Slovakia and Austria are in the same group for the Olympics qualifiers, meaning two Canadiens could take on one another.
There are still three spots up for grabs for the 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics hockey tournament and the final qualification tourney will take place from August 29 to September 1, 2024. Two young members of the Montreal Canadiens will be hoping to help their country secure a spot; Juraj Slafkovsky and David Reinbacher.
It's a well-known fact that NHL players love playing for their country. Slafkovsky suited up for Slovakia at the World Junior Championships in 2021 and the 2022 Beijing Olympics, but since then, he hasn't been able to fly the flag. Unlike countryman Filip Mesar, the hulking winger wasn't loaned to Slovakia for the 2022 and 2023 U20 World Championships.
While his presence hasn't been confirmed yet, it's hard to imagine a scenario in which the Canadiens would not grant him the permission to play. The main training camp in Montreal is still some way away and he'll have ample time to come back to Montreal before then.
Slovakia and Austria are both in Group D along with Kazakhstan and Hungary and will compete in Peter Stastny's hometown of Bratislava. Group E will set up camp in Latvia and feature Latvia, France, Slovenia and Ukraine. Group F will pit Denmark, Norway, Great Britain and Japan against each other. It should be noted that Canadiens prospect Vinzenz Rohrer could also be part of the Austrian roster, he did play for his country at the World Championships.
Reinbacher is eager to start his first full year of professional hockey in North America, but he appears to be looking forward to the Olympics Qualifiers. He even told TVASports.ca that there might be some chirping on the ice if he ends up facing Slafkovsky.
Once the qualifiers are done though, Reinbacher will be a man on a mission. He's gunning for a roster spot with the Canadiens this year and he won't be the only one. Montreal fans can expect a Royal Rumble on the blueline at camp, which should make for an entertaining couple of weeks. Is it October yet?
