2026 Olympics: Five players who could break out in bigger roles

Unless you’re a star player, it’s hard to get recognition in hockey. While you’ll receive appreciation within your own fanbase, it doesn’t carry over throughout the rest of the league, unless you find yourself on a bigger stage.

The Stanley Cup Playoffs is the most common stage, as a deep playoff run for a player’s team gets more eyes on their game. Whether they’re a middle-six forward (Ondrej Palat, Sam Bennett), a shutdown defenseman (Niklas Hjalmarsson, Marc-Edouard Vlasic) or an underrated goaltender (Anton Khudobin, Arturs Silovs), the hockey world doesn’t talk about these players as much, unless they find themselves in the final round or two of the playoffs.

Another place where players’ stocks can grow is the Olympics. In fact, it’s one of the more unique stages for a player. While players who make names for themselves in the playoffs are already established in their roles with their teams, the Olympics can see fringe NHLers thrust into top roles, in which suddenly all eyes are on them. If they succeed, it may translate to more playing time in the NHL. If they fail, then they remain exactly what the hockey world thought they were all along.

As the Olympics creep closer and rosters are announced, that stage has once again arrived for some players. With a few surprises already announced, and plenty of lower-end teams looking at a few players to step up, quite a few players have the potential to break out in Milan.

Before we dive into the five biggest candidates, here are a few honorable mentions:

Uvis Balinskis (D), Latvia – Balinskis isn’t the only Latvian defenseman who is mentioned, nor does he have the upside the other blueliner has, but he has become a solid depth defenseman for the Florida Panthers in the past two seasons. With a 0.85 5v5 points per 60 minutes in the past two seasons, which is third among Panthers’ defensemen with 1,000 minutes, and a -0.047 5v5 regularized adjusted plus-minus expected goals against per 60 minutes, he’s made the most of his depth minutes. A top-four (or even top-pair) role against a loaded United States team and Denmark & Germany teams who have some high-end talent may show some NHL teams he’s ready for a bigger role in the NHL.

Damian Clara (G), Italy – Clara is the only player on Italy’s roster with NHL ties, as he was an Anaheim Ducks‘ second-round pick in 2023, the first Italian player drafted into the NHL. He’s not expected to be the starter for Italy, and he may even open the tournament as the third goalie, but as his post-draft stock has slipped with each passing season, a strong showing at the Olympics could make or break his NHL career.

Pontus Holmberg (F), Sweden – The Tampa Bay Lightning center was the most surprising addition to Sweden’s Olympic roster, even if he’s a returning member after playing with the Tre Kronor in Beijing in 2022. Holmberg’s not a scorer, but he’s an elite defensive forward, as his -0.15 5v5 RAPM xGA/60 since entering the league in 2022-23 ranks 18th in the league. There’s a strong chance he doesn’t get a lot of ice time, but if he does, he could operate as a solid shutdown forward for Sweden in a tournament where they’ll need to shut down some elite players to medal.

Frederik Dichow (G), Denmark

Dichow is one of a few non-NHLers on this list, and unless you’re a die-hard Montreal Canadiens fan who remembers when they selected him in the fifth round of the 2019 NHL Draft, you probably have no clue who he is. But while Dichow never sniffed North America, never mind the NHL, he’s carved out a solid career for himself in the SHL, and he has been the starting goalie for Denmark at the World Championship since 2021, as well as the 2022 Winter Olympics.

However, Dichow makes the list not for his successes, but for Frederik Andersen’s failures this season. With an .867 save percentage and -2.91 5v5 goals saved above expected in 17 games this season, the 36-year-old netminder is almost unplayable for the Carolina Hurricanes. While he was the only goalie named to Denmark’s preliminary roster and is expected to be the starter, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Danes pull the chute on him and go with their loyal soldier in Dichow if Andersen struggles at the tournament.

Outplaying Andersen alone could make headlines for Dichow, but if he has a solid game against the United States or Germany a la Kristers Gudlevskis against Canada in 2014, that could revive his NHL career. Dichow turns only 25 in March, so he’s just entering his prime as a goalie, which makes him a solid target for an NHL team if he impresses in Milan.

Martin Fehervary (D), Slovakia

Fehervary is probably the biggest name on this list, and Washington Capitals fans are certainly familiar with his game after five seasons as an NHL regular. While he hasn’t produced at a significant rate since entering the league (he only surpassed 20 points in a season for the first time last year), he’s seen his defensive game take strides in recent seasons with a -0.036 5v5 RAPM xGA/60 since 2022-23, a big reason why he’ll make $6 million a year for seven years. However, he hasn’t received as much ice time as expected on a crowded Caps blueline, so his name has often fallen by the wayside.

But with Slovakia, the blueline isn’t as crowded for Fehervary. Erik Cernak and Simon Nemec are the only bigger names projected for Slovakia’s defense corps in Milan, which means Fehervary will get a larger role than he normally would in Washington. He’ll get his usual penalty-killing minutes, but a possible spot on the power play may also be in the cards.

With Slovakia set to take on Finland and Sweden in the group stage, Fehervary will have plenty of talented NHLers he’ll need to shut down in order for his country to advance in the tournament. If you weren’t familiar with Fehervary’s game before February, you might be afterward.

J.J. Moser (D), Switzerland

Moser has already had himself a season, as injuries to Victor Hedman and Ryan McDonagh have forced Moser and Darren Raddysh into a top pair role with the Lightning, and both defenders are thriving. While Raddysh is receiving most of the attention for his production (12 goals and 34 points in 35 games), Moser deserves a lot more of the spotlight for his defensive play. He’s not just good defensively, he’s one of the best defenders in the league, as his -0.218 5v5 RAPM xGA/60 in 2025-26 is the fourth-best in the league behind fellow Olympians in Esa Lindell, Jonas Brodin and Mortiz Seider.

Moser wasn’t on Switzerland’s preliminary roster named in June, but there’s no doubt he’ll play in Milan. In fact, it wouldn’t be surprising if his play this season has allowed him to surpass Jonas Siegenthaler on the depth chart and put him in a top-pair role alongside Roman Josi. With Switzerland set to play against Canada in their group stage, a performance which sees Moser shut down some of the 4 Nations champions’ best players could be the exact opportunity he needs to become a more prominent name in hockey. The Lightning should be happy they locked Moser up to a $6.75 million AAV for eight years last month, because he has to potential to raise his value even more next month.

Lukas Reichel (F), Germany

The 2025-26 season has been a disaster for Reichel. Starting the year with the Chicago Blackhawks, he struggled to find a consistent role with the team, and was eventually dealt to a Vancouver Canucks team in desperate need of center depth. It didn’t take long for him to fall out of favor in Vancouver either, as after 14 games, he was sent down to Abbotsford, and he’s back on the trade block. When the teams currently in 29th and 31st in the league don’t see a fit for you on their roster, that’s not a good sign.

Reichel was one of the six Germans named to the roster in June, so he doesn’t have to worry about this season hindering his Olympic chances. That may work in favor of re-igniting his NHL career, as he may find himself in the top six with one of Leon Draisaitl or Tim Stutzle as his centerman, an opportunity which would allow Reichel to produce with eyes on him and showcase he still has something in his game that made him a first-round pick in 2020. On top of that, he’s thrived on the international stage in the past, including eight goals and 22 points in 22 games at the World Championship, so it’s not out of the question that he’ll do it again at the Olympics.

Alberts Smits (D), Latvia

Smits has already gotten recognition after a great showing at the 2026 World Junior Championship with Latvia. He finished the tournament one goal and five points in five games as Latvia managed a 1-0-1-2 record and put up a great fight against Canada before bowing out in the quarterfinals to Sweden.

Smits is the only draft-eligible player on this list, as he’s projected to go somewhere in the top 20, so his stock is already in a good place. But after Latvia named him to their Olympic roster on Tuesday, his value has the potential to grow even more. If you need an example on how the Olympics can impact a player’s draft ranking, look no further than 2022. Juraj Slafkovsky was in the conversation for the top five of the 2022 draft before Beijing, but scoring seven goals in seven games helped his case for the first-overall selection, which the Canadiens eventually used on him.

That’s not to say Smits will have the same rise this June from a good Olympics, especially when he’s in a much stronger draft pool than Slafkovsky, led by Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg and Keaton Verhoeff. But Latvia’s blueline has just one NHLer on it, so he has the chance to get big minutes and possibly cement himself as a top-10 option in the draft.

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