The 11 NHL Teams Sending The Fewest Players To The 2026 Winter Olympics

hockey player skating on Olympic rings

Elsa/Getty Images


We’re less than a month away from the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics, which will mark the first time the best hockey players on the planet will be competing in The Games since 2014. A number of NHL teams will be very well represented in Italy, but there are plenty of others that won’t be sending a sizeable delegation of players.

These are the NHL teams with the fewest number of players who were named to a 2026 Winter Olympics roster

Italy is currently the only one of the 12 teams that will be competing in the men’s hockey tournament that hasn’t unveiled its roster, but the host country is also the only one that hasn’t produced a single player who’s currently doing their thing in the NHL.

I took a look at the franchises that are sending the most players over to Italy after the rest of the rosters were finalized, and I figured I might as well take a look at the opposite end of the spectrum (every single team in the league has at least one player going to the Winter Olympics).

These teams might not have a ton to brag about, but there is a silver lining when you consider they also don’t have to be overly worried about potential injuries compared to the one leading the way.

Buffalo Sabres: 3

Buffalo Sabres logo

David Kirouac-Imagn Images


  • Rasmus Dahlin (Sweden)
  • Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (Finland)
  • Tage Thompson (United States)

Detroit Red Wings: 3

Detroit Red Wings logo

David Kirouac-Imagn Images


  • Dylan Larkin (United States)
  • Lucas Raymond (Sweden)
  • Moritz Seider (Germany)

New York Rangers: 3

New York Rangers goalie

Brad Penner-Imagn Images


  • J.T. Miller (United States)
  • Vincent Trocheck (United States)
  • Mika Zibanejad (Sweden)

Seattle Kraken: 3

Seattle Kraken logo

Aaron Doster-Imagn Images


  • Philipp Grubauer (Germany)
  • Kaapo Kakko (Finland)
  • Eeli Tolvanen (Finland)

Toronto Maple Leafs: 3

Toronto Maple Leafs logo on jersey

David Kirouac-Imagn Images


  • Oliver Ekman-Larsson (Sweden)
  • Auston Matthews (United States)
  • William Nylander (Sweden)

Washington Capitals: 3

Washington Capitals logo

David Kirouac-Imagn Images


  • Martin Fehervary (Slovakia)
  • Logan Thompson (Canada)
  • Tom Wilson (Canada)

Calgary Flames: 2

Calgary Flames logo on jersey

David Kirouac-Imagn Images


  • Rasmus Andersson (Sweden)
  • Martin Pospisil (Slovakia)

Columbus Blue Jackets: 2

Zach Werenski and Elvis Merzlikin

Eric Hartline-Imagn Images


  • Elvis Merzlikins (Latvia)
  • Zach Werenski (United States)

Edmonton Oilers: 2

Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl

Perry Nelson-Imagn Images


  • Leon Draisaitl (Germany)
  • Connor McDavid (Canada)

Chicago Blackhawks: 1

Blackhawks center Teuvo Teravainen

Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images


  • Teuvo Teravainen (Finland)

New York Islanders

Islanders center Bo Horvat

Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images


  • Bo Horvat (Canada)
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Connor Toole is the Deputy Editor at BroBible and a Boston College graduate currently based in New England. He has spent close to 15 years working for multiple online outlets covering sports, pop culture, weird news, men's lifestyle, and food and drink.
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