The 2025-26 Edmonton Oilers are projected to be a deep team, potentially deeper than they were even last season. The club has made many acquisitions — including a flurry of signings from top European pro leagues — in order to shore up their depth and supplement their prospect pool.
There are also of course, the big name Oilers like Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid who are both already locks to represent their nations at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy. Aside from them, four Oilers in total -- including McDavid -- were invited to Canada's Men's orientation camp.
This is shaping up to be an exciting year for NHL and hockey fans as a whole with NHL players attending the 2026 Olympics for the first time since 2014. If the inaugural 4 Nations Faceoff tournament this past winter was any indication, there will be plenty of storylines and excitement heading into February.
For Oilers fans, there could be a lot of excitement and interest in the sheer number of players who could participate in the games. In total, there are five nations and eleven players that I have identified as potential candidates to play.
Germany
Leon Draisaitl - As I mentioned before, Draisaitl is a lock to make the German team and for good reason, he is one of the NHL's most premier players and undoubtedly the greatest German hockey player to ever lace up the skates.
Josh Samanski - The 23 year old forward was signed by general manager Stan Bowman in April, he is a 6'3 center who has been a dominant player in the top German DEL for the last few seasons but put himself on the map by scoring a team leading 40 points in 52 regular season games.
He represented Germany this past spring at the Men's World Hockey Championships and put together a respectable five points in seven games. He may not be a lock but it's safe to assume that the young forward is at least on the German national teams radar and could find himself on their roster come next February.
Canada
Connor McDavid - McDavid is another player who is a lock to make the Canadian Olympic team after being announced to have already made the cut last month. Like Draisaitl, he is one of if not the league's best player and a generational talent who will go down as one of the best to play the sport when his career is over.
Evan Bouchard - There are plenty of traits that put Bouchard apart but his presence as right-handed defenseman and offensive defender makes him a standout player. Although, two-time Norris Trophy winner, Cale Makar fits a similar mold and would be the presumptive powerplay quarterback. Bouchard however, has made his presence known as one of the league's top point men, earning a monster contract and if Hockey Canada truly puts together a best-on-best roster, Bouchard should be on the team.
Zach Hyman - Hyman made waves when he potted 54 goals and 77 points in 80 games in 2023-24. Although this was a clear outlier season, he has proven to be capable of playing and performing to a high standard with star players. Could he make the cut like Chris Kunitz did back in 2014? Meaning, Kunitz due to his high chemistry with star player and teammate Sidney Crosby, made the Canadian squad for the 2014 Sochi Olympics.
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins - It was announced last week that RNH received an invitation to Hockey Canada's orientation camp with three of his Oilers teammates and 91 other players for the Women's and Paralympic rosters. This does not mean they made it but does mean they are in consideration. It would be a cool story to have him make the team but given the quality of the Canadian roster, it seems unlikely barring injury or again, as a Chris Kunitz type.
Sweden
Mattias Ekholm - The 34 year old left-shot defender has been a stabilizing force on NHL bluelines since he entered the league. He has good two-way qualities and should be a key fixture on the backend for the Swedes at the 2026 Olympics. This will likely be his last shot but given his high standard of performance still, it seems likely that he suits up as one of the six main players on defense.
Mattias Janmark - Many teams when constructing their rosters for tournaments like this, tend to employ a few players who specialize in the defensive side of the game. Janmark fits this bill and could get some outside consideration for a roster spot. Given his lack of production in recent seasons, it seems unlikely, especially with a career high of 34 points coming in 2017-18. Janmark seems like a definite darkhorse candidate.
Czechia
David Tomasek - The standout Czech forward has shown his scoring prowess throughout Europe over his 10 year pro career. However, his involvement with the Czech national team has been sparing throughout this time, only representing his nation at the World Juniors once and twice at the Men's World Hockey Championships. His performance on the international stage does not inspire a lot of confidence either, notching eight points throughout 17 games at the World Championships.
Also, even with the NHL not involved with the Olympics since 2014, Tomasek has been unable to make the cut. It remains to be seen but if he can make the Oilers out of camp and impress at the NHL level, it would not be shocking to see Tomasek represent his home country and make his Olympic debut.
Finland
Kasperi Kapanen - After tying the knot this summer, Oilers forward Kasperi Kapanen could and should be eyeing to make the Finnish team at the 2026 Olympics. His father, NHL alumni Sami Kapanen represented the Finns three times at the Olympics in 1994, 1998, and 2002.
The younger Kapanen has become more of a depth player as his NHL career has went on but showed a lot of promise as a scorer in his younger seasons. The ability to play up and down a lineup could give him an edge when it comes to his Olympic aspirations.
Atro Leppanen - The Finnish NHL representation on the blueline has been a bit shaky in recent years and after an explosive 63 points in 60 games with Vaasa Sport to lead the entire Liiga in scoring, Leppanen could have an outside shot at making the Olympic roster.
He has spent his entire career mostly flying under the radar playing in the second-tier Mestis. If the 26 year old can secure an NHL job, even as a depth piece this upcoming year, he could definitely find himself in consideration for the Finnish national team by February.
Although they are not all locks, there are a high number of Oilers players that could make their respective country's national team for this upcoming Winter Olympics. I predict that the Oilers will have at least five players at the games this winter.