Two Golden Knights chosen to represent NHL during Olympics

When the NHL returns to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, the Vegas Golden Knights will be well-represented.

The 12 countries participating in the Olympics have named the first six players to their rosters, and both center Jack Eichel (United States) and forward Jonas Rondbjerg (Denmark) have been selected to represent their nations.

Eichel is not really a surprising name to see representing Team USA, as he put up a career-high 94 points in 77 games with the Golden Knights this past season. He also represented the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, putting up four assists in four games for the second-place Americans. The native of North Chelmsford, Mass., will be getting his first taste of Olympic action, despite representing his country three times in the World Championships.

Rondbjerg, however, will get another shot to prove his value to his team on a different stage.

A mainstay with Vegas’ AHL affiliate Henderson Silver Knights, Rondbjerg did not produce any points in 13 games with the big club last season. In four seasons with the organization, Rondbjerg has appeared in 76 games with the Golden Knights, scoring three goals and putting up 10 points. Despite that, the Horsholm native represented Denmark well at the 2025 World Championships, scoring two goals in the event.

What about the rest of the Golden Knights?

While these are the only two confirmed Golden Knights heading to the Olympics in February, they will likely be joined by other members of their team when the rest of the rosters are announced later this year.

Forwards Tomas Hertl (Czechia) and William Karlsson (Sweden) can likely be penciled in for their respective nations, defenseman Shea Theodore and goaltender Adin Hill are expected to land on Team Canada, and defenseman Noah Hanifin will likely join Eichel on Team USA. Assuming injuries do not play a factor, forward Mark Stone and defenseman Alex Pietrangelo could also represent Canada.

The prospective Vegas selections for the Olympics do not include any potential free agent signings (Canada’s Mitch Marner, Denmark’s Nikolaj Ehlers, USA’s Brock Boeser) or forward Pavel Dorofeyev, who will not participate due to the International Ice Hockey Federation’s ban against Russia due to their attacks on Ukraine.

Despite their players being on different teams, Golden Knights fans will have plenty to cheer for when the puck drops on Olympic hockey on Feb. 11.