Against all odds, Italian men’s hockey team embracing Olympic challenge
Milan had been without a hockey rink after the Agorà Ice Stadium, a 4,000-seat arena, closed in 2023.
Now, with the Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena completed just before the Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics, Italy enters the men’s hockey tournament with a monumental task as the only team without an NHL player.
The 25-player roster features eight Canadian-born players, two Americans, one Swede and an Englishman, but each is a dual citizen and has bought into a long-term vision for Italian hockey.
That plan required either a confirmed passport or two years of residency in Italy, which led the federation to prioritize players willing to meet the requirements rather than recruit NHL players with distant Italian heritage.
“A bunch of us were playing in North America, in the ECHL or AHL, and were reached out to by the Italian federation to see if we had any heritage, and we’d get a passport,” defenseman Greg DiTomaso said, now playing with HC Pusteral, having previously suited up as a practice player with the Toronto Maple Leafs during his time in Canadian university hockey.
U SPORTS NHL: Rams defenceman Greg Ditomaso practicing with the Maple Leafs this morning. Have heard some rumblings about him turning pro. Played a few games with the Utica Comets in preseason. Don’t think he’s signing with the Maple Leafs in the NHL. 📸@joshuakloke
“Once we found out that was possible, most of us made the jump over here. We did our time with the two-year residency, so I’m happy to be here and grateful…I’m from Toronto, but my grandfather is from Campobasso, and my nonna’s from Udine.”
Already, these Olympics have been a chance to put hockey on the map, with the construction of a permanent new arena and the RHO Arena at a convention centre.
Unlike their neighbouring countries, France, Switzerland and Austria, the sport has never penetrated the cultural fabric, and the country has only played four times in the top-tier of the IIHF World Championships over the last decade.
Their last Olympic experience came at Turin 2006, where they posted two draws and three losses and with a goal differential of minus-14. Of their nine Olympic appearances, their best came at the last Cortina Games in 1956, when they finished seventh as the Soviet Union won for the first time.
Formative Moment for Italian Hockey
At these Games, Italy arrives with some hope, especially after the women’s program made history earlier in the Olympics.
On Tuesday, the Italian women defeated Japan 3-2, securing a result strong enough to put them into the quarterfinals, with a team led by 2014 Canadian gold medalist, 35-year-old Laura Fortino and general manager Danièle Sauvageau, a legendary leader in the women’s game, among other North Americans.
The men, without NHL talent and balanced groups, have a tougher task.
“Our goal has to be that we improve with every game,” said goaltender Damian Clara, born in Brunek, Italy and a 2023 second-round pick of the Anaheim Ducks. “It’s not only the Olympics, but we also have tournaments afterwards. It’s a great opportunity to grow as a team, and as a player individually.”
Jalonen’s Leadership and Tournament Format
They will have some critical Olympic experience behind the bench in Finnish head coach Jukka Jalonen, who led his native country to a gold medal in the NHL-less Beijing 2022 Olympics four years ago.
Like Sauvagau, the 63-year-old was part of an aggressive executive recruitment strategy for the Italian federation, which, unlike the Chinese programme four years ago at the Beijing Games, did not award citizenship to athletes based solely on sport.
Jalonen was approached in 2024 and sees the men’s tournament format as a potential benefit to his team, with group winners and the next-highest team advancing directly to the quarterfinals, while others, likely Italy, play an extra qualification game.
With that system, Italy is guaranteed at least one knockout game against a team other than their Group B opponents.
“The chance to win is zero if you don’t play, and we’re going to play,” Clara added. “You just have to play it. It’s going to be a new experience. A new style of play. I guess it’s going to be very different from the Swedish Hockey League. (I’ve) just got to see and adjust as we go.”
Italy opens the men’s tournament on Feb. 11 against Sweden, likely their toughest test, before facing Slovakia on Feb. 13 and Finland on Feb. 14, leading into the qualification playoffs set for Feb. 17.
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