jersey Devils): Right spot, right time – twice. Meier had a pair of goals in the final 10 minutes of the game, giving Switzerland a nice cushion down the line. He loves exploiting the area around the net, and while neither goal was too sexy, his hockey sense was clearly on display here. Meier will be leaned on heavily down the stretch.
#85 Sven Andrighetto, LW: Andrighetto nabbed an assist on the opening power-play goal, showing how good of a playmaker he is. He’s not big, but he’s quick, smart and has a great shot release. He was known as more of a goal-scorer before heading to the NHL, but he has become more useful as a dual-threat over time. Andrighetto’s chemistry with Denis Malgin was evident from the opening puck drop, and it was good to see that momentum carry over into this game. Seven shots on net? Yeah, he was excellent.
Canada 5, Czechia 0
Canada entered Thursday’s affair having not lost an Olympic hockey game with NHLers since 2010 – and that didn’t change tonight. The Canadians set the pace in their Olympic opener, beating Czechia 5-0 to open Group A play.
Both teams will head back into game action on Friday with little room to rest. The Czechs will take on France at 10:40 AM ET, while Canada will face Switzerland to close out the third day of Olympic action in Milano.
The first period was a high-energy affair, with both teams trading 11 shots. But the final shot for Canada in the first – Cale Makar’s – was tipped by Macklin Celebrini to take any momentum the Czechs would have had heading into the first intermission. Canada looked much stronger in the second period, with both Mark Stone and Bo Horvat finding the back of the net to make it 3-0 heading into the final break. Nathan MacKinnon would score the lone goal of the third period to cap off a dominant effort from the Canadians.
Canada
#50 Jordan Binnington, G (St. Louis Blues): For all the talk about Canada’s goaltending, Binnington looked good again. It’s almost like having a D group that includes a couple of top 10 blueliners is better than what St. Louis offers him every night. Binnington looked a bit floppy early in the game – just like he did at the 4 Nations Face-Off – but seemed dialed in midway through the first and never relented. He just shows up when the games matter.
#8 Cale Makar, D (Colorado Avalanche): Makar looked a bit banged up in the first period, and then dominated the rest of the way. His speed and skill with the puck were unmatched on the attack, with Makar getting a couple of looks in the first period alone. Makar was given an assist on the late first-period goal after his shot bounced off Celebrini and in for the 1-0 goal.
#20 Thomas Harley, D (Dallas Stars): Harley was a late addition to Canada’s 4 Nations team a year ago. A slow start, plus an injury, could have easily derailed Harley’s season, but he looked excellent in this one. He played a lot, was strong defensively and killed a lot of plays. He skates with a ton of confidence, too. Harley might not have the big-name value of someone like Makar, but his impact is huge – and that assist on the 5-0 goal was nice.
#17 Macklin Celebrini, LW (San Jose Sharks): Celebrini is as smart as they come. Whether Canada needs him to get in front of the net to create havoc (and ultimately score) or to help out defensively, Celebrini never seems out of place or lacking a competitive edge. It was great seeing him score his first career goal at such a young age – he’s a leader, even though he’s the youngest player on the team.
#93 Mitch Marner, RW (Vegas Golden Knights): Marner played well with a leaf on his chest, huh? The entire third line played so well for Canada, but Marner was a big reason why. He’s an incredible playmaker, and it showed when he dove over a Czech defender to get the puck to Mark Stone to make it 2-0. Marner has been criticized for his play in the playoffs the past few years, but has looked good in his limited Canadian national team action the past two years.
#97 Connor McDavid, C (Edmonton Oilers): He’s good, isn’t he? It doesn’t matter who McDavid plays against; he can find chemistry with anyone. Having someone who thinks like Celebrini doesn’t hurt. McDavid finished the night with three assists, and should have had a couple more. But he got absolutely robbed – twice – by Dostal in the second period. His speed, skill and hockey sense are going to be absolutely killed the rest of the way.
Czechia
#48 Tomas Hertl, C (Vegas Golden Knights): It felt like Hertl was a bit gassed at points, but for good reason. He was hustling hard all game long, and maybe more than he should have had to. The hard-working, skilled forward had a few solid looks in the first half of this one, but nothing materialized. Hertl had one of the best chances for Czechia in this one early in the third, but his shot was ultimately stopped.
#73 Ondřej Kaše, RW: Once a promising NHLer, repeated health issues prevented Kaše from excelling in the NHL. But back home, he’s been a highly productive forward the past few years, something the Czechs realized at the 2024 World Championship. He had some good opportunities while the game remained tied, and it felt like he was one of the few forwards who continued to battle hard, even when the game started to get out of hand.
USA 5, Latvia 1
Latvia kept things very close early on – and benefited from a pair of goals overturned on video review in the first – but the United States ultimately skated to a 5-1 victory in their first game of the tournament.
Both teams will get Friday off before returning to action on Saturday. Latvia will kick off the day with a battle against Germany at 6:10 AM ET, while the United States will take on their Danish friends at 3:10 PM ET.
Brock Nelson led the way for the United States, scoring twice (and a third that was taken back). Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuk and Tage Thompson had the other goals for the Americans, while Renars Krastenbergs had the lone marker for the Latvians in the first period.
Latvia
Video Coach: Had the Latvians not challenged – and successfully pulled off – the two goals that called back in the first, this game would have been a blowout so, so quickly. Instead, the team’s video coaching staff managed to make the right moves to keep Latvia in the game, only for everything to fall apart in the second half. Oh well.
#94 Kristians Rubins, D: Rubins will forever be remembered for being the goal-scorer against the United States to lead Latvia to their first – and only – medal in senior international hockey. Today, he played a boatload of minutes against USA’s top forwards and didn’t seem out of place. He’s strong, defensively responsible and has some solid speed, too.
#3 Alberts Smits, D (2026 NHL Draft): After a strong showing at the World Juniors just two months ago, Smits kept things going with an impressive showing in his Olympic debut. The 18-year-old looked so calm and poised with the puck and rarely made a mistake when trying to distribute it. There aren’t many games scouts are keeping a close eye on from a prospect perspective, but one scout told Daily Faceoff they were incredibly impressed with his decision-making against a faster, stronger American team.
#9 Renars Krastensbergs, LW: The former OHL forward was known for his relentless play in junior, and it paid off in the first period. He used his strength to force his way into the slot and managed to beat Connor Hellebuyck for the 1-1 goal. He then nearly scored a few minutes later from the same spot as the Latvians kept the pressure on. Latvia doesn’t have many scoring weapons, so they’ll need someone like Krastensbergs to stay hot.
USA
#8 Zach Werenski, D (Columbus Blue Jackets): Like many times during the 4 Nations Face-Off, Werenski was USA’s top defenseman today. Werenski had an assist today, and probably should have had another two if some of the plays he created came to fruition. His ability to create off the rush, while also slowing things down when he needs to, makes him so lethal at both ends of the ice.
#43 Quinn Hughes, D (Minnesota Wild): When Hughes had the puck, the game slowed down. He had two assists today, and would have had a third if one of the first-period goals hadn’t been taken back. He’s a slick puck-mover who had little difficulty outskating the Latvian defenders. Hughes wasn’t at the 4 Nations Face-Off, but he definitely makes the United States more dynamic on the point.
#19 Matthew Tkachuk, RW (Florida Panthers): If there were any concerns as to Tkachuk’s health heading into this tournament after missing the first half of the season, there aren’t any now. He was engaged physically, but also had a pair of assists on the night. He was one of USA’s best shooters, but his offense came from the way he continued to find players on the rush.
#29 Brock Nelson, C (Colorado Avalanche): Nelson’s inclusion surprised some fans – but Avalanche fans know how clutch he can be. He scored a goal in the first, only for it to be taken back due to goaltender interference from J.T. Miller. Fortunately for the Americans, Nelson would score on a great move midway through the second and added another near the end of the frame to make it 4-1. He just can’t seem to play a bad game this year, can he? Nelson is legit and is off to a great start on the USA’s bottom line.
#86 Jack Hughes, RW (New Jersey Devils): Hughes is a fourth-liner on this American team, which shows you how much depth they have. The New Jersey Devils forward was clearly healthy enough to pull off some of the moves he did today. He assisted on both of Nelson’s (legit) goals and was close to having another two assists in the second period. After a rough showing at the 4 Nations Face-Off, Hughes looked great today.
Germany 3, Denmark 1
Everyone knew Group C was going to be a difficult one to get out of unscathed, but Germany will be happy with their 3-1 win over Denmark.
Neither team will play on Friday, but both will have doubleheaders over the weekend. Germany will take on Latvia to kick off Saturday’s action, while Denmark will hope to dethrone an American team coming off a big win of its own.
Germany’s top stars came to play. Leon Draisaitl needed just 23 seconds to tip a puck past Frederik Andersen, making it 1-0. Tim Stutzle would score Germany’s second goal of the game at 24:20, and a third goal late in the stanza, but only after Oskar Fisker Mølgaard tallied his first Olympic goal to tie things up near the end of the first. The Danes eventually just ran out of steam, handing Germany the victory.
Denmark
#12 Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, C (Seattle Kraken): OFM is a two-way beast. The AHL forward scored Denmark’s first goal – a fluky one, but a goal, nonetheless. From there, Fisker Mølgaard’s two-way game was on point, often winning the puck battles in his own zone before getting the puck to a shooter at the other end. Fisker Mølgaard is smart, strong, and has continued to improve at finding scoring opportunities in dangerous areas.
#24 Nikolaj Ehlers, RW (Carolina Hurricanes): Like Juraj Slafkovsky on Wednesday, Ehlers just finds a way to elevate everyone around him at a tournament like this. Ehlers’ speed and raw skill make him difficult to contain anytime he’s on the ice. He’s strong, smart and has an excellent release. Remember how much better the Danes were once Ehlers joined them for the World Championship playoffs last spring? That’s what it felt like when he held the puck today.
Germany
#53 Moritz Seider, D (Detroit Red Wings): As expected, Seider was Germany’s best defenseman. The big, big man did an excellent job of suffocating the Danish attack on the rush, giving them little to work with. Seider has a great wingspan that allows him to consistently take space away with his stick. He also forces you to the outside more than most players are comfortable with. Look for Seider to play around 30 minutes most nights.
#18 Tim Stutzle, C (Ottawa Senators): Stutzle couldn’t let Draisaitl have all the fun. The Senators’ star scored a great goal from the slot on the one-timer in the second, and he made it 3-1 Germany after his pass attempt went off a Danish defender and in. Stutzle’s speed was on full display, and he was a handful with pace on the attack.
#29 Leon Draisaitl, C (Edmonton Oilers): After watching his buddy Connor finish with three assists in Canada’s opener, Draisaitl wanted in on the fun. It didn’t even take 30 seconds into his first shift for him to score his debut Olympic goal, which clearly scared the Danes right out of the gate. Draisaitl’s speed, physicality and raw talent proved to be too much for the Danish defenders to tackle.
#44 Josh Samanski, LW (Edmonton Oilers): He’s like a bull in a China shop. Samanski hit everyone in sight, allowing Draisaitl and Freddy Tiffels the freedom to create offense all over the ice. Samanski is a strong forward who hustles his tail off, looking for opportunities to create havoc every time he possibly can.
PRESENTED BY DAILY FACEOFF’S OLYMPIC COVERAGE
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