AHL fans will see plenty of recognizable names when the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games open in February.

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Thirteen AHL players will represent five countries when the 12-team tournament will feature NHL players for the first time since 2014. Canada, Czechia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Slovakia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United States will join host Italy. Round-robin among three four-team groups will open Feb. 11. Finland is the defending gold-medal champion. 

Twelve different AHL teams will have at least one player going to Italy. Leading the way are the Iowa Wild, who will send goaltender Samuel Hlavaj (Slovakia) and defenseman David Špaček (Czechia). The Abbotsford Canucks, Bakersfield Condors, Belleville Senators, Charlotte Checkers, Coachella Valley Firebirds, Henderson Silver Knights, Hershey Bears, Providence Bruins, San Jose Barracuda, and Syracuse Crunch each have had one player selected.

Latvia has four AHL players while Denmark and Germany have three AHL players apiece.

In the 2022 Winter Olympics, when NHL players did not compete, the AHL had nine players who had competed in the league that season go to Beijing.

The following players will go to Italy next month:

Czechia | David Špaček, D – Iowa Wild
At only 22 years old, Špaček also owns an extensive international resume. He won a gold medal at the 2024 IIHF World Championship, posting 0-5-5 in 10 contests. Selected again in 2025, he contributed 0-2-2 in eight games. He also twice went to the IIHF World Junior Championship, winning a silver medal in 2023. He had 3-5-8 at the 2023 tournament. In 33 games with Iowa this season, he has 2-15-17.

Denmark | Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, F – Coachella Valley Firebirds
Selected by the Seattle Kraken in the second round of the 2023 NHL Draft, Fisker Mølgaard is in his first full season with Coachella Valley. Through 30 games, he has 6-12-18 and has also made his first two NHL appearances with Seattle. He came to North America late last season after three SHL seasons with HV71 Jönköping. At 20 years old, he already has competed three times for Denmark at the IIHF World Championship level and also helped Denmark to qualify for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Denmark | Jonas Røndbjerg, F – Henderson Silver Knights
Second in scoring for the Silver Knights with 11-11-22 in 31 games, the 26-year-old Røndbjerg is on his way to a career season at the AHL level. He has been busy recently with international play, competing for host Denmark at last spring’s IIHF World Championship as well as in Olympic qualifying.

Denmark | Mads Sogaard, G – Belleville Senators
Sogaard, 25, has been a fixture with Belleville going back to the 2020-21 season. He went to the IIHF World Junior Championship three times with Denmark. This season he is 2-8-3 | 3.49 | .887 in 15 appearances for the B-Sens. This has been an eventful start to 2026 for Sogaard, who was recalled by the Ottawa Senators this week.

Germany | Lukas Reichel, F – Abbotsford Canucks
Reichel will take a brief detour to international play as he attempts to revive his career in the Vancouver Canucks organization. A 2020 first-round pick by the Chicago Blackhawks, he found himself traded to Vancouver this past October. In 19 games between Chicago and Vancouver this season, he is 2-3-5; he has since been sent to Abbotsford, where he has 1-1-2 through seven games. The 23-year-old has already represented Germany four times at the IIHF World Championship.

Germany | Josh Samanski, F – Bakersfield Condors
Samanski, 23, has had a strong start to his North American pro career with the Condors and has 6-20-26 in 33 games while seeing time with top prospects Isaac Howard and Quinn Hutson for one of the AHL’s top offenses. The Edmonton Oilers signed him to a two-year entry-level deal last April after four DEL seasons with the Straubing Tigers. His international background features his first selection for the IIHF World Championship last season in which he had 2-3-5 in seven games. He will join Oilers star Leon Draisaitl on the Germany roster.

Germany | Wojciech Stachowiak, F – Syracuse Crunch
Back in North America after signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning last May, the 26-year-old Stachowiak has fit in well with the Crunch with 9-8-17 in 33 games. His North American resume includes two seasons at Michigan State, and he also has skated for Germany three times at the IIHF World Championship, including in 2023 when he won a silver medal. He had 3-3-6 in seven games at last spring’s tournament.

Latvia | Dans Locmelis, F – Providence Bruins
Locmelis, 21, has become a key part of the Providence offense and has 12-9-21 in 30 games. His 12 goals tie him for second among P-Bruins scorers. After turning pro and a brief stint with the P-Bruins last spring, he went to the IIHF World Championship. Along with helping Latvia to qualify for this year, he also has made three appearances each at the IIHF World Championship and IIHF World Junior Championship.

Latvia | Eriks Mateiko, F – Hershey Bears
A third-round pick in 2024 by the Washington Capitals, Mateiko is only 20 years old. He has 1-4-5 in 25 games with the Bears.

Latvia | Eduards Tralmaks, F – Grand Rapids Griffins
Tralmaks, 28 will step away from the league-leading Griffins to again represent his home country internationally. He has 14-5-19 in 32 games for the Griffins in his return stint in North America. After parts of three seasons with Providence, he went to Czechia for two seasons and had a 23-goal campaign in 2024-25 that earned him a contract with the Detroit Red Wings. His 3-4-7 at last year’s IIHF World Championship led Latvia, and he also appeared in Olympic qualifying play.

Latvia | Sandis Vilmanis, F – Charlotte Checkers
In his second season with the Checkers, the 21-year-old Vilmanis has 8-11-19 in 31 games to tie for the team scoring lead. He went to the IIHF World Junior Championship three times.

Slovakia | Samuel Hlavaj, G – Iowa Wild
Hlavaj, 24, has gone 4-7-2 | 3.47 | .876 in 13 games with Iowa, his second at the pro level in North America. He played three seasons between Slovakia and Czechia before signing with the Minnesota Wild in April 2024. His international background features three trips apiece to the IIHF World Championship and IIHF World Junior Championship.

Slovakia | Pavol Regenda, F – San Jose Sharks/San Jose Barracuda
On recall to the Sharks, Regenda provided quick offense with six goals in six games.  He also has posted 4-8-12 in 28 games with the Barracuda. Regenda, 26, has long been a dependable choice for Slovakia internationally. He went to the 2022 Winter Olympics with Slovakia’s bronze-medal team and had 1-3-4 in seven games. He also has competed for Slovakia at the IIHF World Championship in each of the past four seasons.

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