Wild players will populate Olympic rosters, but Russians won’t be allowed to compete

Nico Sturm is a two-time Stanley Cup champion.

Matt Boldy won gold at the world junior championship. Same with Jonas Brodin, who also placed first at the world championship alongside Joel Eriksson Ek; all three suited up for their respective countries at the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off in February.

Finally, they have a chance to vie for another pinnacle of the sport.

For the first time since 2014, the NHL is sending its players to the Winter Olympics, a long-awaited return that should make the upcoming season more interesting during the countdown to the 2026 Milan Cortina Games in Italy.

“I’d do anything to be on that team,” Boldy said. “But if I’m playing well and the Wild are winning and I’m playing the right way, then I think that’s how that translates. Try not to stress about it too much, but that’s kind of my approach to it.”

The NHL will go on hiatus for nearly three weeks to accommodate the Feb.11-22 tournament, which will be only the sixth time NHLers have participated.

Canada has been most successful in this format, capturing gold in 2002, 2010 and 2014. The best the United States has finished is second, picking up silver in 2002 and 2010. But after a captivating clash at the 4 Nations that saw the U.S. edge Canada in a feisty round-robin match before Canada prevailed in overtime in the final, a potential rematch at the Olympics has tantalized the hockey world.

Over the summer, each nation announced six players to its preliminary roster, and Sturm was named to Team Germany.

A list of 42 skaters and five goalies is due by Oct. 15, and then the deadline for final preliminary rosters of 25 players (three goalies) is Dec. 31; those, however, can be modified because of injury.

Wild President of Hockey Operations Bill Guerin is back as general manager of Team USA after fulfilling that role at the 4 Nations, and Wild coach John Hynes will be a U.S. assistant.

“The guys are thrilled,” Guerin said. “The guys can’t wait. They’re so excited. They’re so excited. A lot of these guys have great accomplishments, but a lot of them are not Olympians and they want to be. Being an Olympian is really special.”

Vladimir Tarasenko was at the Olympics the last time NHLers were involved in 2014, but Russia won’t be included in the 2026 tournament because the country remains banned as part of sanctions imposed following the invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

Russia and Belarus have been excluded from international hockey since 2022, and while Tarasenko said he doesn’t “really get into the politics,” he feels for the younger players who can’t play in under-18 and under-20 tournaments that serve as a starting point for many careers.

The Czech Republic, Slovakia and Switzerland are among the other countries that will be playing, along with host Italy.

Like at the 4 Nations Face-Off when they had Boldy and Faber (U.S.) as well as Brodin, Eriksson Ek and Filip Gustavsson (Sweden) in action, the Wild have a chance to be well-represented at the Olympics.

“For sure that would be a great honor,” Eriksson Ek said. “But for me I don’t think I can really focus on that. I just try to be here and be in this season, see whatever happens.”

The Wild have likely made their last round of cuts after assigning forward Hunter Haight and defenseman Matt Kiersted to the minors and placing goalie Cal Petersen and forward Tyler Pitlick on waivers.