Blackhawks fans' guide to the men's Olympic hockey tournament

It feels like we’ve been waiting forever for the start of the men’s hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics to begin. After a 12-year absence, the National Hockey League is once again participating in the Winter Games. All the waiting and predictions end tomorrow as the puck finally drops in Milan, Italy.

The Chicago Blackhawks have only one player participating this time around. However, they also have an assistant coach and a prospect taking part in the tournament. If you're nostalgic, there are plenty of Blackhawks connections throughout the Olympics, too.

Teravainen, Sorensen & Gajan Ready for Action

Teuvo Teravainen is the only member of the current Blackhawks roster playing in Milan, as he was one of the first players named to Finland’s national team. He’s had an up-and-down season, but playing in this tournament could lead to a strong finish down the stretch run. This is his first trip to the Olympics, but he’s represented Finland at the World Junior Championship, World Cup of Hockey, World Championships, and, most recently, the 4 Nations Face-Off.

Finland won their only gold medal in Olympic history in 2022, but that was without NHL participation. They will have a tough road to repeat, but have a pretty stacked team. Teravainen has been practicing on the second line with Artturi Lehkonen and Sebastian Aho. Other big names playing for the Fins include Mikko Rantanen, Roope Hintz, and Miro Heiskanen.

Blackhawks assistant coach Anders Sorensen is on the coaching staff for Team Sweden. He was also on their staff for last spring's IIHF World Championship, where Sweden finished in third place after losing in the semifinals to the United States. They are a favorite to win a medal in Italy, bringing a talented roster featuring William Nylander, Elias Pettersson, Victor Hedman, and Erik Karlsson.

Goaltending prospect Adam Gajan is back on the international stage as he made the cut for Slovakia’s national team. The 2023 second-round pick is having a great sophomore season at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, where he’s 15-11-0 with a 2.29 goals-against average (GAA) and .905 save percentage (SV%). He represented Slovakia at the World Junior Championship in 2024 and 2025. The young netminder also played on the U.S. Collegiate Selects team at the Spengler Cup over Christmas. It will be interesting to see how many games he gets into. Slovakia also has Iowa Wild goalie Samuel Hlavaj and 30-year-old Stanislav Skorvanek on its roster.

Plenty of Ex-Blackhawks in the Tournament

If you’re like me, and it feels like the second you get a Blackhawks jersey with a player’s name and number on it, said player is quickly traded away, then you’ll enjoy this tournament. There are 13 former Blackhawks spread over six teams. Czechia has the most ex-Chicago players, with four. Finland has three, followed by Germany and Switzerland with two, with Canada and Sweden each having one.

Canada (1): F-Brandon Hagel (Lightning)
Czechia (4): F-David Kampf (Canucks), F-Dominik Kubalik (EV Zug), D-Michael Kempny (Brynas IF), D-Jan Rutta (Servette Geneve)
Finland (3): D-Henri Jokijarju (Bruins), D-Olli Maatta (Mammoth), G-Kevin Lankinen (Canucks)
Germany (2): F-Dominik Kahun (Lausanne), F-Lukas Riechel (Abbotsford)
Sweden (1): D-Gustav Forsling (Panthers)
Switzerland (2): F-Phillipp Kurashev (Sharks), F-Pius Suter (Blues)

Tournament Schedule

Feb. 11
Slovakia v Finland (9:40 am CT)
Sweden vs Italy (2:10 pm CT)

Feb. 12
Switzerland v France (5:10 am CT)
Czechia v Canada (9:40 am CT)
Latvia v United States (2:10 pm CT)
Germany v Denmark (2:10 pm CT)

Feb. 13
Finland v Sweden (5:10 am CT)
Italy v Slovakia (5:10 am CT)
France v Czechia (9:40 am CT)
Canada v Switzerland (2:10 pm CT)

Feb. 14
Sweden v Slovakia (5:10 am CT)
Germany v Latvia (5:10 am CT)
Finland v Italy (9:40 am CT)
United States v Denmark (2:10 pm CT)

Feb. 15
Switzerland v Czechia (5:10 am CT)
Canada v France (9:40 am CT)
Denmark v Latvia (12:10 pm CT)
United States v Germany (2:10 pm CT)

Feb. 17
Playoff Round Game 1 (5:10 am CT)
Playoff Round Game 2 (5:10 am CT)
Playoff Round Game 3 (9:40 am CT)
Playoff Round Game 4 (2:10 pm CT)

Feb. 18
Quarterfinal 1 (5:10 am CT)
Quarterfinal 2 (9:40 am CT)
Quarterfinal 3 (11:10 am CT)
Quarterfinal 4 (2:10 pm CT)

Feb. 20
Semifinal 1 (9:40 am CT)
Semifinal 2 (2:10 pm CT)

Feb. 21
Bronze Medal Game (1:40 pm CT)

Feb. 22
Gold Medal Game (7:10 am CT)