France releases rosters for 2026 Winter Olympics
One nation set to take to the ice in Milan has released its first batch of names set to play in February.
On Tuesday, France announced the rosters for its men’s and women’s teams that will be competing at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
France released their rosters for the 2026 men's and women's Olympic hockey tournaments:
Both teams qualified for the coming year’s Games thanks to the International Olympic Committee’s ban on Russian teams.
The men’s team is playing at the Olympics for the first time since Salt Lake City in 2002, where they finished 14th in the 16-team field. The closest France has come to winning a medal at the Olympics came almost 100 years ago in ice hockey’s first three appearances at the Games at Antwerp 1920, Chamonix 1924 and St. Moritz 1928.
The men’s team has a few familiar names on it, including former NHLers Pierre-Edouard Bellemare and Stephane Da Costa. Bellemare made stops with the Philadelphia Flyers, Vegas Golden Knights, Colorado Avalanche, Tampa Bay Lightning and Seattle Kraken. He has spent the past two seasons with HC Ajoie in the National League in Switzerland.
Da Costa for his brief time with the Ottawa Senators. Since returning to Europe in 2014, the Paris native has bounced around the Kontinental Hockey League, currently playing with Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg. Da Costa was a key player in helping France during the Olympic qualifiers last season, scoring five points in three games.
The lone name omitted from the current list is Montreal Canadiens forward Alexandre Texier. The man who led France with six points during the OGQ last year is currently not on the roster, but the French hockey federation noted that one final player will be announced next month in accordance with the NHL.
This will be the first time the women’s team has competed at the top tier of a major international tournament. France has never made it to the Olympics, nor the top division of the IIHF Women’s World Championship. If France were to have any success, Chloe Aurard-Bushee has to step up. The former New York Sirens forward has been on the French national team since she was 16 years old. She signed with ZSC Lions Frauen, a member of the top women’s league in Switzerland, after she was released by the Boston Fleet prior to the 2025-26 season.
The women’s team opens up Group B play on Feb. 5 against host Italy, while the men kick things off against Sweden in Group B play on Feb. 11.