NHL players are back at the Olympic Games for the first time since Sochi 2014. 

In 2018, issues surrounding insurance, travel costs and scheduling disruptions led the NHL to withdraw its players from participating. In 2022, COVID-19 disruptions created further scheduling issues for the league, forcing the NHL to pull its players from the Olympics just six weeks before the Games were set to begin.

How many NHL players are in the Olympics?

Each of the 32 NHL teams has at least one player participating in the Olympics, and 11 of the 12 teams competing in men’s hockey have at least one NHL player, with the hosts from Italy the lone exception. (As the hosts, Italy is granted automatic qualification.) There are 147 NHL players slated to participate in the Olympic Games, barring any roster changes.

Which team has the most NHL players?

The United States, Canada and Sweden are composed entirely of NHL players, while Finland has only one player that does not play in the NHL (Mikko Lehtonen). Those four nations have a combined 99 NHL players participating, while the other eight countries have a combined 48. The heavy NHL representation on Canada, the U.S., Sweden and Finland reflects their status as the four favorites in the tournament.

Are NHL players staying in the Olympic Village?

NHL players will be staying in the Olympic Village in Milan, where all ice hockey games will take place. Unlike NBA players, who have previously opted to stay in off-site hotels (or even cruise ships), NHL players will get the full Olympic experience by living in the same site as Olympians from around the world.