(WGR Sports Radio 550/WBEN) - The 12 nations set to take part in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy this February announced on Monday the first six players to be named to their roster for the games.
Buffalo Sabres captain Rasmus Dahlin was one of the players named as the first six players to the roster for Team Sweden.
Dahlin wasn’t treated very well during the 4-Nations Face-Off this past February, as he saw no time on special teams and didn’t play in either overtime game they played.
I thought Dahlin played very well, especially when paired with Gus Forsling (Florida Panthers) and, in my mind, was just wasted for an icon in Sweden, Erik Karlsson (Pittsburgh Penguins), who isn’t half the defenseman Dahlin is.
As it turns out, Karlsson was not included among the first six players to be announced for the Swedish Olympic team.
Joining Dahlin among the players named to Sweden's Olympic roster includes forwards Lucas Raymond (Detroit Red Wings), Gabriel Landeskog (Colorado Avalanche), William Nylander (Toronto Maple Leafs) and Adrian Kempe (Los Angeles Kings), as well as defenseman Victor Hedman (Tampa Bay Lightning).
One Sabres player that was, surprisingly, left out of the first six players for Team Germany was winger JJ Peterka. While it's still likely he makes the German Olympic team, he was passed over for others forwards like Nico Sturm (Florida Panthers) and Lukas Reichel (Chicago Blackhawks).
Here are the rest of the players named as part of the first six players for each nation taking part in the Milan Olympics:
The 2026 Winter Olympics begin Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, with the men's ice hockey tournament beginning on Wednesday, Feb. 11.