Earlier this week, the 12 countries competing in hockey during the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics announced the first six players to their teams. Two Detroit Red Wings were included in this announcement.
Following a strong performance at the Four Nations Face-Off, Lucas Raymond will once again represent his home country of Sweden. Moritz Seider will also represent Germany after captaining them at the IIHF World Championship this year.
Raymond and Seider’s nominations should come as no surprise, but what other Red Wings will make the trip to Milano-Cortina in February? Here are five players that will be in the hunt for a spot next year.
Dylan Larkin - United States
Of the names on this list, Larkin is by far the most likely to earn an Olympic spot. He has grown up through the USA system and has represented his country eight times.
Larkin was also one of the standout performers at the Four Nations Face-Off. Over four games, he had a goal, an assist, and was a plus-3. His grit, speed, and presence on the ice moved him up from the fourth line at the start of the tournament to the top line by the end of it. This shows that Team USA thinks very highly of him and makes it more than likely he will make the team for Milano-Cortina.
The Detroit captain was quieter in the second half of last season, which is perhaps why he was not one of the initial six named to Team USA. However, he has still had four-straight seasons of at least 30 goals and 69 points. Assuming he stays healthy and has a strong start to next season, Larkin is a lock for the United States.
Simon Edvinsson - Sweden
Entering his second full National Hockey League (NHL) season, Edvinsson will be looking to join Raymond on the Swedish team at the Olympics.
Given the circumstances, Edvinsson had a more than admirable 2024-25 season. The 22-year-old was often matched up against the opposition’s best lines and played a whopping 21:07 minutes per night due to Detroit’s consistency issues on defense.
Edvinsson had the occasional lapses common of any young player, but he developed as the season went on and should be even better in 2025-26. He also finished as a plus-12 and had seven goals with 24 assists. The Red Wings bringing in more defensive talent this offseason will help Edvinsson shine even more on offense.
The main obstacle standing in the way between Edvinsson and Milano-Cortina is the depth of Swedish defensemen. Victor Hedman and Rasmus Dahlin have already been named to the team, while players like Mattias Ekholm, Gustav Forsling, Erik Karlsson, and Jonas Brodin also stand in Edvinsson’s way.
While he was left off the Four Nations Face-Off roster, it is worth mentioning that Edvinsson did represent Sweden at the 2025 IIHF World Championship. If Edvinsson has a strong start to his sophomore year in the NHL and/or there is an injury to the Swedish defensive core, he will be added to the roster.
Alex DeBrincat - United States
Barely an afterthought when the U.S. was determining their Four Nations Face-Off roster, DeBrincat is now firmly on the bubble of making the Olympic roster. This is in large part due to his tremendous performance in 2024-25, finishing with 39 goals and 70 points in 82 games.
After an up-and-down debut season with the Red Wings in 2023-24, DeBrincat fully showcased his goal-scoring ability and playmaking last season. He was also one of the more reliable Wings when the rest of the team fell off in the latter half of the year.
As has been the case his whole career, DeBrincat does not offer a ton outside of his offense and that could negatively affect his Team USA chances. The country traditionally prefers two-way players, best exemplified by Larkin being a lock for the team and DeBrincat being on the bubble.
The other hindrance to DeBrincat’s Olympic hopes is the depth of U.S. forwards. Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuk, and Matthew Tkachuk are already on the team, while Clayton Keller, Cole Caufield, Kyle Connor, Jack Hughes, Jason Robertson, and Tage Thompson along with Larkin and others remain in the mix with DeBrincat.
Who gets the final forward spots on Team USA will ultimately come down to who has the better start to next season. If DeBrincat starts out hot, then the United States will have no choice but to overlook his defensive shortcomings and give him a spot on the team.
Patrick Kane - United States
Kane is in a very similar position as DeBrincat. Especially at this stage in his career, Kane does not offer a lot outside of his offense. However, he is coming off a very impressive age-36 season with 21 goals and 58 points.
The other factor positively impacting Kane’s Team USA chances is he is one of the few active American NHLers with Olympic experience, playing in the 2010 and 2014 Games. Even if he has lost a step on the ice, Kane could be an invaluable asset to the locker room.
As with Larkin and DeBrincat, Kane will need to stay healthy and get off to a hot start to rise above the stiff competition amongst U.S. forwards. Kane’s chances will also come down to if Team USA will value the intangibles he brings and if they want to give the legend another shot at a gold medal.
Sebastian Cossa - Canada
A lot will need to go Cossa’s way in order for him to make Team Canada, but it is not completely out of the question.
Although he struggled down the stretch, Cossa is coming off another strong overall season with the Grand Rapids Griffins. Across 41 games, he posted a 2.45 GAA and a .911 save percentage.
Cossa also has experience in the Hockey Canada system, most notably being a member of the 2022 World Junior Championship-winning team.
Cossa’s shot at the Olympics stems from the lack of Canadian goaltending. Jordan Binnington re-found some magic to help Canada win the Four Nations Face-Off, but he is far from a sure thing. Adin Hill, Sam Montembeault, Stuart Skinner, Logan Thompson, and Devon Levi are other notable Canadian netminders. While each has played well in stretches of their careers, Cossa could significantly outplay all of them as early as 2025-26.
Regardless of how the Canadian goalies perform next season, it will not matter if Cossa cannot make the Wings out of training camp. Cossa will not only need to make the team, but will likely need to surpass Cam Talbot as the starter and play well in the first half of the season to have a shot at making Team Canada.
There are probably too many “ifs” for Cossa to make the Olympic team this season. It remains a situation worth monitoring though, especially if he can make Detroit’s roster to start the year.
