The group stage has come and gone at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, and the tournament is set for men’s hockey.
As expected, Team Canada and Team USA have gotten out to flying starts and are expected to be on a collision course for the gold medal. Elsewhere, Team Slovakia pulled off a surprising upset over Sweden and Finland to win Group B, while other nations have performed slightly different than expected.
The Vegas Golden Knights, with their contingent of eight Olympians, have had an impact on the proceedings and found themselves deep into some of the hockey world’s greatest international rivalries.
With the tournament beginning on Tuesday, here are how the Golden Knights fared in the group stage.
Mark Stone (Team Canada)
The Golden Knights captain has positioned himself as one of Canada’s best players so far, giving The Leaf another option outside of the three-headed monster of Connor McDavid (Edmonton Oilers), Macklin Celebrini (San Jose Sharks), and Nathan MacKinnon (Colorado Avalanche).
On a line with Mitch Marner and Sidney Crosby (Pittsburgh Penguins), Stone has put together an excellent run, putting up two goals and four points in Canada’s three games.
Stone’s best game came in Canada’s 10-2 win over France on Sunday, where he collected a goal and three points. In the victory, Stone became the eldest Canadian skater to score a shorthanded goal in the Olympics.
Stone and the Canadians earned the top seed in the tournament, and they will await the winner of Czechia and Denmark on Wednesday.
Jack Eichel (Team USA)
Centering the “Bash Brothers” of Matthew (Florida Panthers) and Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators) has certainly helped Eichel make his first Olympics a memorable one.
Eichel has been one of Team USA’s bright spots, collecting a goal and four point so far in three games.
While it has been a strong overall Olympics, Eichel will most notably be remembered for his heroics against Denmark on Saturday. Down 2-1 in the second period, the Americans needed magic to happen and Eichel delivered. Winning two critical offensive zone faceoffs, Eichel was able to tie the score off with an assist to Brady, then scored a goal to help the Americans grab a lead they would never relinquish.
Eichel’s efforts were key in helping Team USA grab the second seed, where they now wait to face the winner of Sweden and Latvia in Wednesday’s quarterfinal matchup.
Mitch Marner (Team Canada)
Marner has proven why he is considered one of the NHL’s premier playmakers in Milan, notching four assists in the group stage.
On a line with Stone, Marner’s quickly-found chemistry with his teammate was made apparent from Team Canada’s first game against Czechia, when the two combined for an excellent goal en route to a crushing 5-0 victory.
Noah Hanifin (Team USA)
Despite Hanifin being the seventh defenseman for the Americans, he has emerged as one of their more surprising contributors.
On a defense featuring offensive threats such as Quinn Hughes (Minnesota Wild), Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets) and Brock Faber (Minnesota), Hanifin as done his part to chip in. This was apparent against Denmark, when he scored what would ultimately be the game-winning goal for Team USA. He also added a secondary assist against Germany on Sunday.
Shea Theodore (Team Canada)
Theodore has not quite jumped off the page for Team Canada as expected, only putting up one point so far in three games.
However, head coach Jon Cooper (Tampa Bay Lightning) still trusts Theodore, as his spot in the lineup saw a bump in ice time after an injury to Josh Morrissey (Winnipeg Jets). If Theodore can get himself going in the tournament, that could go a long way towards securing a gold medal for the Canadians.
Tomas Hertl (Team Czechia)
Hertl and Czechia have both been inconsistent so far, but not for a lack of trying.
In three games, Hertl has yet to record a point. However, he is tied for the team lead with David Pastrnak (Boston Bruins) with nine shots on goal.
The Czechs hope Hertl can produce quickly, with their Olympic dreams on the line in the first round against Denmark on Tuesday.
Rasmus Andersson (Team Sweden)
Sweden has had one of the more disappointing Olympics so far, being the only one of the big four (Canada, USA, Finland) to be playing in Tuesday’s first round.
That may have an impact on Andersson’s performance so far, with no points coming in two games. Also of concern was that Andersson was scratched during Sweden’s 5-3 win over Slovakia on Saturday, although a late goal to cost Tre Kronor the group might have them reconsidering that strategy.
Andersson will hope to not only see the ice, but contribute when Sweden begins the tournament on Tuesday against Latvia.
Akira Schmid (Team Switzerland)
Good news: Schmid did get a start for the Swiss in stead of Leonardo Genoni.
Bad news: he was chucked into the buzzsaw that was Team Canada.
Despite allowing five goals against Canada on Friday, Schmid’s 34 saves and .872 save percentage were still the highest of any goaltender who had to face them. He was even able to get an Olympic moment in with a tremendous save on a Crosby breakaway, which is sure to impress the Canadian Golden Knights contingent when they return to the NHL grind.
It is unclear if Schmid will get another start or not, but Switzerland will start their tournament against host nation Italy on Tuesday to see who gets to face Finland in the quarterfinals.
