Just eight teams are still standing in the quest to capture the Olympics men’s hockey gold medal. Every country that’s still playing has obviously received some standout performances to get them this far. But not all stars are created – or performing – equal, and there have been several unheralded players who have made a name for themselves in Milan.

With eight games remaining – four quarterfinals on Wednesday, two semifinals on Friday and games for the bronze and gold medals on Saturday and Sunday, respectively – we have enough of a sample-size to project MVP candidates. The last player to win MVP at an Olympics with NHL players was Teemu Selanne, who is now in the Hockey Hall of Fame, so this is an award worthy of earning.

Stats: 2 Assists, +8 in 3 Games

Fans have heard about what “playoff Risto” would be like for years. The hulking 6-foot-4, 208-pound defenseman has the most games played (795) of any active NHLer to never reach the Stanley Cup Playoffs and missed last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off due to injury. In his first taste of high stakes hockey, Rasmus Ristolainen hasn't just been a physical force but has two assists in three games (he has just five in 19 in the NHL this season) and is tied with Canada’s Devon Toews for the Olympics lead in plus/minus at plus-eight. Switzerland's Timo Meier is also deserving of this spot (among other players), but it wouldn't fit the Olympic spirit without at least one player from each remaining nation.

Stats: 1 Goal, 4 Assists, 5 Points, +2 in 3 Games

It’s been a disappointing Olympics so far for Sweden, although a win tomorrow over the United States could change that narrative quickly. But if there’s anyone who can tell you about turning things around, it’s Rasmus Dahlin. His Buffalo Sabres were bottom feeders early in the NHL season and looked well on their way to extending the longest active playoff drought among the four major North American sports leagues to 15 years. But Dahlin has been a big reason why the Sabres are now in playoff position and a huge part of the success Sweden has had. His five points lead defensemen in the tournament, and he's led the Swedes in time on ice in their last three games. This could be the moment where he takes the torch from Victor Hedman as the next great Swedish defender.

Honorable mention to his countryman Lucas Raymond here, who is now second in the tournament in scoring with eight points, one behind someone we'll get to in a little bit.

Stats: 4 Goals, 2 Assists, 6 Points, +6 in 3 Games

Is this good for a 19-year-old? Macklin Celebrini’s stellar play in the first half of the NHL season took him from the outskirts of contention for Team Canada to someone head coach Jon Cooper has frequently played on the first line. All he’s done with that trust is end the group stage tied for the Olympic lead with four goals, including just the second ever scored by an NHLer in the Games on a penalty shot.

Unlike everyone else on this list (except Ristolainen), Celebrini has never been in the Stanley Cup Playoffs, so this is easily the highest level of hockey he’s ever played in. That he’s been a beast from the jump makes it so intriguing to think what his international career could shape up to be over the next two decades.

Stats: 2 Goals, 2 Assists, 4 Points in 4 Games

The first of two players on this list who have been in the Olympics before, Roman Josi has developed from up-and-comer at the 2014 Sochi Olympics to established star for the Swiss. He’s the only defenseman in the tournament with multiple goals and is capable of taking on a massive workload, skating for nearly 27 minutes in Switzerland's first meeting with Canada. He looks to lead Switzerland to a massive upset in Wednesday's rematch.

Stats: 3 Goals, 4 Assists, 7 Points, +1 in 4 Games

It’s not just about how many goals and points you put up, but when you come through that matters the most. Martin Necas scored one of the most clutch goals of the tournament with his equalizer in the final three minutes of regulation in Czechia’s final group stage game against Switzerland. Though his team lost in overtime, Necas made sure the harder path that resulted wouldn’t trip them up right away. He opened the scoring for Czechia in the elimination round against Denmark and then assisted on the goal that put them ahead for good. His seven points are tied for second most in the Games.

Stats: 4 Goals, 2 Assists, 6 Points, +2

All the focus on Germany was how Leon Draisaitl would fare leading a team for the first time in a tournament with all of the world’s best players. Yet it’s a different former third overall pick on a Canadian team, the Ottawa Senators’ Tim Stutzle, who’s been driving the bus. Stutzle’s four goals are tied for the most in the tournament and he's a huge reason Germany is in the quarterfinals with a solid shot to play for a medal.

Stats: 3 Goals, 2 Assists, 5 Points, +2

I’m cheating here and putting two U.S. players in the same spot because both are almost in the same place in their careers. Auston Matthews and Connor Hellebuyck have been in the NHL for about a decade are both established stars, having each won the Hart Trophy for NHL MVP. They’ve also combined for one conference final appearance and couldn’t make enough of a difference in last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off overtime finish against Canada.

But they’re both re-writing their narratives in Milan. Hellebuyck’s .952 save percentage is third best in the tournament, as he’s allowed just one goal in both of his starts on 40 cumulative shots. Matthews leads Team USA in goals (three) and points (five) after scoring two goals and an assist against Germany to close the round-robin. If the U.S. wins its first men’s hockey gold since the Miracle on Ice, these two will be huge reasons why.

Stats: 3-0, .962 Save Percentage, 2 Shutouts

At 38 years old, Leonardo Genoni is one of the oldest players in the entire event. He’s never played in the NHL before. But Swiss fans know him as a legend in international play, and he’s cementing that status in more convincing fashion than perhaps even his most ardent backers believed.

Genoni has been beaten just three times on 76 shots, facing the most rubber of any netminder in the field. His .962 save percentage is number one. He has two shutouts himself, the same amount as every other goaltender combined. For all of the big names in this tournament, Genoni would be the ultimate underdog if he can lead the Swiss past Canada.

Stats: 3 Goals, 3 Assists, 6 Points in 3 Games

If the 2022 Beijing Olympics were Juraj Slafkovsky’s introduction to the hockey world, the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics have been his coming out party as a truly elite player. He’s already set a career-high in goals in the NHL this season and he’s looked even better than the 17-year-old version that won this award in Beijing by scoring seven times in as many games. Slafkovsky has a point on six of Slovakia’s 10 goals (60 percent), a rate even higher than the only player ranked above him. If you’re a believer that MVP should go to the player who means the most to their team as opposed to who is simply the best overall, Slafkovsky is right up there.

Stats: 2 Goals, 7 Assists, 9 Points, +7 in 3 Games

He’s been the best player in the world for a while, but now the whole world is getting to see that. Connor McDavid has been a model of consistency and excellence with three three-point performances in Canada’s group stage run. He needs just two points to tie Selanne’s record for most points in an Olympics featuring NHL talent in 2006. The Edmonton Oilers' captain probably won’t need much time to smash it.

The only question is whether McDavid could be named tournament MVP in a losing effort if Canada falls. In 2024, he became the fifth player and second skater to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as the Stanley Cup Playoffs MVP despite being on a team that didn’t win it all. But the overtime hero in the championship game of last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off might just make that a moot point.