2026 Olympic Men’s Hockey: Top standouts from the quarterfinals
We started the day with eight teams, and now there are four.
Canada, Finland, Slovakia and the United States are the four teams who’ll battle for gold at the 2026 men’s Olympic hockey tournament, with Czechia, Switzerland, Germany and Sweden being the four teams heading home early. All four remaining teams will get Thursday off before getting back it on Friday – and with three of the games going to overtime, they’ll need the rest.
For a full semifinal schedule, click here. Here’s a look at everyone who impressed on Wednesday:
Slovakia 6, Germany 2
This wasn’t exactly close.
Slovakia has advanced to Friday’s semifinal for the second consecutive Olympic tournament and will look to build on its bronze-medal effort in 2022 after beating Germany 6-2 on Wednesday.
The Slovaks outshot Germany 17-3 in the first period, with Pavol Regenda scoring the lone goal. The floodgates opened in the second, though, with Milos Kelemen and Oliver Okuliar scoring just over 30 seconds apart four minutes into the period to make it a 3-0 game.
Germany found itself double-shifting its NHL stars to try to make a comeback, but it didn’t work. Dalibor Dvorsky would score at 30:21 to make it 4-1, and while Lukas Reichel would finally get the Germans on the board at 34:59, Regenda’s second of the game helped Slovakia feel a sight of relief. Frederik Tiffels would bring Germany back within three in the third, but an empty-netter from Tomas Tatar ultimately ended the game in Slovakia’s favor.
Germany
#30 Philipp Grubauer, G (Seattle Kraken): Grubauer hasn’t had to start consecutive nights in seven years, and maybe Slovakia knew that when they fired 17 shots his way in the first period. Grubauer did concede a goal, but it was a tipped shot he didn’t have much of a chance on. He was dialed in, giving his team some hope for later in the game. Everything fell apart in the second period but there wasn’t much he could do with his team looking dead tired from the get-go.
#29 Leon Draisaitl, C (Edmonton Oilers): It was all for naut, but Draisaitl was clearly Germany’s best forward. He made a great pass on Reichel’s 4-1 goal, then tried to do everything he could to control the game himself. Most of Germany’s NHL contingent had a quiet game but Draisaitl was trying to shoot from about anywhere to make something happen. You just have to wonder how good he could have been had the Germans not also played yesterday.
#73 Lukas Reichel, LW (Vancouver Canucks): Reichel had a goal and an assist in this one as he tried to lift the Germans back into this. It wasn’t enough but you can tell he was feeling it on his stick today. Reichel’s NHL career has been less than stellar but he always plays with quality linemates internationally and typically does a good job.
Slovakia
#31 Samuel Hlavaj, G (Minnesota Wild): Hlavaj wasn’t busy early, but he held down in the second half as the Germans started to put the pressure on. He made 25 saves total, and never seemed to falter. Hlavaj has been one of the best goaltenders in this tournament and deserves all the praise he is receiving right now as an outside candidate for the MVP title.
#28 Martin Gernat, D: The Sovaks couldn’t stop shooting in the first, and Gernat led the way with four on net. While they weren’t the most successful opportunities, three of them created rebounds that the Slovaks tried to capitalize on. He has been Slovakia’s best offensive defender throughout the tournament, which isn’t surprising given his productivity in the KHL over the past few years.
#64 Patrik Koch, D: The former Arizona Coyotes defender had a pair of assists in this one. He makes quick passes quite confidently and he loves to knock guys down whenever possible. Offense is not the name of the game here for Koch, but when he passes as well as he did today, you can’t help but be impressed. Koch was a scratch against Finland and hasn’t played more than 10 minutes in any game so far. But today, he made the time count.
#8 Oliver Okuliar, LW: What an afternoon for Okuliar. He scored the 3-0 goal that essentially put the game out of reach for the Germans and then assisted on the fourth goal a few minutes later. His energy and heads-up play allowed the Slovaks pull away. Okuliar is a grinder who doesn’t lose many battles, but he can shoot, too.
#15 Dalibor Dvorsky, C (St. Louis Blues): Dvorsky has had a tournament to remember. He hasn’t gotten the same love Juraj Slafkovsky has, but he has been nearly as important. Dvorsky has been a juggernaut around the net, and he had a goal and an assist in this one to quantify his efforts. With six points in four games, Dvorsky is doing everything possible to prove why he’s the long-term No. 1 center for Slovakia.
#11 Milos Kelemen, LW: Kelemen is one of the few middle-six Slovak forwards with NHL experience. He struggled throughout hisNHL career and usually been more of a support guy internationally. But he landed some big hits, made some great passes and finished with two points. Kelemen is strong and isn’t afraid to prove it – a few German defenders learned the hard way.
#84 Pavol Regenda, RW (San Jose Sharks): Regenda has been up and down in the NHL, but he is almost always a difference-maker internationally. The 26-year-old is a big forward who can play multiple roles. On this team, he’s a support forward who wins battles and makes life easier for his linemates. He had two goals and an assist in this one, with the winger spending every second possible in front of the net. Regenda has been good in Italy, but this was his best game, no doubt.
Canada 4, Czechia 3 (OT)
Canada was the most dominant team in the round-robin by a country mile – but everything nearly fell apart.
Canada trailed 3-2 late in the quarterfinal against Czechia, but a Mitch Marner overtime goal completed the comeback as the Canadians won 4-3 to advance to the semifinal.
Canada scored the opening goal of the game, with Connor McDavid finding Macklin Celebrini at 3:05 to show off Canada’s muscle. But goals from Lukas Sedlak and David Pastrnak about five minutes apart meant Canada was trailing for the first time in best-on-best Olympic action since 2010 – 16 years ago.
Things went from bad to worse once Sidney Crosby was forced to leave the game with an apparent leg injury. Fortunately, his Timbits buddy, Nathan MacKinnon, was able to convert on a power-play pass from McDavid to make it 2-2, easing the nerves just a little bit for Canada.
Still, the tension was high in the third in one of the best games of the tournament so far. Canada continued to lay on the pressure, but Czechia’s Ondrej Palat would score the biggest goal of his career after taking Martin Necas’ pass and scoring from the hashmarks to make it 3-2.
Canada held the pressure throughout the final stages of regulation, and it paid off. With about three mintues to go, Nick Suzuki scored the biggest goal of his life to force overtime, capitalizing on what had been a huge game for the Montreal Canadiens captain.
Marner spent most of his time getting criticized for not showing up in big moments for the Toronto Maple Leafs. But today, he scored the biggest goal of his career, scoring in 3-on-3 overtime to win the game and send Canada to the medal round.
Canada
#10 Nick Suzuki, C (Montreal Canadiens): It wasn’t clear what role Suzuki was going to have in this game. But once Crosby got hurt, Suzuki took his game up another level. He came so close to giving Canada the advantage in the second, and then tied the game up with three minutes to go at the end of a long shift. For someone who looked like a candidate to get scratched, Suzuki silenced some people today.
#17 Macklin Celebrini, LW (San Jose Sharks): Celebrini kept his goal streak alive, scoring his fifth goal in four games. It was a great read, with Celebrini seeing an opening near the high slot and taking full advantage of a pass from McDavid. Celebrini is the youngest player on the team and everyone knows that. But his impact has kept him in the MVP race, even if the top choice happens to be his primary linemate.
#24 Seth Jarvis, RW (Carolina Hurricanes): As the game wore on, Jarvis’ ice time started to dwindle. But for a fourth-liner, Jarvis did an excellent job of knocking guys down and forcing the puck down into the offesnive zone. Few guys play with as little fear as he does and it allowed him to be physically dominant all game long. He even had a pair of quality shots in the second period, too.
#29 Nathan MacKinnon, C (Colorado Avalanche): Canada started to get desperate in the second period, and MacKinnon was able to give them something to calm the nerves a bit. MacKinnon hasn’t looked fully healthy at any point in the tournament, but he can definitely still shoot – it worked perfectly on the 2-2 goal. MacKinnon was more of a support player in the second half but played so well in that role alongside Celebrini and McDavid. Sure, it hurt Canada’s depth, but the line clearly worked.
#97 Connor McDavid, C (Edmonton Oilers): McDavid took Canada on his back with his one. He made an outstanding pass on the 1-0 goal and then added another one on the 2-2 goal. McDavid is truly the best player in this tournament – the top candidate to take home MVP honors. He’s the smartest, most skilled player around and the puck almost always stays in the offensive zone when he’s out there. As Canada tried to do whatever it took to get on the board, McDavid took his game to another level.
Czechia
#1 Lukas Dostal, G (Anaheim Ducks): Starting consecutive games is tough for any goaltender, let alone back-to-back must-wins. Dostal was always going to be the X-factor heading into this game because Dostal has proven – especially at the 2024 World Championship – that he can rise to the occasion in must-win moments. Dostal is calm, cool and collected in the crease and does a good job of deflecting pucks out of danger. Given the situation, Dostal played as well as you could have expected today.
#3 Radko Gudas, D (Anaheim Ducks): That was Gudas’ best game of the tournament. He had an assist on the first Czech goal and the nlanded a couple of big hits along the way. Filip Hronek played significantly more than Gudas, but the bearded wonder was used in a role where, every time he hit the ice, it was his mission to shut guys down. The assist was just a nice little extra there.
#10 Roman Cervenka, LW: Cervenka was great on the top line, registering two assists in the opening period. It took forever for him and Sedlak to pair up with Pastrnak. But they quickly became one of the most dangerous lines, like we’ve seen at multiple World Championships. That’s because Cervenka is so smart as both a shooter and a passer. He knows when to give up on a chance and when to take control. Today, we saw him in control.
#23 Lukas Sedlak, C: Sedlak scored the 1-1 goal after getting in tight to jam in a pass from Cervenka. That’s what Sedlak does well – annoying defenders with his raw strength near the crease. He blocked a pair of shots and was strong on the backcheck, and had a couple of decent looks in the third period, as well. Sedlak doesn’t lose many key offensive zone faceoffs, that’s for sure.
#64 David Kampf, C (Vancouver Canucks): He’ll probably wish he had that goal in the first period that just missed the right side, but Kampf was great in this one. He won most of his individual battles and made some great plays in open ice in the offensive zone. He’s not much of a play-driver, but he can get the job done in a two-way sense.
Finland 3, Switzerland 2 (OT)
By Tyler Kuehl
The defending Olympic champions are still alive.
Thanks to a late rally and a clutch goal in the extra frame, Finland was able to outlast Switzerland, 3-2, advancing to the semifinals at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
The Swiss looked like they were on their way to an upset. Up 2-0 heading into the latter half of the third, it seemed that time was running out on Finland. However, some life was instilled in Suomi when Sebastian Aho scored his third of the tournament with just over six minutes to go. They continued to ramp things up in the dying minutes. Despite some big saves by Genoni, a Miro Heiskanen shot went off Jonas Siegenthaler’s stick and in to tie the game with just over a minute remaining, sending the game to overtime.
Each team had a couple of chances, but a nice pass from Anton Lundell sent Artturi Lehkonen on a breakaway, and the Colorado Avalanche star beat Swiss netminder Leonardo Genoni to give the Finns the victory.
Switzerland came out of the gates hot against the rested Finns. They didn’t show any signs of weariness after playing Italy in the quarterfinals. The Swiss’ pressure paid off late in the first period, as a good forecheck led to Finnish netminder Juuse Saros giving the puck away to Switzerland forward Ken Jager, who then found Damien Riat open in front of the empty cage for the first goal of the game.
Just over a minute later, Nino Niederreiter beat a screened Saros for his first goal in Milan, sending Switzerland into the first intermission with a two-goal lead.
Finland started to pick up the pressure in the second period, finding their legs and creating several grade-A scoring chances. However, Genoni came up with some big stops to keep his team out in front.
Finland ended up outshooting Switzerland 31-23. Saros made 21 saves for his third win of the tournament. Both teams failed to capitalize on two power plays apiece.
Finland is heading to the final four at the Olympics for the fifth time in the past six tournaments. They will wait to see who they will play in the semifinals on Friday. For Switzerland, it marks the second straight quarterfinal exit at the Winter Games.
Finland
#41 Miro Heiskanen, D (Dallas Stars): Outside of a giveaway on the power play in the third, Heiskanen was arguably Finland’s best player on Wednesday. Even when Switzerland had the momentum, he did his due diligence in his own zone while using his skill to generate offense, especially in the second period. While his goal might be considered lucky, the awareness to look for a tip rather than rush a shot toward the net is what makes Heiskanen one of the best defenders in the NHL. He ended up leading Finland in shots on goal (5) and time on ice (29:19) in the win.
#63 Artturi Lehkonen, F (Colorado Avalanche): Lehkonen could’ve had a couple of goals with the chances he had. Some of the looks he had in the Finns’ strong second period helped slow Switzerland’s momentum, slightly turning the tables in Suomi’s favor. For a player who has earned the reputation of scoring big goals in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, Lehkonen’s second goal in Milan might be the launching pad for Finland to get the confidence to take home a medal.
#23 Esa Lindell, D (Dallas Stars): Heiskanen’s defense partner had a pretty good game as well. Along with posting an ice time of 25:19, second only to Heiskanen, Lindell contributed offensively, picking up assists on Aho and Lehkonen’s tallies. Having Lindell play with his Dallas teammate has given him the confidence to trust his game, giving Finland a solid 1-2 punch on defense.
Switzerland
#63 Leonardo Genoni, G: You have to feel for this guy. The 38-year-old has become one of the feel-good stories in these Olympic Games, and almost stole the game for Switzerland, which has never made it to the semifinals in the men’s tournament. Genoni made so many huge saves in the third period, including a couple of 10-bell stops on Mikael Granlund to keep his team in the lead. Certainly one of Switzerland’s best players in the tournament, Genoni has to be praised for his efforts over the past week.
#17 Ken Jager, F: The line of Jager, Riat, and Simon Knak caused quite a bit of havoc against Finland. Along with creating the first goal of the game, the fourth line generated a little bit of offense on Wednesday, and Jager was right at the forefront of their efforts. The Lausanne HC veteran used his wits to find holes in the ice and pressure the Finns’ blue line. Jager ends the tournament with two assists.
#73 Sandro Schmid, F: Schmid might not have registered a point in Milan, but he was a noticeable player in a limited role. The 25-year-old was one of Switzerland’s top penalty killers, a PK that’s currently ranked second with a 93.3% success rate after the quarterfinals. Schmid even created a couple of turnovers, while shorthanded, that led to scoring chances in the third. If one of those goes in, we might be having a different conversation.
USA 2, Sweden 1 (OT)
The United States will play for a medal at the 2026 men’s Olympic hockey tournament after beating Sweden 2-1 in overtime.
The Americans will take on Slovakia in the second quarterfinal, set for Friday at 3:10 PM ET.
Victor Hedman was on the bench the whole game, but never hit the ice. It was revealed that he was injured during warmups, which put a strain on the rest of the group. The Swedes held it together, and kept things tight as the game remained tied for over 31 minutes. But at 31:03, Dylan Larkin tipped in Jack Hughes’ shot from afar to beat Jacob Markstrom, making it a 1-0 game.
The goaltending held the fort for both teams in the period, with offense clearly being tough to come by. That was until Mika Zibanejad scored with an empty-netter with under two minutes to go, forcing overtime to mark the third game to require extra time on Wednesday. It was there where Quinn Hughes – the top player for the Americans today – fired a shot past Markstrom to make it 2-1, giving the United States the victory.
Sweden
#25 Jacob Markstrom, G (New Jersey Devils): If Markstrom played like this every night, the Devils would be in a better spot in the standings. He looked absolutely dialed in, which is important given he also played about 24 hours ago. It wasn’t an overly difficult outing against Latvia, but he didn’t look any worse for wear as the Americans peppered him throughout this one. There wasn’t much he could have done on the 1-0 goal – other than that, he was excellent.
#65 Erik Karlsson, D (Pittburgh Penguins): With Hedman injured during warmups, Karlsson was tasked with eating a ton of minutes. He played exactly 10:00 in the first period and was well north of 25 minutes by the end of the night. Karlsson has played some good hockey the past few days after getting lost in the spotlight early on. Karlsson’s confidence and experience both with and without the puck was important as coach Sam Hallam looked to get everything out of his squad in the dying minutes of this one.
#23 Lucas Raymond, RW (Detroit Red Wings): Raymond has been Sweden’s top playmaker in the tournament. Today, though, it was all shots, all the time. Raymond has been one of the best players all tournament long thanks to his outstanding puck play. He’s fearless around the net, and his speed has continuously allowed him to dominate on the attack. Despite his best efforts, it simply didn’t come together today.
USA
#37 Connor Hellebuyck, G (Winnipeg Jets): This was the first American game where goaltending was truly important. Hellebuyck’s rebounds were controlled, and he rarely looked out of position on a shot. While Jeremy Swayman was a bit all over the place against Denmark, Hellebuyck was much more relaxed in this one, giving the Swedes little to work with around the crease.
#25 Charlie McAvoy, D (Boston Bruins): McAvoy was a human battering ram out there. How many big hits did he have in the first period, five? He was finally able to drop the bubble after dealing with a jaw injury prior to the tournament, and it seemed to unlock the fearless McAvoy we’re used to seeing. He doesn’t always need to beat you physically, either – McAvoy did an excellent job of smothering opponents to the perimeter.
#43 Quinn Hughes, D (Minnesota Wild): Hughes played the most minutes of any American and was also the team’s best shot generator – again. He plays with a level of confidence that few defenders can match at this tournament. He moves well, takes away space and can eat minutes better than anyone on this blueline. And then that overtime goal? Perfection.
#21 Dylan Larkin, C (Detroit Red Wings): Even before the goal, it felt like Larkin was much more engaged than usual. He was great around the net, but also played a strong two-way game. The tip on the 1-0 marker was perfectly placed, and it was good to see him finally get one after what had been a difficult tournament for him up to today.
PRESENTED BY DAILY FACEOFF’S OLYMPIC COVERAGE
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