Jets fans will have three different countries to look forward to in the men’s Olympic hockey tournament, with four players now preparing for their first games in Italy. The Winnipeg Jets representing their country at the 2026 Winter Olympics are Nino Niederreiter (Switzerland), Josh Morrissey (Canada), Kyle Connor (USA) and Connor Hellebuyck (USA). Canada is in Group A with Switzerland, the Czech Republic and France, while the US is in Group C alongside Germany, Latvia and Denmark. The guest Italians are in a difficult group B with Finland, Sweden and Slovakia.
Nino Niederreiter – Switzerland
Niederreiter is a strong candidate to be selected as one of the Swiss captains (likely alternate) and represent Switzerland on the world stage again. Niederreiter was named one of Switzerland’s flag bearers during the opening ceremony and had the great honor of leading athletes from his country at this grand event on Friday. Niederreiter will be competing in his second Olympic Games (first in 2014) and has represented Switzerland at the World Championships six times before. You may also remember Niederreiter from “Team Europe” during the 2016 Hockey World Cup. Switzerland will have a tough slate of group games, but their core group of talented NHLers, including Niederreiter, could be a fun team to watch in this tournament.
Josh Morrissey – Canada
Morrissey recently played for Canada at the Four Nations Face-Off Tournament and is back in Canadian colours. Team Canada took the ice in Italy today for their first practice and it appears Morrissey could be on Canada’s second defense duo, along with St. Louis Blues defenseman Colton Parayko. Canada is the favorite to win gold with a stacked roster, and while Morrissey may go “unnoticed” among all the star players in Canada, you can still bet he will have an impact on this team. Morrissey could see some power play time on the second unit, and Canada will likely use Morrissey in several situations during the three group stage games.
Kyle Connor and Connor Hellebuyck – USA
Both Connor and Hellebuyck are key members of Team USA, who are looking for their first Olympic gold medal since the ‘miracle on the ice’ in 1980. Hellebuyck is expected to be the starting goalkeeper for USA, which has three great goaltenders, as Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman may also get some playing time during the group stage matches. The US has not selected some of the top scorers for their team, such as Cole Caufield and Jason Robertson, which means that Kyle Connor will be one of the players who can play a big goal-scoring role. Connor didn’t have the best tournament at the 4 Nations Face-Off, which ultimately led to very limited ice time, but I expect him to be much better this time around.
The men’s hockey tournament starts on February 11, but the first chance to see these Jets players in action is on February 12. Nino Niederreiter and Switzerland open their tournament against France at 5:10 a.m. CST. Later that morning, at 9:40 a.m. CST, Josh Morrissey and Canada will take on the Czech Republic. In the afternoon, at 2:10 PM CST, Kyle Connor, Connor Hellebuyck and the Americans will take on Latvia to cap off a busy second day of the tournament. The Gold Medal championship game doesn’t start until February 22 at 7:10 a.m. CST, so prepare for two exciting weeks of Olympic hockey with four Winnipeg Jets players.
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