As the 2026 Winter Olympics enter their final week, the men’s ice hockey competition is just heating up. The preliminary round concluded over the weekend, and the three Red Wings’ stars still have a chance to medal entering the knockout round.
Lucas Raymond may already be the face of Swedish hockey
Lucas Raymond has shone the most of the three Red Wings. He is eighth in tournament scoring, posting five points (one goal, four assists) in three games for Sweden. This included a three-point game in a critical win against Slovakia.
The young Red Wing has also displayed his elite two-way game, winning countless puck battles and bringing the physicality.Â
With this likely being the final Olympics for Swedish legends like Victor Hedman, Raymond has established himself as the leader of the future for Sweden.
Raymond achieved this despite Sweden playing in Group B, which has been the toughest group of the tournament so far. Slovakia, Finland, and Sweden all finished with six points and tied for first in the group. Unfortunately for the Swedes, Slovakia and Finland held the tiebreakers, meaning they both automatically advanced to the quarterfinals and forced Sweden to play in the qualifier.
Sweden will face-off against Latvia in the qualifying round Tuesday. The winner will earn the right to face the United States in the quarterfinal on Wednesday.
In the preliminaries, Latvia defeated Germany, and lost to the United States and Denmark. The Latvians have proven to be a competitive team, but Raymond and Sweden should still have enough to beat them.Â
Even in a depth role, Dylan Larkin has demonstrated his value in the U.S.'s gold medal pursuit
Dylan Larkin has not had the same impact as Raymond, yet he has still played well. He centered the third line for the United States in all three games, with a rotation of Tage Thompson, Kyle Connor, and Clayton Keller on his wings.
Larkin has been in more of a depth role on the star-studded American roster, having just one point (an assist) so far. However, as he does for Detroit, Larkin has shown his value on the defensive end and in his physicality. He is on the U.S. penalty killing unit as well.
Somewhat surprisingly, Larkin is also leading the tournament in face-off percentage at 79%.Â
The Red Wings captain is doing the dirty work and allowing teammates like Auston Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk to dominate on the offensive end.Â
The United States swept their preliminary round matches against Latvia, Germany, and Denmark to win Group C. They are the second seed in the knockout round behind Canada and will play either Sweden or Latvia in the quarterfinal.Â
Moritz Seider has furthered his iron man reputation with Germany
If Sweden wins and plays the U.S., it will be the second time two Red Wings have played against each other in these Olympics as Larkin’s U.S. squad played Moritz Seider and Germany in the preliminaries.
The Americans dominated that contest for a 5-1 victory, and Germany finished with just three points in group play. They beat Denmark convincingly 3-1 and lost a nailbiter to Latvia 4-3.
Despite the lackluster results, there have been several bright spots for Germany and Seider has been one of them. Like Larkin, Seider has just one point (an assist) in the tournament. However, also like Larkin, Seider has made his presence felt in other ways.
Seider is the only NHL player on the German blue-line, resulting in him driving the power play, leading the penalty kill, and playing big minutes. Detroit fans have long been aware of how much of an iron man Seider is, and now it is on full display on the international stage.
Their medal chances may seem bleak, but it is still too early to count the Germans out. Along with Seider on the backend, they have a strong forward group featuring Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stutzle, and JJ Peterka.
Germany will play France in the qualifying round Tuesday. France lost all three of their preliminary contests and were outscored 20-5, so Seider and Germany should emerge victorious.
Assuming they take care of business against the French, the Germans will then play Slovakia on Wednesday in the quarterfinal.Â
It has been a strong showing for the Red Wings in the Olympics, and the games this week should give each of them an even bigger opportunity to stand out.