2026 Olympic Men’s Hockey Preview: Denmark

There has never been a better time to be a fan of Danish ice hockey.

Denmark put the hockey world on notice when they beat Canada in the quarterfinal of the World Championship (on home ice, nonetheless) to advance to the final four for the first time ever. Sure, Canada didn’t have its best roster possible, but they still had Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini. Do you know who didn’t have a handful of future Hockey Hall of Famers in their lineup? Denmark.

Still, that showed that when the group comes together, they can be a force. A good majority of that same team will be back for the Olympics, and while a medal-round appearance seems unlikely, you have to believe this group is riding a real high right now.

LOOKING BACK TO 2022

Denmark has been a fixture in the top division of the World Championship since 2003, usually fizzling out of the round-robin. The team hasn’t had much high-end NHL representation over time, making success hard to come by – including in Olympic qualification events.

That all changed ahead of the 2022 tournament, where the Danes finally qualified for the first time ever. They even put up a strong fight, going 2-0-0-1 while sitting just a single point behind the Russian Olympic Committee in Group B. Their win against Czechia on the opening day was the first true upset of the tournament, and the Danes had a huge second half in the final preliminary-round game against Switzerland to give them the No. 2 seed heading into the playoffs.

Denmark eventually qualified for the quarterfinals, beating Latvia 3-2 in the play-in game. Russia would get the upper hand over the Danes in the QF with a 3-1 win, but Denmark actually managed to tie the game up early in the second after surviving an 18-1 shot onslaught in the first. That marked the end of the Danish Olympic journey, but they powered through the qualification tournament in 2024 to get back to the big event in Italy this month.

OFFENSE

Denmark hasn’t always had NHL talent to rely on in major international events, but they’ll have Nikolaj Ehlers, Oliver Bjorkstrand and Lars Eller to lead the charge up front. None of them is having a particularly great seasons by any means, but Ehlers always delivers when he represents his country internationally. His late inclusion in the World Championship last spring changed everything for the group, and now they’ll have him for the entire tournament.

Bjorkstrand has taken on more of a support role with the Tampa Bay Lightning, but he’ll get back to play-driving like he did the last time he represented Denmark back at the 2021 Olympic qualification tournament. Bjorkstrand will be relied on as a shooter on the power play, and his off-the-puck game has seemed to improve over the past few years. Eller, meanwhile, will be counted on for his leadership, faceoff skills, and defensive awareness – the offense has all but dried up at this point in his career.

The Danes won’t go far without their supporting cast, though. Fortunately, they’ve got a few guys playing some truly excellent hockey this season. Former San Jose Sharks prospect Joachim Blichfeld is on pace for nearly 80 points as one of the top players in Finland’s top league. Blichfeld is always good internationally and should play a prominent role in the top six. Mikkel Aagaard is as good as they come around the net and even served as Denmark’s captain throughout most of the international season last year. Given he’s playing around a point-per-game in the SHL, he’s playing with a hot hand, just like he did at the Worlds. Nick Olesen, meanwhile, is having his best pro hockey season to date, which isn’t surprising given his electric showing last spring. He was a national hero when it mattered, scoring in the game against Canada and registering at least one point in eight of his 10 games played (only getting left off the scoresheet when Denmark got shut out).

If the Danes are going to do some serious damage, they’ll need Seattle Kraken prospect Oscar Fisker Mølgaard to step up like he did at the World Championship. The two-way forward is strong, he’s smart and he does an excellent job of distributing the puck. He’s tracking for more than 40 points as an AHL rookie, which is nothing to sneeze at. He even has a bit of NHL experience this year, as well.

As for the rest of the crop, Patrick Russell had a brief NHL run with the Edmonton Oilers before becoming a high-end producer back in Europe. Former Vancouver Canucks forward Nicklas Jensen has missed most of the season due to a hand injury but remains one of Denmark’s most skilled playmakers. Christian Wejse is a strong forward who should give the team some scoring depth in the bottom six. The same goes for Alexander True (Ehlers’ cousin), who has some NHL experience and has played some solid hockey with JYP in Finland this year.

This will also likely be the last major tournament for Morten Poulsen, who has played nearly 100 games for Denmark at the World Championship. The 37-year-old first represented his country back at the 2006 Division IA U-18 World Championship, and has been a national team fixture ever since. He has never been a major offensive contributor, but he has always been a solid power forward who can defend.

Is this a deep offensive group? Not really. But as long as everyone commits to a full 200-foot game, and the depth picks up the slack like they did at the World Championship, Denmark could surprise you up front.

DEFENSE

On paper, this might look like the team’s weakest link. Between them, only Oliver Lauridsen (six games played) has ever made the NHL. But the team’s blueline was actually a real positive back in May, often forcing opponents to the perimeter and blocking a boatload of shots every single night.

Speaking of Lauridsen, he’ll definitely be leaned on at this event. The 36-year-old is huge at 6-foot-6, and he loves to get physical. Few blueliners on this team do as good a job at breaking up plays as he does, even if his best days are definitely behind him. His brother, Markus Lauridsen, is likely to play a bigger two-way role. He was Denmark’s best defenseman at the Worlds and has generally been an important shot generator from the blueline. He seems to save his best hockey for when he’s donning the red and white, for what it’s worth.

Phillip Bruggisser had more of a depth role on Denmark’s Olympic team, but don’t be surprised if he’s playing around 20 minutes a night. Compared to Markus Lauridsen, who is more of a puck mover, Bruggisser instead focuses on breaking up plays with his speed. For a bit more size, Anders Koch – the youngest blueliner at 28 – gives you very little room to work with on the rush.

As for the rest of the pack, Nicholas B. Jensen is always an interesting story. He had a four-year run in NCAA Division III from 2010-14, yet still managed to build a successful pro career out of it. He was a key part of the Olympic team in 2022, where he showed some playmaking and physical prowess. Jesper Jensen Aabo is a 34-year-old veteran who has played some of the most high-level hockey of any Danish defender, and he’s in the midst of a strong season in the ICEHL. Matias Lassen, meanwhile, is a strong skater who can kill penalties and give the team a bit of energy when needed.

It’s not the strongest blueline around. But with them bringing so much national team experience to the table, there’s a ton of built-in chemistry that should allow them to get up to speed fairly quickly.

GOALTENDING

Could the lone non-NHL-affiliated goaltender end up winning over the starter’s gig? Carolina’s Frederik Andersen and Ottawa’s Mads Søgaard have been wildly inconsistent, so it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Frederik Dichow could end up taking the mantle. For now, Andersen will get the first crack at the gig. He’ll hope to find the same magic that allowed him to go 3-0 at the Olympic qualification tournament in 2024. He has been absolutely lights out internationally, and we know he can steal games in the NHL. The past two years have been ugly, though, and his best NHL days are far behind him at this point.

Søgaard has spent most of the season in the AHL, where he has struggled mightily with the Belleville Senators. He hasn’t played much hockey overall the past two seasons, and a long-term NHL future definitely looks to be in question. Søgaard hasn’t played any meaningful hockey for Denmark since the 2020 Division IA World Juniors, so it seems unlikely they’ll use him at this tournament.

And that’s why Dichow is so fascinating. The former Montreal Canadiens prospect was one of the biggest reasons why Denmark finished fourth at the World Championship, highlighted by a 39-save performance against Canada in a tight affair. The Danes clearly like Dichow, who took over from Sebastian Dahm a few years ago as their starting goalie for most international competitions. He might not play in the NHL, but he has been good for a bad HV71 team and has proven he can handle quality competition.

COACHING

Swedish-born Mikael Gath has been Denmark’s coach for three seasons now, and was the man in charge for their huge World Championship performance. His full-time gig is building this Danish team, and they’re in arguably the best spot they’ve ever been in. He gets a lot out of his team defensively, highlighted by how the Danes always play a strong 200-foot game. They might let a lot of shots, but ever since Gath took over, the high-danger chances against have started to dwindle.

BURNING QUESTION

Will goaltending be an advantage or a detriment?

Most mid-pack teams need outstanding goaltending to stand a chance. Latvia’s Kristers Gudlevskis will always be remembered for nearly preventing Canada from moving on to the Sochi 2014 medal round. If the Danes are going to make some real noise this year, they’ll need Andersen to be at his absolute best. Injuries have derailed the past half-decade of his career, but when he’s hot, he can be a legit NHL star.

But what if he can’t channel that energy in Italy? Can Dichow mimic his magic from the spring? If Andersen falters and Dichow can’t find his groove, the Danes will be in bad, bad shape.

PREDICTION

The Danes could realistically finish second in Group B. They’re riding the high of their fourth-place finish from May, and their depth is nothing to sneeze at. They lack someone of Tim Stutzle’s quality, but Ehlers can be a true difference-maker, and last May proved that they can get massive performances out of players like Olesen, Blichfeld and Aagaard. This is perhaps the best Danish roster ever assembled, and while they likely won’t make it out of the quarterfinal, they shouldn’t be an easy out, either.

FULL ROSTER

GOALTENDERS
Frederik Andersen (Carolina Hurricanes)
Frederik Dichow
Mads Søgaard (Ottawa Senators)

DEFENSEMEN
Phillip Bruggisser
Nicholas B. Jensen
Jesper Jensen Aabo
Anders Koch
Matias Lassen
Markus Lauridsen
Oliver Lauridsen

FORWARDS
Mikkel Aagaard
Mathias Bau Hansen
Oliver Bjorkstrand (Tampa Bay Lightning)
Joachim Blichfeld
Nikolaj Ehlers (Carolina Hurricanes)
Lars Eller (Ottawa Senators)
Nicklas Jensen
Oscar Fisker Mølgaard (Seattle Kraken)
Nick Olesen
Morten Poulsen
Patrick Russell
Jonas Røndbjerg (Vegas Golden Knights)
Frederik Storm
Alexander True
Christian Wejse

PRELIMINARY ROUND SCHEDULE

Feb. 12 vs. Germany: 3:10 PM ET
Feb. 14 vs. United States: 3:10 PM ET
Feb. 15 vs. Latvia: 1:10 PM ET