NHL Power Rankings: Penguins' Sidney Crosby among key players to watch at 2026 Olympics
Here's one Olympian to watch from each team in Italy
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1 min read
With the 2026 Winter Olympics here, the NHL Power Rankings go on hiatus for a few weeks as the best players in the world lay it all on the line for national pride. In honor of that, we highlighted one Olympian to watch from each team.
This exercise works because all 32 NHL teams have at least one player going to Italy for the Olympics. A few squads have just one Olympian, which I appreciated because it made my decision pretty easy, but I digress.
In the case of Sidney Crosby, this may be the last time we get to see a hockey legend on the Olympic stage. The artist behind Canada's "Golden Goal" in the 2010 Olympics, Crosby clearly has plenty of gas left in the tank. Can he produce another iconic moment for Hockey Canada? As an American, I sure hope not, but I'm not going to rule it out.
Crosby is a bit of an outlier in this Olympic year because he's in the minority of players with Olympic experience, thanks to the NHL's 12 year absence. That means everyone from superstars like Auston Matthews and Connor McDavid to rising stars like Mackline Celebrini and Juraj Slafkovsky will be competing at the Games for the first time. How will they respond under that kind of microscope?
These Olympics have been a long time coming for hockey fans, and I'm excited to see a true best-on-best tournament for the first time since 2014. Here are the latest NHL Power Rankings as we highlight key Olympians to watch.
All expected goals and goals saved above average data courtesy of Natural Stat Trick.
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Golden Knights
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Jake Guentzel | Given that Team USA chose to leave its top three scorers in the 2025-26 season at home, it clearly thinks it has enough firepower already. Guentzel will have to be a big part of that with 66 goals dating back to the start of last season. At the 4 Nations Face-Off, Guentzel was tied for the Team USA lead with three goals. | -- | 36-14-4 |
| 2 |  | Nathan MacKinnon | MacKinnon is playing at a Hart Trophy level for the Avalanche. As a hockey fan, I'm excited to see what he can do on the world stage. As an American, I shudder to think about what he could do with so much superstar talent around him. | -- | 36-9-9 |
| 3 |  | Sebastian Aho | With Aleksander Barkov out for Finland, the role of No. 1 center falls to Aho, who is more than capable of shouldering that load. Aho may not have the Selke Trophy wins of Barkov, but he received votes in each of the last five seasons. Aho has to be at his best for the Finns to make a gold medal run. | -- | 35-15-6 |
| 4 |  | Tage Thompson | After missing the cut for the 4 Nations Face-Off, Thompson gets the well-earned nod to play for Team USA at the Olympics. Thompson has the Sabres poised to end their 14-season playoff drought, and his combination of size (6-foot-6 and 220 pounds) and skill represents a unique weapon. | 1 | 32-18-6 |
| 5 |  | Goalies | This is a bit of cheating, but both Jesper Wallstedt and Filip Gustavsson were named to the Swedish Olympic team. Those two have been excellent for the Wild, saving 24.0 goals above average while posting a .905 save percentage. Obviously, only one of them can get the nod in the elimination rounds, and I'm curious to see who wins that gig. | 6 | 33-14-10 |
| 6 |  | Moritz Seider | Germany is a bit of a dark horse in these Olympics, and Seider is a major reason why. He gives the Germans a superstar on the blue line. Expect Seider to play gigantic minutes over in Italy. How Seider handles that workload may determine exactly how far his team goes. | 2 | 33-18-6 |
| 7 |  | Miro Heiskanen | While Finland lacks in offensive firepower, at least compared to the other Olympic favorites, it should be able to keep the puck out of its own net. That starts with Miro Heiskanen, one of the premier defensemen in the NHL. | 7 | 33-14-9 |
| 8 |  | Sidney Crosby | Who else could this possibly be? I'm not one to bet against Crosby, but he will be 42 when the 2030 Olympics roll around, meaning this is likely his final Olympic appearance. Crosby already owns one of the greatest moments in Olympic hockey history, and he will try to write another memorable chapter this year. | 2 | 28-15-12 |
| 9 |  | Charlie McAvoy | One of the Americans' best defensemen in the 4 Nations Face-Off, McAvoy got hurt during that event, and it looks like he's finally back at full health. Team USA will rely heavily on McAvoy when it comes to containing the best players in the world. | 1 | 32-20-4 |
| 10 |  | Juraj Slafkovsky | Now in his fourth NHL season, Slafkovsky is approaching his potential as the former No. 1 overall pick. He's up to 44 points, but now he'll be the one driving the bus for the Slovakians. It'll be interesting to see exactly how much Slafkovsky can carry the load -- without much help -- against the best teams in the world. | 1 | 31-17-8 |
| 11 |  | J.J. Peterka | Back to the Germans once again as Peterka will probably be flanking Draisaitl. Although he got off to a slow start with his new team this season, Peterka has come into his own, and he could very well hit 30 goals in 2025-26. He needs to pack some of those goals for Italy because he's the most skilled winger Germany has. | 1 | 29-23-4 |
| 12 |  | Leon Draisaitl | Connor McDavid is very good, but we saw that on the world stage at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year. I want to see Draisaitl leading the Germans as they try to make some noise as underdogs. Since the start of the 2018-19 season, only Auston Matthews has scored more goals than Draisaitl. | 2 | 28-21-8 |
| 13 |  | Akira Schmid | Switzerland is an interesting team at these Olympics games. It's an up-and-coming country in the hockey world, but it still lacks high-end goaltending. Schmid should be the No. 1 option throughout the entire tournament, and he's yet to prove that he can handle being a full-time starter, especially against this level of competition. | 6 | 25-16-14 |
| 14 |  | Zach Werenski | Werenski leads the NHL in points by a defenseman with 61. Combined with the talents of Quinn Hughes, Werenski will give Team USA a couple of defenders who can generate some offense. That'll come in handy for a team that has fallen one goal short of glory on numerous occasions. | 5 | 28-20-7 |
| 15 |  | Bo Horvat | Coming into the season, I didn't have Horvat on my Team Canada bingo card, but he's played his way onto the roster. The 13-year veteran has 23 goals in 43 games, and while an injury derailed his January, Horvat has shown a penchant for getting red-hot throughout his career. Can he do that in Italy? | 2 | 31-21-5 |
| 16 |  | Lukas Dostal | Czechia actually has a nice stable of goaltenders, but Dostal may be the most promising of the trio. He was tremendous for the Ducks earlier in the season before experiencing a dip last month, but he's rebounded with eight strong starts in a row. Dostal could be a real key for the Czechs at the Olympics. | -- | 30-23-3 |
| 17 |  | Tim Stützle | There may not be many better one-two punches at center than Leon Draisaitl and Stützle. The only teams that might top that are Canada and the U.S. Germany has some real weapons in its top six, and it could even move one of Draisaitl or Stützle to the wing if it needs some instant offense in a critical situation. | 5 | 27-22-7 |
| 18 |  | Philipp Grubauer | Goaltending is still a concern for Germany in this tournament, but I feel much better about it than I did three months ago. That's because Grubauer has been a brick wall for the Kraken. He ranks seventh in the NHL with 12.9 goals saved above average. | 5 | 26-20-9 |
| 19 |  | William Nylander | There will be a lot of pressure on Nylander, Sweden's top offensive player, to deliver for a team that has eyes on a gold medal run. Nylander has battled injury lately, but he still has 16 points in his last nine games. This is a good chance for Nylander to wash the taste of a frustrating Maple Leafs season out of his mouth. | 1 | 27-21-9 |
| 20 |  | Matthew Tkachuk | There is little doubt about which player is the heart and soul of Team USA. That responsibility falls to Tkachuk, who just recently made his 2025-26 debut after undergoing offseason surgery. Tkachuk, a back-to-back Stanley Cup champ, is still ramping up to peak performance, but his effort certainly won't be in question. | 5 | 28-24-3 |
| 21 |  | Jack Hughes | Assuming he's healthy enough to play, Jack Hughes will be a pivotal player for the Americans. He has all the speed and skill you could possibly want in a single player, and he can help Team USA keep up with speedier teams, like the Canadians. The U.S. has to hope that Hughes can find more of a scoring touch in Italy too. | 1 | 28-26-2 |
| 22 |  | Macklin Celebrini | The 19-year-old is very much in the Hart Trophy discussion with 81 points in 54 games, and his high hockey IQ could really shine on Team Canada. I just hope the Canadians don't keep Celebrini on a leash because of his age. All he's done to this point in his NHL career is revive a rebuilding franchise in 124 games. | 5 | 27-23-4 |
| 23 |  | Adrian Kempe | Kempe is an elite shooter with blazing speed who's on a team that amounts to an offensive black hole. Getting to see Kempe play alongside more talent -- and in a different system -- is an exciting prospect. | 2 | 23-17-14 |
| 24 |  | Tom Wilson | After a couple of slugfests with Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off, Canada will be bringing Wilson to the Olympics. Don't let his reputation fool you. Wilson is a great hockey player who is playing at a point-per-game pace this season. Of course, he'll bring his trademark physicality and nastiness to Italy as well. | -- | 28-23-7 |
| 25 |  | Roman Josi | The most decorated Swiss player in the NHL, Josi will be tasked with leading a team set on winning its first Olympic medal since 1948. Josi has been cooking with 19 points in his last 11 games, so he's playing his best hockey just in time for a trip to Italy. | -- | 26-23-6 |
| 26 |  | Connor Hellebuyck | The reigning back-to-back Vezina Trophy winner and the reigning Hart Trophy winner, Hellebuyck is Team USA's ultimate weapon. At his best, Hellebuyck is the best goalie in the world, and he's played at that level a lot recently. Since the start of the 2023-24 season, Hellebuyck has saved a league-leading 78.8 goals above average. | 2 | 22-25-8 |
| 27 |  | Travis Sanheim | Canada rebuffed other good options to keep Sanheim on the roster after his stint at the 4 Nations Face-Off. We'll see if that decision was the right one because, while Sanheim is a solid defenseman, he doesn't have the upside of an Evan Bouchard or Jakob Chychrun. | 1 | 25-20-10 |
| 28 |  | Teuvo Teravainen | The choice by default here, Teravainen is having a rough season in Chicago. That said, he still has 60-point potential at the NHL level, and Finland will have to lean on Teravainen as a top-six winger. | 1 | 22-25-9 |
| 29 |  | Martin Pospisil | Another selection by default, Pospisil battled concussion issues, playing just six games. The Slovakian had a promising rookie campaign in 2023-24, so the Slovakians have to hope he finds that level at the Olympics. | -- | 22-27-6 |
| 30 |  | Jordan Binnington | Binnington earned his spot on Canada's roster last year when he won the 4 Nations Face-Off, but it's been downhill from there. With 23.4 goals allowed above average, Binnington has been the worst goaltender in the league this season. | -- | 20-27-9 |
| 31 |  | J.T. Miller | Team USA could have gone with more productive players, but GM Bill Guerin wanted Miller for his ability to forecheck. It was a controversial call -- and depending upon how Miller performs -- it could be questioned for a long time. | -- | 22-28-6 |
| 32 |  | Elias Pettersson | It's been a rough couple years for Pettersson, but there is no better time for redemption than the Olympics. From 2022-24, Pettersson totaled 191 points, so he can play at a superstar level. Can Sweden pull that out of him later this month? | -- | 18-32-6 |
