By: Brandon Murdock | Follow me on Twitter / X @Brandonmurdoc11
For the first time since the 2024 Sochi Winter Olympics, professional hockey players will be able to represent their countries. So, with the Men’s Hockey portion of the 2026 Winter Olympics beginning tomorrow, I decided to take a look at which Bruins representing their countries have the best chance of returning to Boston as an “Olympic hero”.
Nine members of the 2025-26 Boston Bruins were proudly selected to represent their country at the Olympics. With Pavel Zacha’s injury, the active number goes down to eight. This list takes into account the roster of these teams, the way they were playing when they left Boston, and, of course, their likelihood of winning a Gold Medal.
5: Jeremy Swayman – Goalie
While Swayman is boasting a nice 2.92 GAA and a .903 Save Percentage this season, he suffers from the strength of the position on this USA squad. The projected guys ahead of him, Connor Hellebuyck and Jake Oettinger, will be tough to leapfrog as they both played for the 4-Nations squad last season. The chances for Swayman are slim, but if an unfortunate injury or disciplinary action arises, Swayman would be ready to lead the team.
4: Hampus Lindholm – Defenseman
Lindholm is serving as an injury replacement for Minnesota Wild defenseman Jonas Brodin. This will be the first time Lindholm has represented Sweden at the Olympics. He previously won gold at the 2018 World Championships and a silver medal at the 2012 IIHF U18 World Championships. While he has struggled a bit this season, coming in with a minus-eight, he has chipped in offensively with 19 points for the B’s. The talent on the blue line for Team Sweden should help Lindholm out a lot, and he can be free to play his game.
3: Elias Lindholm – Center
With an older forward group, Team Sweden is full of experience. Lindholm is no outlier as he has represented the country eight times in his career. With last year’s 4-Nations tournament being his most recent appearance. Lindholm is having a better sophomore season for the Bruins compared to last year, which gives a lot of confidence that he can carry that over with his Swedish teammates. While there are some big names playing for Sweden, Lindholm could be the glue guy that pieces everything together and allows them to make a run at gold.
Elias and Hampus Lindholm are trying to continue Sweden’s momentum as they recently won the World Juniors Championship back in January.
2: David Pastrnak – Winger
The Czech Phenom of the Bruins is looking to be the star of Milan, Italy. Pastrnak is having another great season, recording 22 goals and 49 assists so far. While playing with high offensive players (Martin Necas and Tomas Hertl), Pastrnak is still expected to be the star of the show. Being named as an assistant captain shows the team expects more from him than just scoring. While the Czech Republic is not considered a favorite in these Olympics, it would be tough to rule them out. If they do go on a run, Pasta is expected to lead it.
1: Charlie McAvoy – Defenseman
McAvoy is looking to bounce back from a 4-Nations appearance that heavily affected his season last year. Suffering a shoulder injury that was an issue for the rest of the season. However, this February, McAvoy was handed the “A” for the United States as part of the leadership group and is looking to avenge last season’s downfall. Projected to be on the top defensive pair, McAvoy will have plenty of chances to shine. With the United States being one of the heavy favorites to win gold, McAvoy is the clear favorite of the Bruins to be an “Olympic hero”.
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