Which Devils Will Represent in the 2026 Winter Olympics?
As the excitement builds in the lead-up to the 2025-2026 NHL season, there is an additional burst of excitement as we look ahead to the 2026 Winter Olympics. Ice hockey will once again return to the Olympics as countries compete for gold. Every player dreams of representing their country on the ice, but who will actually get the chance? The New Jersey Devils are surely full of talent, so who will we see hit the ice to represent their country in Milan?
A couple of Devils have already been named to the preliminary roster for their respective counties. Captain Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, and Jonas Siegenthaler were all named in the first six players announced for Team Switzerland. Additionally, Simon Nemec was named to Team Slovakia earlier this summer. Finally, Ondrej Palat was announced to be representing Team Czechia in Milan.
While no Devils have been named to a preliminary roster, three players have been invited to orientation. Jack Hughes, Luke Hughes, and Brett Pesce were all named to the USA Olympic Orientation Roster. However, this doesn’t necessarily mean that any of them will actually be named to the Team USA roster before they compete for gold in February. Despite the uncertainty, there is a good shot that at least one of them will be named to the US roster.
When it comes to players that I think have a good shot at skating with their county next year, a few names come to mind. As I mentioned before, Jack Hughes was named to the Olympic Orientation Roster for Team USA. While this doesn’t guarantee anyone a spot, I think it’s safe to say that he will be offered a place on the team, especially after his performance at the Four Nations Tournament earlier this year. While I ultimately am not sure that 2026 will be Luke Hughes’ time to shine at the Winter Olympics, I could see him being named to the team if he continues to play like he did toward the end of last season. He wasn’t asked to represent the country at the Four Nations Tournament and was told his time was coming; it’s possible 2026 could be his opportunity. What better way to represent your country than on the ice with your older brothers? I also believe it’s highly likely that Jesper Bratt will be named to the Team Sweden roster. Ultimately, we will have to wait for more announcements to be made for anything to be official, but I think it’s safe to say that when we all tune in to the Olympics next year, we will be able to see several New Jersey Devils on the ice.
