Recap of the Jets in action at the Winter Olympics during the preliminaries

The Winnipeg Jets currently have four players at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Each of the twelve countries in the men’s tournament have completed their preliminary matches over the past two days, and now it’s time to prepare for the qualifying round for the play-offs. Nino Niederreiter (Switzerland), Josh Morrissey (Canada), Kyle Connor (USA) and Connor Hellebuyck (USA) have each tried to do what they can to make an impact, but of the four, only Hellebuyck has made it onto the stat sheet (with 2 wins). Here’s a look at the players’ first three (or less for two) matches at the Olympics, and a look at their upcoming matches as the elimination matches begin Tuesday.

Nino Niederreiter – Switzerland

Nino Niederreiter was appointed assistant captain for Switzerland just before the matches started. In 3 games Niederreiter has 0 points and is -3 with 2 penalty minutes. Devil forward Timo Meier and Lightning defender Janis Moser lead the Swiss with 4 points. Despite no points, Niederreiter has not gone completely “unnoticed” by this Swiss team. Looking back at the highlights of the match, Niederreiter played a solid defensive game and his leadership qualities contributed to a successful preliminary round for Switzerland.

Switzerland opened the Olympic Games with a 4-0 win over France. Switzerland lost 5–1 to Canada in their next match, setting up an important third match against the Czech Republic. Switzerland kept the Czech Republic’s attack to a minimum at the start of the match and eventually won 4–3 in extra time. The win placed Switzerland second in their group and gave them the five seeded spots for the qualifying round. Niederreiter and the Swiss will have an easy next match against 12th-placed Italy on Tuesday, where we will hopefully see Niederreiter get on the scoresheet.

Josh Morrissey – Canada

Josh Morrissey only played in Canada’s first game against the Czech Republic (a 5–0 win), as he left the game after sustaining an injury to his lower body (likely his leg) following an awkward collision late in the first period. Morrissey looked good in his pairing with Colton Parayko, and Morrissey tried to return in the second period but couldn’t go. Morrissey was unable to play in Canada’s 5–1 win over Switzerland and Canada’s 10–2 win over France.

However, Canadian head coach John Cooper reassured Jets fans, saying “he’s certainly not out of the tournament”. This is a positive update as it could be a precaution for Morrissey to sit out before he can hopefully return for the elimination rounds. Canada finished as the 1st seed with a perfect 3-0 record and a goal difference of +17, and now awaits the winner of Czech Republic (8th seed) vs. Denmark (9th seed). Jets fans are hoping for another positive Morrissey update before Wednesday’s game.

Kyle Connor – USA

Kyle Connor is also winless at the Olympics with a -1 rating in 2 games. Team USA opened their tournament with a 5-1 win over Latvia, followed by a 6-3 win over Denmark. Kyle Connor didn’t make much of an impact in either match, and he seemed to be ‘buried’ in this American lineup full of very talented players.

Team USA played their final preliminary round against Germany on Sunday and won 5-1, but this time Kyle Connor was not in the lineup. Kyle Connor was replaced by Utah forward Clayton Keller as Connor was a healthy scratch for the USA just as he was back in the 4 Nations Face-Off final against Canada. It was another disappointing tournament for Connor, who will hopefully be back in the lineup for Team USA’s next match. The second-seeded Americans await the winner of the seventh-seeded match between Sweden and 10th-seeded Latvia on Tuesday.

Connor Hellebuyck – USA

With the other three Jets players yet to find the scoresheet at the Olympics, Hellebuyck was the Jets player with the most impact during this early part of the tournament. Hellebuyck wasn’t super busy in his first start against Latvia, but still played well, making 17 saves on 18 shots in a 5-1 win. USA switched to Jeremy Swayman for USA’s second match, as USA earned a 6-3 victory. Team USA returned to Hellebuyck on Sunday for their match against Germany and Hellebuyck made 23 saves on 24 shots in a 5-1 win.

Hellebuyck hasn’t faced many top players yet (aside from Draisaitl and Stutzle), but he’s still done what it takes to give Team USA two of their three wins. Hellebuyck should be considered the “projected starter” for the USA’s next game against the winner of Sweden vs. Latvia. Sweden is likely a heavy favorite to win this match, and it would pose a tough challenge for Hellebuyck and the Americans on Wednesday.

Be sure to stay tuned here on JetsNation and on the official Olympic website for updates on the men’s hockey tournament as it progresses. While three of the four Jets players in Italy haven’t had the Olympics they wanted so far, they all still have time to make their mark before returning to Jets hockey in 10 days.

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