26 QMJHL Alumni at the Olympics
Published on February 5, 2026 under Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) News Release
Boucherville, QC - The 2026 Olympic Games begin this Friday in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, and 26 former QMJHL players will participate in the ice hockey tournament.
Slovakia will have five former QMJHL players, compared to four for Latvia and Switzerland. Canada, Italy, and Czechia will each have three.
Denmark follows with two, one more than France and Germany, while Finland, Sweden, and the United States will have none.
Naturally, all eyes will be on Team Canada, which will count on three former QMJHLers, and three big names: Sidney Crosby of the Rimouski Océanic, Nathan MacKinnon of the Halifax Mooseheads, and Brad Marchand, who split his junior career between Moncton, Val-d'Or, and Halifax. All three will play a key role for Canada in its quest for the gold medal.
In fact, Slovakia will be relying on four former QMJHL players, not five, since Marek Hrivik (Moncton) is injured. However, Lukas Cingel (Baie-Comeau), Michal Ivan (Acadie-Bathurst and Drummondville), Samuel Hlavaj (Sherbrooke), and Oliver Okuliar (Sherbrooke) will be there.
Switzerland will also be relying on four of our former players: Sven Andrighetto (Rouyn-Noranda), Nico Hischier (Halifax), Philipp Kurashev (Québec), and Timo Meier (Halifax and Rouyn-Noranda).
Hischier was the first overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft by the New Jersey Devils, as were Crosby in 2005 by the Pittsburgh Penguins and MacKinnon in 2013 by the Colorado Avalanche.
Latvia also had four of our former players on its roster at the start, but Rodrigo Abols (Acadie-Bathurst) and Eriks Mateiko (Saint John and Rimouski) are injured. Martins Dzierkals, a former Rouyn-Noranda Huskies player, and Anri Ravinskis, who played for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, will still be competing at the Games.
There will also be a trio of former QMJHL players with the Italians: Greg Di Tomaso (Gatineau), Phil Pietroniro (Shawinigan, Val-d'Or, Gatineau, and Victoriaville), and Jason Seed (Gatineau and Saint John), as well as with Czechia, with Ondrej Palat (Drummondville), Lukas Sedlak (Chicoutimi), and David Spacek (Sherbrooke).
Christian Wejse (Blainville-Boisbriand) and Nikolaj Ehlers (Halifax), with Denmark, Antoine Keller (Acadie-Bathurst), with France, and Leon Gawanke (Cape Breton), with Germany, are our other former players who will be participating in the Olympic Games.
Good luck to all the players in the tournament, and may the best team win!
QMJHL Alumni at the Olympic Hockey Tournament (26)
Canada (3)
Sidney Crosby (Rimouski)
Nathan MacKinnon (Halifax)
Brad Marchand (Moncton, Val-d'Or, and Halifax)
Czechia (3)
Ondrej Palat (Drummondville)
Lukas Sedlak (Chicoutimi)
David Spacek (Sherbrooke)
Denmark (2)
Nikolaj Ehlers (Halifax)
Christian Wejse (Blainville-Boisbriand)
Finland
None
France (1)
Antoine Keller (Acadie-Bathurst)
Germany (1)
Leon Gawanke (Cape Breton)
Italy (3)
Greg Di Tomaso (Gatineau)
Phil Pietroniro (Shawinigan, Val-d'Or, Gatineau, and Victoriaville)
Jason Seed (Gatineau and Saint John)
Latvia (4)
Rodrigo Abols, injured (Acadie-Bathurst)
Martins Dzierkals (Rouyn-Noranda)
Eriks Mateiko, injured (Saint John and Rimouski)
Anri Ravinskis (Blainville-Boisbriand)
Slovakia (5)
Lukas Cingel (Baie-Comeau)
Samuel Hlavaj (Sherbrooke)
Marek Hrivik, injured (Moncton)
Michal Ivan (Acadie-Bathurst and Drummondville)
Oliver Okuliar (Sherbrooke)
Sweden
none
Switzerland (4)
Sven Andrighetto (Rouyn-Noranda)
Nico Hischier (Halifax)
Philipp Kurashev (Québec)
Timo Meier (Halifax and Rouyn-Noranda)
United States
none
Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League Stories from February 5, 2026
- Regiment Host Socks and Underwear Toss on February 20 - Newfoundland Regiment
- 26 QMJHL Alumni at the Olympics - QMJHL
- Quebecor Makes a Significant Donation to the QMJHL Foundation - QMJHL
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