Olympic Hockey 2026 - Which Sabres Make Olympic Teams?

[GASabresIUFAN]

After watching the gold medal Men’s basketball game, I began to wonder what the Olympic hockey tournament would look like and what current Sabres (or Amerks) might make their country’s Olympic team.

I think there are 3 current Sabres who are “guaranteed” to make their country’s teams.  They are Dahlin (Sweden), Jokiharju (Finland) and JJP (Germany).

After those 3, I see a few players with a chance to make an Olympic team, but most are long-shots.  

Canada - Levi and Power have a chance.  Levi would have to become our top goalie and Power would have to go from a 30 point D to a 60+ pt D and become more physical to even get a look.

USA - Thompson and Tuch maybe? 90 pt Thompson would have a great shot.  60 pt Thompson has none.  

Finland - UPL.  If he continues to play like he did this past season, I can easily see him earning the backup job behind Saros.

Czechia - Kulich?  

Anyone else?

 

 

Edited August 13 by GASabresIUFAN

[LGR4GM]

Helenius would have a chance in 2 years. The Finns like him. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10129267-way-too-early-2026-olympic-roster-projections-for-the-top-6-mens-hockey-teams

11 minutes ago, LGR4GM said:

Helenius would have a chance in 2 years. The Finns like him. 

The Fins are pretty deep down the middle.  Barkov, Aho and Hintz are locks.  Can Helenius beat out Lundell?

[GASabresIUFAN]

After looking at the projected roster for Canada, I'm going to give Quinn a shot at making the Canadian team.  The B/R staff lists Zach Hyman and Marchand on the Canadian roster.  Hyman is 32 and is coming off a career defining season (54 goals).  Is he still going to be that player at 34?  Marchand is 36.  He is still a solid scorer, but at 67 points each of the last 2 years, is he really going to be one of the 12 best Canadian forwards at 38? 

If Quinn is a pt a game player in 2 seasons, why wouldn't he get some consideration? 

[Porous Five Hole]

It would be hard to imagine Team USA not having room for Tage. 
 

A quick google search of projected rosters for 2026 and the top three results were Hockey Writers, Bleacher Report, and NBC Sports Boston.
Each of them projected Tage as a top nine forward.  

[French Collection]

Strbak could be a depth D for Slovakia. He has been good for them internationally and they may groom him for future events.

[GASabresIUFAN]

16 hours ago, Porous Five Hole said:

It would be hard to imagine Team USA not having room for Tage. 
 

A quick google search of projected rosters for 2026 and the top three results were Hockey Writers, Bleacher Report, and NBC Sports Boston.
Each of them projected Tage as a top nine forward.  

The US team has Matthews, Eichel, Hughes and Larkin already down the middle.

The wingers are both Tkachuks, Connor, Robertson, JT Miller and Guentzel.  

The US also has Keller (33g 76 pts), Boeser (40g), Boldy (only 22 with 29g & 69 pts), as possible depth wingers.  Who are you dumping for Tage?  

 

[LGR4GM]

2 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The US team has Matthews, Eichel, Hughes and Larkin already down the middle.

The wingers are both Tkachuks, Connor, Robertson, JT Miller and Guentzel.  

The US also has Keller (33g 76 pts), Boeser (40g), Boldy (only 22 with 29g & 69 pts), as possible depth wingers.  Who are you dumping for Tage?  

 

Miller and Guentzel. Tage has size, the US will value that. 

Boldy is interesting but he's a lw. Remember, Tage does shoot right handed, they may need a 40g rhs.

19 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10129267-way-too-early-2026-olympic-roster-projections-for-the-top-6-mens-hockey-teams

The Fins are pretty deep down the middle.  Barkov, Aho and Hintz are locks.  Can Helenius beat out Lundell?

I think any of this players can shift to wing as needed. Not saying it will happen, just that Helenius is a favorite in the Finland national team eyes and if IF, he progresses over the next 2 years, I think he is on the team. 

[LGR4GM]

21 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The US team has Matthews, Eichel, Hughes and Larkin already down the middle.

The wingers are both Tkachuks, Connor, Robertson, JT Miller and Guentzel.  

The US also has Keller (33g 76 pts), Boeser (40g), Boldy (only 22 with 29g & 69 pts), as possible depth wingers.  Who are you dumping for Tage?  

 

Just going through the names here to say who is a lefty or a righty shot

Lefties:

Matthews, Hughes, Larkin, Tkachuk and Tkachuk, Connor, Robertson, Miller, Guentzel, Keller, Boldy

Righties:

Eichel, Boeser, that's it. 

I think Tage has a better chance to make the roster because he is probably better than some of these guys and he shoots right. 

[dudacek]

I think Tage's coming season will have a lot to say about his chances.

Over the past 3 years, he's the 4th-best US-born goal-scorer. Points-wise he's outproduced Eichel, Larkin, Boeser and Boldy and he's right there with Brady Tkachuk, Guentzel, Keller, and Conner.

He's fast, really big and can play centre and wing.

He's definitely in the mix.

[GASabresIUFAN]

10 minutes ago, dudacek said:

I think Tage's coming season will have a lot to say about his chances.

Over the past 3 years, he's the 4th-best US-born goal-scorer. Points-wise he's outproduced Eichel, Larkin, Boeser and Boldy and he's right there with Brady Tkachuk, Guentzel, Keller, and Conner.

He's fast, really big and can play centre and wing.

He's definitely in the mix.

If he gets back to 80+ pts, he'll certainly be in the mix. 

The biggest issues with Tage are that he really needs to play center and his defensive play is lacking.  Larkin is a far superior 2 way center and has a career Face off % of 52.4% to Tage's 42.1%.  Also pts wise Tage leads Larkin by a single point over the last 3 years and Larkin has out pointed him 2 of the last 3. 

The case for Tage is that Lindy helps with his 2-Way game and Tage gets back to being an 80+ point player who scores 35+ goals.  From a lineup standpoint, maybe Team USA moves Eichel to the wing, opening a slot for Tage as the 3C.  I firmly believe Larkin is making the squad as the 4th line C and top PKer.  

 

[Mango]

2 hours ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

If he gets back to 80+ pts, he'll certainly be in the mix. 

The biggest issues with Tage are that he really needs to play center and his defensive play is lacking.  Larkin is a far superior 2 way center and has a career Face off % of 52.4% to Tage's 42.1%.  Also pts wise Tage leads Larkin by a single point over the last 3 years and Larkin has out pointed him 2 of the last 3. 

The case for Tage is that Lindy helps with his 2-Way game and Tage gets back to being an 80+ point player who scores 35+ goals.  From a lineup standpoint, maybe Team USA moves Eichel to the wing, opening a slot for Tage as the 3C.  I firmly believe Larkin is making the squad as the 4th line C and top PKer.  

 

More than anything the question is "Who is Tage Thompson?" and the answer to that question will answer the Olympic question in 2 years. If he is consistently the same guy as the 22-23 season and develops his 200 foot game, then sure he will likely make it. 

But if he is super streaky and doesn't play both ways then I don't see it. 

The Buffalo Sabres desperately need Tage to become the former and not the latter. 

[Archie Lee]

On 8/13/2024 at 11:55 AM, GASabresIUFAN said:

After looking at the projected roster for Canada, I'm going to give Quinn a shot at making the Canadian team.  The B/R staff lists Zach Hyman and Marchand on the Canadian roster.  Hyman is 32 and is coming off a career defining season (54 goals).  Is he still going to be that player at 34?  Marchand is 36.  He is still a solid scorer, but at 67 points each of the last 2 years, is he really going to be one of the 12 best Canadian forwards at 38? 

If Quinn is a pt a game player in 2 seasons, why wouldn't he get some consideration? 

I don't think Quinn has done anything that would really put him on the radar for Hockey Canada at this point.  Could it happen? Sure, but he would be a serious long-shot I think..  The far more likely candidate is Cozens.  He has consistently played well when representing Canada. He can play wing and centre. He plays much faster than Quinn. If he rebounds to 22-23 form or better, I think he has a real chance to be in the discussion.

[dudacek]

Cozens has played 27 games for Hockey Canada over the past 5 years and scored 24 goals and 16 assists.

He’s a longshot as things stand right now, but he’s big and fast and versatile and competitive and plays in all situations.

He’s definitely on their radar.

 

[Taro T]

21 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Cozens has played 27 games for Hockey Canada over the past 5 years and scored 24 goals and 16 assists.

He’s a longshot as things stand right now, but he’s big and fast and versatile and competitive and plays in all situations.

He’s definitely on their radar.

 

And whether he and others in his boat get a legit shot to make that team will depend in large part whether the powers that be that build Canada's team decide to put together an All-Star team or a team that has all the different skill sets that go into making a winning team.  They've gone both ways in the last 20 years when putting these teams together and not knowing who's GMing that team wouldn't hazard a guess at which way they'll go.

[PerreaultForever]

Does Finland really not have enough better NHL D men than Jokiharju? That's a strange thing I've never thought about. Maybe that's why they have so many good goalies 🙂

Canada's also oddly quite weak in goal aren't they. Guess that goalie equipment is too expensive. 

Pretty sure the Canadian roster will give a lot of big names last shots (Crosby, Marchand maybe, people like that). Depends on how they do in 2025 but the lean will be to veteran stars. 

25 minutes ago, dudacek said:

Cozens has played 27 games for Hockey Canada over the past 5 years and scored 24 goals and 16 assists.

He’s a longshot as things stand right now, but he’s big and fast and versatile and competitive and plays in all situations.

He’s definitely on their radar.

 

Doubt it. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

1 hour ago, Archie Lee said:

I don't think Quinn has done anything that would really put him on the radar for Hockey Canada at this point.  Could it happen? Sure, but he would be a serious long-shot I think..  The far more likely candidate is Cozens.  He has consistently played well when representing Canada. He can play wing and centre. He plays much faster than Quinn. If he rebounds to 22-23 form or better, I think he has a real chance to be in the discussion.

Quinn played for Canada at the U20s and at the 22/23 WC.  Quinn was tracking for a 27 goal season last year.  If (when?) he take another step or two in his development over then next few years, I think he can become a 35g 45a type player.  That kind of player will definitely be on Canada’s radar.  I think he has more upside than Cozens.  That said, if Cozens also reaches those levels he could be on the radar as well.  The issue for Cozens is the depth of Canada at center.  McDavid, Crosby, McKinnon, and Point are the top 4 centers now, plus Stamkos and Reinhart who can play either center or wing.  Then you can add Bedard and now Celebrini.  Cozens has a huge hill to climb.

Edited August 14 by GASabresIUFAN

[Thorner]

5 hours ago, Mango said:

More than anything the question is "Who is Tage Thompson?" and the answer to that question will answer the Olympic question in 2 years. If he is consistently the same guy as the 22-23 season and develops his 200 foot game, then sure he will likely make it. 

But if he is super streaky and doesn't play both ways then I don't see it. 

The Buffalo Sabres desperately need Tage to become the former and not the latter. 

This. He’s only on the radar if he gets back to his production from 2 years ago. He doesn’t have a body of work/history to rely on and these teams generally value that. Granted, I’m more familiar with the Canadian team perspective, which has always favoured veteran, proven talent when possible  

3 hours ago, Archie Lee said:

I don't think Quinn has done anything that would really put him on the radar for Hockey Canada at this point.  Could it happen? Sure, but he would be a serious long-shot I think..  The far more likely candidate is Cozens.  He has consistently played well when representing Canada. He can play wing and centre. He plays much faster than Quinn. If he rebounds to 22-23 form or better, I think he has a real chance to be in the discussion.

Agree with this, too 

[Stoner]

What about 2030?

[GASabresIUFAN]

11 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

Does Finland really not have enough better NHL D men than Jokiharju?

They only had 11 D play in the NHL last year.  Heiskanen is the star, but after that Joki is in a group with Esa Lindell, Olli Maatta, Mikkola, and Valimaki.  Would Risto still be a consideration?

By comparison, Sweden had 35 D appear in the NHL last season.  It is an aging group with Hedman (33), Karlsson (33), Ekholm (33), Ekman-Larsson, Adam Larsson, Brodin and Erik Gustafsson all currently 30 to 33 years old.  Dahlin maybe the only current lock for the Swedes on defense given the age of the other top Swedish D.  

[PerreaultForever]

I think you will be surprised by how heavily the over 30 crowd is represented across all the teams. 

Quinn was mentioned earlier and that's just wildly absurd to me. More likely you'll see somebody like Stamkos. 

[GASabresIUFAN]

5 hours ago, PerreaultForever said:

I think you will be surprised by how heavily the over 30 crowd is represented across all the teams. 

Quinn was mentioned earlier and that's just wildly absurd to me. More likely you'll see somebody like Stamkos. 

The 30 somethings may lobby for inclusion because this will be “their last chance” to represent in the Olympics.  However, if you are Canada are you really including 36 year old Stamkos, 38 year old Marchand and 39 year old Crosby?  Is Sweden really going to field a team with 3 35 year old D in Hedman, Ekholm and Karlsson?  

Obviously it will depend on the continued quality of their play, but it’s a lot to ask these older players to still be at the top of their games 2 years from now.  

[Sabres Fan in NS]

7 minutes ago, GASabresIUFAN said:

The 30 somethings may lobby for inclusion because this will be “their last chance” to represent in the Olympics.  However, if you are Canada are you really including 36 year old Stamkos, 38 year old Marchand and 39 year old Crosby?  Is Sweden really going to field a team with 3 35 year old D in Hedman, Ekholm and Karlsson?  

Obviously it will depend on the continued quality of their play, but it’s a lot to ask these older players to still be at the top of their games 2 years from now.  

Team Canada will gladly have Crosby and Marchand if they are willing to play.  Stamkos maybe.  Olympic rosters have been older experienced heavy historically.

Same for the three Swedes you mentioned.  Dhalin will likley be the youngest Swede on their roster.

 

[mjd1001]

On 8/13/2024 at 12:30 PM, GASabresIUFAN said:

After watching the gold medal Men’s basketball game, I began to wonder what the Olympic hockey tournament would look like and what current Sabres (or Amerks) might make their country’s Olympic team.

I think there are 3 current Sabres who are “guaranteed” to make their country’s teams.  They are Dahlin (Sweden), Jokiharju (Finland) and JJP (Germany).

After those 3, I see a few players with a chance to make an Olympic team, but most are long-shots.  

Canada - Levi and Power have a chance.  Levi would have to become our top goalie and Power would have to go from a 30 point D to a 60+ pt D and become more physical to even get a look.

USA - Thompson and Tuch maybe? 90 pt Thompson would have a great shot.  60 pt Thompson has none.  

 

I think Thompson makes it, simply because I'm 95% sure he is going to have a big time bounce-back year.  I think, if not injured, a 40-50+ goal Thompson is the norm.  a 60 point Thompson is the anomoly.

[Pimlach]

On 8/14/2024 at 7:42 AM, GASabresIUFAN said:

The US team has Matthews, Eichel, Hughes and Larkin already down the middle.

The wingers are both Tkachuks, Connor, Robertson, JT Miller and Guentzel.  

The US also has Keller (33g 76 pts), Boeser (40g), Boldy (only 22 with 29g & 69 pts), as possible depth wingers.  Who are you dumping for Tage?  

 

If Tage gets back to 40+ goals and 90+ points he is ahead of many in your list and then how do you not take him?