DENVER, Colo. — When the NHL returns to the Winter Olympics next year in Milan, Italy, the Colorado Avalanche will be well represented.
According to our news partners at The Gazette, on Monday, all 12 countries that will take part in the ice hockey portion of the Olympics named the first six players that will represent their countries for the tournament. Of the 72 total players named, four are members of the Avalanche.
Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar will represent Team Canada. Martin Necas will suit up for Team Czechia, while Gabriel Landeskog was selected to Team Sweden. The Olympics are scheduled for Feb. 6-22.
Of the four named, Landeskog is the biggest surprise simply because of how little hockey he has played over the last few years. Landeskog returned in the 2025 Stanley Cup playoffs after knee cartilage transplant surgery and looked like his old self, picking up four points in five games. Those fives games were enough to convince Sweden to name Landeskog to the team.
Colorado's captain is the only Avalanche selection with previous Olympic game experience. Landeskog represented Team Sweden in 2014. That was the most recent year NHL players were able to participate in the tournament.
The rest of the rosters will be named at a later date, but expect more Avalanche players to participate. Artturi Lehkonen is a near lock to be named to Team Finland, while Devon Toews will likely be named to Team Canada after performing well at the 4 Nations Face-off.
Brock Nelson and Mackenzie Blackwood also could be selected for the tournament if they start the season strong. Nelson played for Team USA during the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The Gazette's Evan Rawal contributed to this web story.
___
Severe storms begin to pick up Tuesday heading into the evening hours
Skies will begin to turn stormy and unsettled as early as the lunch hour. That's when we expect the first round of storms to develop along the Front Range. For the Pikes Peak Region and I-25 corridor, our main window for severe weather will come between 1-6 pm.
____
Watch KOAA News5 on your time, anytime with our free streaming app available for your Roku, FireTV, AppleTV and Android TV. Just search KOAA News5, download and start watching.
