10 Panthers to support in the 2026 Winter Olympics

The 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games will welcome 10 Florida Panthers' players. The men’s hockey competition will start on Feb. 11 and run through Feb. 22 in Milan. The women’s tournament will start even earlier on Feb. 5th. While all Olympic rosters are announced, official merchandise is up for sale, and fans are booking logistics, the only problem is that the ice hockey venue isn’t fully finished yet. But let’s start with positives.

Olympic Caliber

All twelve participating nations had different announcement schedules. The “first six” American and Canadian players were revealed in June 2025. By January 8, the hockey universe knew every player who would be heading to Italy. 

USA - 2

Forward Matthew Tkachuk, who is yet to debut this season, will represent Team USA along with his older brother Brady. Defenseman Seth Jones was one of the surprising names. He is on the injured reserve list as of today, after sustaining an injury during the Winter Classic on Jan. 2. Jones has six goals and 24 points in 40 games this season.

Canada - 2

Sam Reinhart made it to the roster in June 2025 as part of the “first six” announcement. His plus/minus isn’t the best (-12), but his contribution to the Panthers is solid. Reinhart had registered 24 goals and 45 points in 45 contests. Another excellent quality of his is that he can score in power-play and penalty-killing scenarios. Brad Marchand was cut from Team Canada's 2014 roster. At 37, with two Stanley Cups under his belt, he is awarded his second chance. Marchand is one of the league's hardest-working players right now. He didn’t finish a recent game in Toronto, but, per Paul Maurice, the Panthers’ bench boss, Marchand’s injury isn’t serious and is more about precautionary measures. Marchand is leading the Cats with 46 points in 41 games. November was one of the best months in his NHL career. 

Finland - 3

Forwards Anton Lundell and Eetu Luostarinen, and a blueliner Niko Mikkola represented their national team at the 2025 4 Nations tournament. Having this trio on the roster is a significant advantage for Finland, as they have incredible chemistry and a Stanley Cup bond. 

Latvia - 2

An undrafted Uvis Balinskis has 138 NHL games on his resume. He isn’t a high-scoring forward, but his primary mission with the Panthers is to bring physicality and support Top-6 forwards. 

Sandis Vilmanis is the 2026 Cinderella man. The Florida Panthers drafted the 21-year-old winger in 2022 (5th round, 157th overall), who has spent the last two years playing for the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers. He had plenty of experience representing his national Latvian team at the junior level and playing in the OHL. This season, Vilmanis is tied for first with 19 (8G, 11A) points in the Panthers’ farm club. His performance earned him a spot on the 2026 Olympic Team Latvia even before he had a single NHL game. On Jan. 10, he was called up and made his NHL debut against the Ottawa Senators. 

Sweden - 1

For the five previous seasons with the Florida Panthers,  Gustav Forsling’s plus/minus rating was strong. He ended up with a plus/minus of +56 and 39 points in 2023-2024. Overall, his performance and role with the team helped him develop into a reliable defensive force. 

In the perfect world, another Panther, Sam Bennett, would join Team Canada in Italy. But for now, he is out of the initial lineup and may be considered as an injury replacement. 

Olympic Ice

Last week, major media outlets published videos of the still-under-construction Olympic rink. 

Back in December, Bill Daly, NHL deputy commissioner, made it clear that if quality jeopardizes players’ safety, the NHL will not participate in the Winter Games. The Olympic Committee and IIHF representatives have assured the NHL bosses that there won’t be a need for any contingency planning. The bumps on the road will happen; no need to panic. 

There is still plenty of time to complete the major project, test the ice a couple of times, and call it a day by Feb.2. On Jan.9, the first trial was delayed due to ice issues. Eventually, the hockey game between local teams resumed. 

The IIHF president, Luc Tardif, insists that despite shortcomings, everything will be finished on time. Originally designed to accommodate over 14,000 spectators, the arena’s capacity, allegedly, was reduced to 11,800 seats. Construction mishaps have occurred before in other Summer and Winter Olympic hosting countries. So, it shouldn’t add so much media pressure on all the parties involved. 

Olympic Schedule

The tournament will feature three groups in the preliminary round. 

Group A: Canada, Switzerland, Czechia, and France

Group B: Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, and Italy

Group C: U.S, Germany, Latvia, and Denmark

The Florida Panthers, on Team USA and Team Latvia, will face each other on Thursday, Feb.12, at 3:10 PM ET. The quarterfinals will take place on Wednesday, Feb. 18. New Olympic champions will be crowned by noon on Sunday, Feb.22.

The National Hockey League hasn’t participated in the Winter Olympics since Sochi 2014. It’s a big moment for many players who will represent their countries for the first or, potentially, the last time.  Let’s focus on the bigger picture and feel the magic of the upcoming Milano Cortina event. Cats' fans will be busy dividing their time and energy among 10 players and five teams. Who is your champion?