Joel Armia might not be the flashiest name on Team Finland’s Olympic roster, but through the preliminary round of the 2026 Winter Games, he’s been one of the most effective-and consistent-players on the ice. And if you’ve been following his season with the LA Kings, this level of performance shouldn’t come as a surprise.
On a Finnish squad loaded with NHL All-Stars and Stanley Cup winners, it was Armia who quietly led the way offensively, registering a point in all three of Finland’s group-stage games. He capped off the round with a multi-point outing-one goal and one assist-in Finland’s dominant 11-0 win over host nation Italy. That brought his total to four points (2 goals, 2 assists) in three games, tying him for fifth in the tournament in scoring at the close of group play.
The way Armia has picked up those points tells you a lot about his game-versatile, opportunistic, and smart. He’s not just finding the scoresheet; he’s impacting the game in all three zones.
Let’s rewind to Finland’s tournament opener against Slovakia. It was a tough one for the Finns, who fell 4-1, but the lone bright spot came courtesy of Armia.
On the nation’s only goal of the game, he was involved from start to finish. First, he carried the puck into the offensive zone off the rush, threading a pass to the weak side to help Finland set up with space.
Then, operating in the bumper spot on the power play-something Kings fans have seen him do-he cycled the puck out to the wing before slipping into a soft spot between Slovak defenders. Surrounded by four penalty killers, Armia calmly took a return feed, shifted to his backhand, and slid a slick pass across the crease to Eeli Tolvanen, who buried it.
It was a sequence that showed off Armia’s hockey IQ and patience under pressure-hallmarks of his game that often go unnoticed.
Fast forward to Finland’s second game: the rivalry matchup against Sweden. These two countries don’t need much to get fired up, and Armia added fuel to the fire with a signature play-while shorthanded, no less.
If you’ve been tracking NHL shorthanded stats this season, you know Armia’s name is near the top. He’s tied for the league lead in shorthanded goals (four) and points (five), and he brought that same killer instinct to Milan.
With Finland clinging to a 2-1 lead and trying to kill off a Swedish power play loaded with star talent, Armia struck. After Erik Haula disrupted the puck along the boards, Armia pounced, found open ice in front of the net, and went forehand to top shelf-off the crossbar and in-for a massive insurance goal.
That made it 3-1, and Finland held on for a win that kept them in the hunt for a quarterfinal bye.
Then came the rout of Italy. With the game already in hand, Armia still found a way to leave his mark.
He scored Finland’s 10th goal of the game in the third period, then followed it up with a primary assist on Joel Kiviranta’s tally to close out the scoring. That kind of production, even in a blowout, speaks to Armia’s motor and ability to stay engaged no matter the score.
When the dust settled on the preliminary round, Finland found itself in a three-way tie atop Group A with Slovakia and Sweden. Each team had one head-to-head win, but Slovakia won the first tiebreaker to claim one of the top three seeds. Finland edged out Sweden for the next-best spot, and barring an unlikely result elsewhere, that should be enough to secure the fourth and final bye into the quarterfinals.
So what’s next? Assuming the standings hold, Finland will get a day off and return to action on February 18 against the winner of the 5 vs. 12 matchup. Opponent still TBD, but one thing’s clear: Joel Armia has been a driving force in getting his team to this point.
Whether it’s on the power play, penalty kill, or five-on-five, Armia has shown up in every situation-and shown why he’s more than just a depth piece. He’s been a tone-setter for Finland, and if they’re going to make a deep run in the knockout rounds, don’t be surprised if he’s right in the middle of it.