The 2026 Winter Olympic Games are underway in Italy and several Devils are taking part, representing their countries in Men’s Ice Hockey: Nico Hischier, Timo Meier and Jonas Siegenthaler (Switzerland),

Welcome back to… record scratch… Welcome to our first edition of Olympic hockey predictions here at Last Word On Hockey, where we will be covering the men’s ice hockey tournament at the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics each day throughout the preliminary round and beyond.

Regenda, Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovský and New Jersey Devils defenseman Simon Nemec are the only three players from that Olympic team still in the NHL. Slafkovský and Nemec went first and second overall to the Canadiens and Devils, respectively, in the 2022 draft.

MILAN -- The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 men’s hockey tournament begins Wednesday when the 12 nations compete in three groups. Group A consists of Canada, Czechia, France and Switzerland. Finland, Italy, Sweden and Slovakia will play in Group B. Group C features Denmark, Germany, Latvia and the United States.

Ice dance will crown a new gold medalist on Wednesday, while the U.S. faces the strong Swiss team in the men's skiing Super-G. The men's hockey tournament will also get underway on Wednesday, as Slovakia faces defending champion Finland.

Get to know how the Olympic tournament is set up ahead of the preliminary round.

The Men's Olympic Hockey Tournament opens on February 11, 2026, when Sweden battles Italy and Finland takes on Slovakia. What hockey bets are we making today?

The 26-year-old forward will represent Slovakia at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina; the lone Calgary Flames player selected for the tournament. Pospisil will trade in the Flames’ red and yellow for Slovakia’s blue, red, and white as he prepares for his first Olympic appearance.

Can Slovakia and Italy pull off stunning upsets? Discover key matchups, roster strengths, and thrilling underdog stories in this Olympic hockey betting breakdown.

The 2026 Winter Olympics, featuring 16 sports with 116 medal events, will take place from Feb. 4 to Feb. 22 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. Preliminary events will begin on Feb. 4, the opening ceremony will be Feb.

If Sweden and Finland aren't at the top of Group B at the conclusion of the preliminary round, then the Olympics will have turned upside down.

The opening ceremony of the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Olympics is complete at Milan's San Siro Stadium. Featuring simultaneous ceremonies in the mountain towns of Cortina, Livigno and Predazzo, the day's festivities included performances from Mariah Carey,