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Italy Men's Hockey Aims for Surprise Olympic Run Without NHL Stars
Italy's hockey team hopes home support and team chemistry can make up for lack of NHL talent.
Published on Feb. 11, 2026
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The Italy men's hockey team is preparing for the Winter Olympics without any NHL players on their roster, relying instead on European league experience and home crowd support to try and pull off some surprises. Despite facing formidable opponents like Sweden and Finland, the team is motivated to build on Italy's early Olympic success in other sports and channel the energy of the passionate home fans.
Why it matters
Italy's men's hockey team is considered an underdog at the Olympics, but past international hockey history has shown that teams without star NHL players can still achieve surprising results through strong teamwork and clutch performances. If Italy can capitalize on their home-ice advantage and the momentum from Italy's other early Olympic triumphs, they could potentially make a deep run in the tournament.
The details
The Italian squad is led by players like Matteo Rizzo and Riccardo Lorello, who have gained attention in other winter sports at these Olympics. While they face a challenging group stage against hockey powers Sweden and Finland, they have a potentially winnable matchup against Slovakia. The team is hoping that strong chemistry and an electric home crowd can help make up for their lack of NHL talent.
- The 2026 Winter Olympics are currently underway in Italy.
- Italy's men's hockey team will begin group play in the coming days.
The players
Matteo Rizzo
An Italian figure skater who contributed to Italy's first team medal in figure skating at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Riccardo Lorello
An Italian speed skater who won a bronze medal in the men's 5000 meter event at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
What’s next
Italy will focus on securing a favorable position in group play to avoid the extra playoff match and conserve energy for the knockout rounds. Their performance will be closely watched as a potential inspiration for future generations of Italian hockey players.
The takeaway
Italy's men's hockey team, lacking NHL stars, is relying on team chemistry, home crowd support, and the momentum from Italy's other early Olympic successes to try and pull off some surprises at the Winter Games. While they face tough competition, past international hockey history has shown that underdog teams can achieve unexpected results through strong teamwork and clutch performances.
