The preliminary round of the men’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics has wrapped, and if you’re a Florida Panthers fan, you’ve had plenty to cheer about. Ten Panthers players are suiting up for five different nations, and as we head into the knockout stage, their fingerprints are all over the Olympic ice.
Let’s start with Team Canada, where the Panthers' trio has been part of a juggernaut. Canada went a perfect 3-0 in group play, outscoring opponents by a jaw-dropping 20-3 margin.
That’s not a typo - twenty goals for, just three against. They’ve looked every bit the powerhouse they were expected to be, and now they wait to see who they'll face in the quarterfinals: Czechia or Denmark.
Brad Marchand made his mark in Canada’s opener, a 5-0 win over Czechia, logging just under 10 minutes of ice time and notching an assist. He hasn’t played since, but he’s remained active in practices - including skating with the team Sunday morning - which suggests he could be back in the lineup when the playoff rounds begin. His presence, even in a limited role, gives Canada another layer of grit and experience.
Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett also got on the board in Canada’s final group game, a 10-2 rout of France. Both picked up assists on a Bo Horvat goal in the third period, giving them their first points of the tournament.
Reinhart has looked sharp, recording five shots and a plus-2 on-ice rating. Bennett, meanwhile, has four shots and a plus-1.
They’ve been quietly effective, doing the little things right while Canada’s top guns light up the scoreboard.
Over in Group B, Finland’s Panthers contingent has been making serious noise. Despite finishing second in their group, the Finns advance as the top-ranked runner-up and will face the winner of Switzerland vs. Italy in the quarterfinals.
Anton Lundell missed Finland’s 11-0 demolition of Italy due to illness, but he made his presence felt earlier in the tournament. In Finland’s statement 4-1 win over Sweden, Lundell scored on one of his two shots, added two penalty minutes, and finished with a plus-2 rating. If he’s healthy for the quarters, he’ll be a key piece in Finland’s push for a medal.
Eetu Luostarinen has been one of Finland’s most productive forwards, dishing out three assists and skating to a plus-5 rating through three games. On the back end, Niko Mikkola has been a force.
The big defenseman has three assists, eight shots on goal, and a team-best plus-7 rating. He’s been rock solid in his own zone and active offensively - exactly what Finland needs from its blueline.
Now let’s talk about the playoff bracket where four Panthers players are on a collision course.
Sweden’s Gus Forsling will face Latvia - and that means a matchup against fellow Panthers Uvis Balinskis and Sandis Vilmanis. The winner of that game moves on to face Matthew Tkachuk and Team USA in the quarterfinals.
Forsling has been his usual steady self on the Swedish blue line, contributing a goal and an assist on six shots with a plus-2 rating. He’s logging meaningful minutes and playing with the kind of poise that’s become his calling card in Florida.
Latvia, meanwhile, has leaned heavily on Balinskis. He’s averaging just under 25 minutes of ice time per game - the most on the team - and has chipped in an assist and six shots.
Vilmanis hasn’t found the scoresheet yet but is trending upward, with his shot totals increasing each game. He’s sitting at six shots and a minus-1 rating, but his energy has been noticeable.
And then there’s Tkachuk, who’s been electric for Team USA. Skating on a top line with his brother Brady and Jack Eichel, Tkachuk has racked up five assists, nine shots, and a plus-5 rating through three games. He’s been physical, creative, and relentless - the kind of player who thrives on the Olympic stage.
With Monday serving as a rest day, the qualification playoff round kicks off Tuesday. Winners from that round will advance to face the top seeds - including Canada, Finland, and the other group leaders - in Wednesday’s quarterfinals.
From there, it’s a sprint to the finish. The semifinals are set for Friday, with puck drops at 10:40 a.m.
ET and 3:10 p.m. ET.
The bronze medal game follows on Saturday at 2:40 p.m. ET, and the gold medal showdown will cap things off Sunday morning at 8:10 a.m.
ET.
The Olympic stage is heating up, and the Panthers’ presence across multiple rosters is impossible to miss. Whether it’s Reinhart and Bennett riding Canada’s wave, Tkachuk lighting it up for the U.S., or Finland’s defense getting a boost from Mikkola and Luostarinen, Florida’s fingerprints are all over this tournament. And with the medal rounds approaching, they’re just getting started.