The 12 countries who will have a hockey team at the 2026 Winter Olympics have announced the first six players on their respective rosters. But one country remains without a team.
Russia, who has been banned from international competition since 2022, remain on the outside looking in. It was confirmed by the International Olympic Committee last month. Per IOC rule, a group of Neutral Individual Athletes cannot form a team. Athletes from Russia and Belarus were able to participate in the 2024 Summer Olympics, but could not do so under either country’s name.
At the 2022 Winter Olympics, their last time participating, Russia took home the silver medal. Thy were known as the Russian Olympic Committee at the time. They had previous won the gold medal in 2018, but under the Olympic Athletes of Russia name.
With this ban, 65 NHL players will not have the chance to represent their county. While most of them were not going to be named to the Olympic roster, there are a few notable names who will not have the chance. The biggest is Alex Ovechkin, who may have been looking at one of his final chances to represent Russia on the international stage.
For Flyers fans, it means that Matvei Michkov will not be able to suit up at the senior level. He has represented Russian on numerous occasions and was a part of the 2020 Youth Olympic Team that took home a gold medal. Michkov’s nine goals and 14 points were the most, giving him a scorching 3.50 points-per-game as it took him just four games to earn those totals.
In 2020, Michkov led the World Juniors with 12 goals and 16 points. He was named the best forward and the most valuable player, helping Russia earn a silver medal. Before the tournament was cancelled in 2022, he had three goals in two games.
The following year, Michkov shined for Russia at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, again leading the tournament in goals (8) and points (13). Russia would take home the gold medal. Look at every Russian roster that Michkov has been a part of and you’ll see that he has shined at the international level.
While Michkov may not have been one of the first six players named to the roster, there is a good chance he would’ve been able to put on the Russian sweater in Italy.
Unfortunately, we’ll never know.