The men’s hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics is officially underway in Milan, with NHL players back at the marquee international competition.

On Thursday, the giants of North America will take to the ice for the first time, with a full slate of games that will see the remaining eight teams play their first match. Here’s a preview of Thursday’s matches, including some key players to keep an eye on (all times listed in MT):

Set your alarms nice and early if you’re hoping to catch this all-European match-up, as Switzerland take on France to begin the day. France were last minute additions to this tournament, entering in the place of the banned Russians. They have just one active NHLer in Alexandre Texier. Switzerland meanwhile has some interesting names, including Nico Hischier, Timo Meier, defenceman Roman Josi, and goaltender Akira Schmid. Expect the Swiss to run away with this one.

Next, Canada gets their Gold medal chase underway, taking on Czechia to open their Olympic campaign. The Canadians won last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off and are coming into this one with a similar roster, boasting a strong offensive unit and a deep blue line. The question mark comes in between the pipes, where it still hasn’t been revealed who will get the start on Thursday. Jordan Binnington carried Canada to glory at 4 Nations, but Logan Thompson has put up much better numbers in the NHL this year. Regardless of who starts, it’ll be a storyline to watch.

Czechia will face an uphill battle if they want to come away from this match with any points, relying on getting production from their top forwards in Martin Necas, Tomas Hertl, and David Pastrnak.

One of the best hockey players in the world was left sidelined by last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, but now Leon Draisaitl will finally get his chance to show off his skills in international best-on-best competition. Led by the superstar Edmonton Oilers forward, Germany is a dark-horse candidate for a medal, and that campaign begins as they face off against Denmark on Thursday afternoon. Germany is favoured here, but can the likes of Oliver Bjorkstrand and Nikolaj Ehlers help give Denmark the win?

Easily the most lopsided matchup of the day, the United States begin their own Gold medal campaign against the low-ranked Latvians. The Americans finished second at 4 Nations, and haven’t won a medal in men’s hockey since earning silver in Vancouver (they last won Gold in 1980). With Auston Matthews leading an offensive group that includes Jack Eichel and the Tkachuk brothers, expect Team USA to make light work of the Latvians. Latvia do have a solid goaltending tandem in Arturs Silovs and Elvis Merzlikins, but it will be a tall task to shut down the American offence.