The 12 countries participating in men’s hockey at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 are naming the first six players to their preliminary rosters Monday.

The men’s tournament will start with preliminary games Feb. 11, with the gold medal game scheduled for Feb. 22.

The remainder of the rosters will be announced later this year.

This is the first time NHL players will participate in the Olympics since 2014.

The 35-year-old was 13-8-1 with a 2.50 goals-against average and an .899 save percentage in 22 regular-season games this season, and 8-5 with a 2.02 GAA and a .907 save percentage in 13 Stanley Cup Playoff games for the Carolina Hurricanes. Andersen has won at least 20 games in a season nine times; he has 308 wins and 28 shutouts in 517 games with the Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Hurricanes. At the 2018 World Championships, which took place in Denmark, the Herning native was named best goaltender, with four wins, a 1.65 GAA and .943 save percentage in six games, despite Denmark finishing 10th in the tournament. He has played in the Worlds three times and the Olympic qualifiers three times.

The 30-year-old had 46 points (21 goals, 25 assists) in 79 games this season between the Seattle Kraken and Tampa Bay Lightning and has 384 points (172 goals, 212 assists) in 624 games, including his first seven NHL seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets. Bjorkstrand, a Herning native, is a six-time 20-goal scorer who has represented Denmark at the Worlds and Olympic qualifiers twice.

Ehlers, a Aalborg native, has the most goals (225) and points (520) and is second in assists (295) among Denmark-born players in NHL history. That includes eight seasons with at least 20 goals, including this season, when he had 24 goals and 63 points in 69 games for the Winnipeg Jets. The 29-year-old has played at the Worlds five times, including this year when he had three goals in four games to help Denmark finish fourth.

Eller had 22 points (10 goals, 12 assists) in 80 games this season between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Washington Capitals. He has 424 points (188 goals, 236 assists) in 1,116 games with the St. Louis Blues, Montreal Canadiens, Colorado Avalanche, Penguins and the Capitals, and won the Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018. The 36-year-old from Rodovre has played for Demark five times at the Worlds and during the Olympic qualifiers in 2009.

The 33-year-old was Denmark’s captain at the 2025 Worlds, helping it finish fourth. He has played for Denmark at each of the past 14 World Championshsips for a total of 92 games, and at the 2022 Olympics. A native of Rodovre, Jensen Aabo has spent the past three seasons with EC-KAC of the ICE Hockey League, the top league in Austria. He has also played professionally in Germany, Sweden and Russia.

The 26-year-old has played 76 games for the Vegas Golden Knights over the past four seasons and has three goals and seven assists. He did not have a point in 13 games this season. Rondbjerg, a Horsholm native, had two goals at the 2025 Worlds and has played for Denmark at the World Junior Championship four times.