
We’ve known for some time that, thanks to some serious Bettman-ing, NHL players aren’t allowed to take part in the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. But there are plenty of former NHLers who’ll be appearing in the games. Here’s a breakdown of some names you might recognize who’ll be playing in the tournament. The men’s games start on February 14th with the gold medal game on February 25th. Until then, there’s plenty of good women’s hockey (the Swiss team won their first game 8-0), gnarly snowboarding and lunatics on luges.
Group A
Canada
For a roster made up of players who are either too old or too bad to play for an NHL team, the Canadian team looks pretty good. The bookies have the Canadiens as hot favourites to be not quite as good as Russia, but better than everyone else. Chris Kelly will be wearing the C for Team Canada.
Skater | Current Team | Former NHL Team(s) |
Justin Peters (G) | Kolner Haie | Carolina, Washington & Arizona |
Kevin Poulin (G) | EHC Kloten | New York Islanders |
Ben Scrivens (G) | Salavat Yulaev Ufa | Toronto, Los Angeles, Edmonton & Montreal |
Stefan Elliott (D) | HV71 | Colorado, Arizona & Nashville |
Chay Genoway (D) | HC Lada Togliatti | Minnesota |
Cody Goloubef (D) | Stockton Heat | Columbus & Colorado |
Marc-Andre Gragnani (D) | HC Dinamo Minsk | Buffalo, Vancouver, Carolina & New Jersey |
Maxim Noreau (D) | SC Bern | Minnesota |
Karl Stollery (D) | Dinamo Riga | Colorado, San Jose & New Jersey |
Rene Bourque (F) | Djurgardens IF | Chicago, Calgary, Montreal, Anaheim, Columbus & Colorado |
Gilbert Brule (F) | Kunlun Red Star | Columbus, Edmonton & Phoenix |
Andrew Ebbett (F) | SC Bern | Anaheim, Chicago, Minnesota, Phoenix, Vancouver & Pittsburgh |
Quinton Howden (F) | HC Dinamo Minsk | Florida & Winnipeg |
Chris Kelly (F) | Belleville Senators | Ottawa & Boston |
Rob Klinkhammer (F) | AK Bars Kazan | Chicago, Ottawa, Phoenix, Pittsburgh & Edmonton |
Brandon Kozun (F) | Lokomotiv Taroslavl | Toronto |
Maxim Lapierre (F) | HC Lugano | Montreal, Anaheim, Vancouver, St. Louis & Pittsburgh |
Eric O’Dell (F) | HC Sochi | Winnipeg |
Mason Raymond (F) | SC Bern | Vancouver, Toronto, Calgary & Anaheim |
Derek Roy (F) | Linkopings HC | Buffalo, Dallas, Vancouver, St. Louis, Nashville & Edmonton |
Christian Thomas (F) | Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins | New York Rangers, Montreal, & Arizona |
Linden Vey (F) | ZSC Lions | Los Angeles, Vancouver & Calgary |
Wojtek Wolski (F) | Metallurg Magnitogorsk | Colorado, Phoenix, New York Rangers, Florida & Washington |
Czech Republic
Skater | Current Team | Former NHL Team(s) |
Roman Cervenka (F) | HC Fribourg-Gotteron | Calgary |
Michal Jordan (D) | Amur Khabarovsk | Carolina |
Roman Horak (F) | HC Vityaz | Calgary & Edmonton |
Michal Repik (F) | HC Slovan Bratislava | Florida |
Jiri Sekac (F) | AK Bars Kazan | Montreal, Anaheim, Chicago & Arizona |
Vojtech Mozik (D) | HC Vityaz | New Jersey |
Tomas Kundratek (D) | Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod | Washington |
Jakub Nakladal (D) | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | Calgary & Carolina |
Martin Erat (F) | HC Kometa Brno | Nashville, Washington & Phoenix |
South Korea
Fun fact, both Plante and Young are Canadian by birth, but have become naturalised South Korean citizens. They also both had very short, forgettable careers with the Oilers.
Skater | Current Team | Former NHL Team(s) |
Alex Plante (D) | Anyang Halla | Edmonton |
Bryan Young (D) | Daemyng Killer Whales | Edmonton |
Switzerland
Although it’s unlikely that the Swiss team will get far, having Jonas Hiller in net is probably worth a point or two.
Skater | Current Team | Former NHL Team(s) |
Jonas Hiller (G) | Felben-Wellhausen | Anaheim & Calgary |
Tobias Stephan (G) | Zurich | Dallas |
Raphael Diaz (D) | EV Zug | Montreal, Vancouver, New York Rangers & Calgary |
Cody Almond (F) | Geneve-Servette HC | Minnesota |
Simon Moser (F) | Bern | Nashville |
Group B
Slovakia
Skater | Current Team | Former NHL Team(s) |
Ivan Baranka (D) | HC Vitkovice Ridera | New York Rangers |
Ladislav Nagy (F) | HC Kosice | St. Louis, Phoenix, Dallas & Los Angeles |
Tomas Surovy (F) | Banska Bystrica | Pittsburgh |
Peter Olvecky (F) | HK Dukla Trencin | Minnesota & Nashville |
Slovenia
Mursak, the only former NHLer on the Slovenian roster, played three (part) seasons in Detroit between 2010 – 2013 (the bad seasons).
Skater | Current Team | Former NHL Team(s) |
Jan Mursak | Frolunda | Detroit |
Russia
Technically the team is named Olympic Athletes from Russia, thanks to the country’s ban for state-sponsored doping. This also means that those snazzy jerseys we saw a while back have been consigned to history and replaced with boring, neutral threads instead.
Skater | Current Team | Former NHL Team(s) |
Alexey Marchenko (D) | HC CSKA Moscow | Detroit & Toronto |
Nikita Nesterov (D) | HC CSKA Moscow | Tampa Bay & Montreal |
Slava Voynov (D) | SKA Saint Petersburg | Los Angeles |
Andrei Zubarev (D) | SKA Saint Petersburg | Atlanta |
Pavel Datsyuk (F) | SKA Saint Petersburg | Detroit |
Mikhail Grigorenko (F) | HC CSKA Moscow | Buffalo & Colorado |
Sergey Kalinin (F) | SKA Saint Petersburg | New Jersey |
Ilya Kovalchuk (F) | SKA Saint Petersburg | Atlanta & New Jersey |
Vadim Shipachyov (F) | SKA Saint Petersburg | Vegas |
Sergei Shirokov (F) | SKA Saint Petersburg | Vancouver |
United States
Wisniewski sure got about the league in his time.
Skater | Current Team | Former NHL Team(s) |
Chad Billins (D) | Linkopings | Calgary |
Noah Welch (D) | Vaxjo Lakers | Pittsburgh, Florida, Tampa Bay & Atlanta |
John McCarthy (F) | San Jose Barracuda | San Jose |
Brian O’Neill (F) | Jokerit | New Jersey |
Brian Gionta (F) | Free Agent | New Jersey, Montreal & Buffalo |
Bobby Butler (F) | Milwaukee Admirals | Ottawa, New Jersey, Nashville & Florida |
Chris Bourque (F) | Hershey Bears | Washington, Pittsburgh & Boston |
Jim Slater (F) | HC Fribourg-Gotteron | Atlanta/Winnipeg |
James Wisniewski (D) | Kassel Huskies | Chicago, Anaheim, New York Islanders, Montreal, Columbus & Carolina |
Bobby Sanguinetti (D) | HC Lugano | New York Rangers & Carolina |
Jonathon Blum (D) | Admiral Vladivostok | Nashville & Minnesota |
Mark Arcobello (F) | SC Bern | Edmonton, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Arizona & Toronto |
Chad Kolarik (F) | Adler Mannheim | Columbus & New York Rangers |
Ryan Stoa (F) | HC Spartak Moscow | Colorado & Washington |
Matt Gilroy (D) | Jokerit | New York Rangers, Tampa Bay, Ottawa & Florida |
Group C
Germany
Fact-slam: every player on the German roster plays their hockey in Germany.
Skater | Current Team | Former NHL Team(s) |
Christian Ehrhoff (D) | Kolner Haie | San Jose, Vancouver, Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Los Angeles & Chicago |
Timo Pielmeier (G) | ERC Ingolstadt | Anaheim |
Marcel Goc (F) | Adler Mannheim | San Jose, Nashville, Florida, Pittsburgh & St. Louis |
David Wolf (F) | Adler Mannheim | Calgary |
Finland
Skater | Current Team | Former NHL Team(s) |
Mikko Koskinen (G) | SKA Saint Petersburg | New York Islanders |
Karri Ramo (G) | Jokerit | Tampa Bay & Calgary |
Lasse Kukkonen (D) | Karpat | Chicago & Philadelphia |
Sami Lepisto (D) | Jokerit | Washington, Phoenix, Columbus & Chicago |
Joonas Kemppainen (F) | Kajaani | Boston |
Petri Kontiolan (F) | Seinajoki | Chicago |
Mika Pyorala (F) | Oulu | Philadelphia |
Oskar Osala (F) | Vaasa | Washington & Carolina |
Teemu Hartikainen (F) | Kuopio | Edmonton |
Norway
Skater | Current Team | Former NHL Team(s) |
Jonas Holos (D) | HC Fribourg-Gotteron | Colorado |
Patrick Thoresen (C) | SKA Saint Petersburg | Edmonton & Philiadelphia |
Sweden
After Russia and Canada, Sweden are expected to take at least a bronze medal. Staffan Kronwall is the younger brother of Detroit’s Niklas Kronwall.
Skater | Current Team | Former NHL Team(s) |
Jhonas Enroth (G) | HC Dinamo Minsk | Buffalo, Dallas, Los Angeles & Toronto |
Staffan Kronwall (D) | Lokomotiv Yaroslavl | Toronto, Washington and Calgary |
Joakim Lindstrom (C) | Skelleftea | Columbus, Phoenix, Colorado, St. Louis & Toronto |
Dennis Everberg (F) | Avangard Omsk | Colorado |
Joel Lundqvist (F) | Frolunda HC | Dallas |
Viktor Stalberg (F) | EV Zug | Toronto, Chicago, Nashville, Carolina & Ottawa |
Erik Gustafsson (D) | HC Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk | Chicago |
Viktor Fasth (G) | Vaxjo Lakers | Anaheim & Edmonton |
Magnus Hellberg (G) | Kunlun Red Star | Nashville & New York Rangers |
Oscar Moller (C) | Skelleftea | Los Angeles |
Carl Klingberg (F) | EV Zug | Atlanta/Winnipeg |
Anton Lander (F) | Ak Bars Kazan | Edmonton |
Linus Omark (F) | Salavat Yulaev Ufa | Edmonton & Buffalo |
Those are all the former NHLer’s hoping to win Olympic gold in South Korea. All rosters correct at time of writing. H/T to Hockey Reference for being invaluable.
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