The 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy bring even more excitement for hockey fans as NHL players return to the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014. In a true best-on-best tournament, the best players in the world will be at the top of their game, looking to win a Gold medal for their home countries. The 4 Nations Face Off was a great success last year, but this 12-team tournament takes the excitement to a whole new level. The men’s tournament gets started with group play on Wednesday, February 11, and runs through Sunday, February 22 with the gold-medal game.
As pucks drop draws nearer, here is a look at the gold-medal odds for USA, Canada and more, as well as our Winter Olympics men’s hockey best bet and longshot winner picks.
Winter Olympics Men’s Ice Hockey Gold Medal odds
Odds available at DraftKings Sportsbook at time of publishing.
- Canada +115
- United States +175
- Sweden +650
- Finland +1000
- Switzerland +2500
- Czech Republic +2500
- Germany +5000
- Slovakia +6500
- Denmark +25000
- Latvia +50000
- France +80000
- Italy +100000
Winter Olympics Men’s Ice Hockey best bet: Team USA to win the gold medal (+175)
It’s not surprising to see Team Canada favored to win the tournament, but with odds of +115, the juice might not be worth the squeeze. The Canadians have plenty of elite scoring depth, but goaltending could be a cause for concern. Jordan Binnington is going through a tumultuous season in St. Louis, Logan Thompson missed multiple weeks with an upper-body injury in late January, and while Darcy Kuemper has been solid this season, does Team Canada expect him to be their #1 man between the pipes in this tournament? That would be a bit surprising to see.
Team USA’s goaltenders of Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman give the Americans a more well-rounded goalie group that could pave the way to a Gold medal. Team USA also has more than enough scoring pieces to keep up with Canada, and is arguably the more physical team. After losing to Team Canada in the Gold medal game at the 4 Nations Face Off last year, Team USA will be hungry for revenge.
Winter Olympics Men’s Ice Hockey longshot pick: Finland to win the gold medal (+1000)
After Team Canada (+115) and Team USA (+175), there is a substantial gap in the men’s ice hockey odds board for the Winter Olympics. Team Sweden is hovering around with odds of +650, but when looking at a longshot winner, Team Finland could be the team to play spoiler with odds of +1000. The Finns may not have the overwhelming firepower like Team Canada or Team USA, but they may have enough playmaking ability to turn some heads in this tournament.
Mikko Rantanen is undoubtedly one of the top players in the world, and his talent alone is enough to make Finland hard to play against on any given night. Team Finland also has some under-the-radar stars such as Sebastian Aho, Roope Hintz and Anton Lundell who can provide quality scoring depth. Defensively, the Finns have a bona fide stud in Miro Heiskanen patrolling the blue line, and his elite skating and puck-moving ability are exactly what you need if you are looking to pull off a tournament run as an underdog. Don’t be surprised if Team Finland plays spoiler.
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