Predicting Each Country’s 'First 6' for 2026 Olympics

Group A – Czechia

F David Pastrnak, F Pavel Zacha, F Martin Necas, F Tomas Hertl, D Filip Hronek, G Lukas Dostal

The Czechs can certainly make some noise, but lack the depth that some other nations have. This first six is a great start. It would not be surprising to see Pastrnak play upwards of 25 minutes in important games.

Group A – Switzerland

F Nico Hischier, F Nino Niederreiter, F Timo Meier, F Kevin Fiala, D Roman Josi, G Leonardo Genoni

The Swiss have still yet to get over their gold medal hump at the World Championships (WC), and gold seems much less feasible at the Olympic Games. However, they’re still a very talented group with some elite NHL talent. With his tremendous performances on the world stage year in and year out, the 38-year-old Genoni certainly earned the right to be named.

Group A – France

F Alexandre Texier, F Jordann Perret, F Pierre-Édouard Bellemare, F Tim Bozon, D Hugo Gallet, G Antoine Keller

With just one single NHLer in Texier, the French would be lucky if they won a single game. They *almost* took down Finland at the WC, blowing a two-goal lead in the dying minutes in a catastrophic collapse…but that Finnish team was without some of their key players.

Group B – Finland

F Mikko Rantanen, F Sebastian Aho, F Aleksander Barkov, F Roope Hintz, F Mikael Granlund, D Miro Heiskanen

Finland might not have the depth that Sweden, Canada or the U.S. has, but they’re still an impressive bunch. With some top-flight NHL talent, they are certainly capable of earning a medal…maybe even gold if everything goes right. They’ll be happy to have Heiskanen back after he missed 4 Nations due to injury.

Group B – Sweden

F Jesper Bratt, F William Nylander, F Lucas Raymond, D Rasmus Dahlin, D Victor Hedman, D Erik Karlsson

The Swedes will be as hungry as ever, coming off back-to-back rough showings at 4 Nations and the WC. There’s no shortage of firepower; all six players are truly elite and are capable of taking over a game. There’s a case for netminders Jacob Markstrom or Filip Gustavsson, but the name value of Karlsson should give him the slight edge.

Group B – Slovakia

F Juraj Slafkovsky, F Tomas Tatar, F Martin Pospisil, D Martin Fehervary, D Erik Cernak, D Simon Nemec

Slovak hockey has been struggling lately, as they had just one player (Slafkovsky) score more than 25 points in the NHL this past season. Regardless, they have enough talent to potentially upset Sweden or Finland and make some noise. Slafkovsky already has some Olympic success on his resume to the tune of a bronze medal, which could help.

Group B – Italy

F Daniel Tedesco, F Tommy Purdeller, F Luca Frigo, D Thomas Larkin, D Phil Pietroniro, G Davide Fadani

To put it bluntly, it will take a small miracle for the Italians to treat their home fans to a win. They’re the only participating nation without a single NHLer. However, they have the right coach to give them the best odds possible in Jukka Jalonen. There’s a case for Anaheim Ducks goaltending prospect Damian Clara, who will certainly make the team, but Fadani has the upper hand (for now) with more pro experience in Europe and better results at the Division IA Worlds.

Group C – United States

F Tage Thompson, F Auston Matthews, F Jack Eichel, F Matthew Tkachuk, D Zach Werenski, D Quinn Hughes

It would be almost disrespectful to not name Thompson to the first six after he was snubbed from 4 Nations, finished the season with more goals than any other American (44 goals) and then won them their first WC gold medal in 92 years (!!). Otherwise, the Americans are loaded with talent. It’ll likely be between them, Canada and Sweden for gold, barring any surprises.

Group C – Germany

F Leon Draisaitl, F Tim Stützle, F JJ Peterka, F Dominik Kahun, D Moritz Seider, G Philipp Grubauer

The Germans get the benefit of being in a weaker group, plus having one of the best players in the world in Draisaitl. Like Pastrnak for the Czechs, expect Draisaitl to have to essentially carry the team on his back to ensure any major Olympic success.

Group C – Latvia

F Teddy Blueger, F Rodrigo Abols, F Eduards Tralmaks, F Dans Locmelis, D Uvis Balinskis, G Elvis Merzlikins

The Latvians always come to play on the world stage and often surprise no matter how things look on paper. However, it’s tough to ignore that they really lack depth compared to most countries. It wouldn’t be a surprise if their contest vs. Denmark is a battle for last place. Merzlikins is going to have to play out of his mind if they want to make any serious noise. Regardless of on-ice results, their fans will bring the energy.

Group C – Denmark

F Nikolaj Ehlers, F Oliver Bjorkstrand, F Lars Eller, F Nick Olesen, D Phillip Bruggisser, G Frederik Andersen

Just the fact that Denmark is in the Olympics in of itself is a massive victory for the country. However, if Ehlers and Bjorkstrand are healthy, they *can* pull off a shocking upset, just as they did at the WC against Canada. But on paper, they have such little depth that it can be argued only Italy and France are weaker.

Olympics Coming Soon

The Olympics are just 235 days away. The 4 Nations Face-Off showed how important best-on-best international competition is, but it’s huge that more than just four countries have this opportunity at the winter games. The “first six” system is a great way to kickstart the excitement.

Stay tuned to The Hockey Writers for all Olympic coverage.