The IIHF announced on Monday, June 16, the first six players for the 12 teams competing for the Gold Medal at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, in February. It’ll be the first time since 2024 that NHL players will be participating in the Olympics. The 12 teams participating are Finland, Denmark, Canada, Czechia, France, Germany, Italy, Latvia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States. While the first six were announced on Monday, other roster announcements will be made later in 2025. Regarding the Carolina Hurricanes, only two players were announced to their respective countries as part of the preliminary first six.
Sebastian Aho and Frederik Andersen to the Olympics
The first announcement was Team Finland, and it came as no surprise that Sebastian Aho will be representing Leijonat at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Aho will be adding to his already-decorated international resume with his most recent action was during the 4 Nations Face-Off this past February. The Hurricanes’ alternate captain had two assists in three games but they failed to reach the Championship. Everyone remembers Aho’s contribution to the 2018 IIHF World Championship, finishing with 18 points in eight games and earning the award for the best forward.
In 2016, Aho, while playing for Finland, won the gold medal at the World Junior Championship (WJC) and a Silver medal at the 2016 World Championship. He also won silver at the 2015 WJC.
Related: Denmark Announces First 6 Names For 2026 Winter Olympics Team
Aho joins Aleksander Barkov, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, Mikko Rantanen, and Juuse Saros on Finland’s preliminary roster.
It was another milestone moment for Frederik Andersen as he was named to Denmark’s Preliminary roster. Andersen helped guide Denmark to securing an Olympic spot as he was in the crease for all three of Denmark’s wins in the Group F qualifying tournament during summer 2024. While playing against Great Britain, Japan, and Norway, Andersen stopped 60 of 64 shots and helped his team come out on top.
Related: Finland’s Projected Roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics
Andersen won the Best…
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