Olympic Hockey 2026 Tournament Men's Groups, Bracket, Schedule and Odds

The 2026 Milano Cortina Games are well underway. Things officially started with Friday's opening ceremony, and the first medal events of the Winter Olympics unfolded on Saturday.

Hockey fans have been getting their fair share of action, as the women's preliminary round is in full swing. The men's tournament will begin on Wednesday with group play and will transition to the knockout round next Tuesday.

Here's what you need to know about men's hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics, including scheduling information and early odds.

Men's Gold Medal Odds

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Connor McDavid of Team Canada

Canada +120

USA +175

Sweden +600

Finland +1000

Switzerland +2500

Czechia +2500

Slovakia +6500

Germany +6500

Denmark +25000

Latvia +50000

France +80000

Italy +100000

*Odds per ESPN

Men's Group-Stage Schedule

B/R

All Times ET

Wednesday, February 11

10:40 a.m.

Slovakia vs. Finland (USA Network)

3:10 p.m.

Sweden vs. Italy (USA Network)

Thursday, February 12

6:10 a.m.

Switzerland vs. France (Streaming Only)

10:40 a.m.

Czechia vs. Canada (USA Network)

3:10 p.m.

Latvia vs. United States (USA Network)

Germany vs. Denmark (Streaming Only)

Friday, February 13

6:10 a.m.

Finland vs. Sweden (Streaming Only)

Italy vs. Slovakia (Streaming Only)

10:40 a.m.

France vs. Czechia (Streaming Only)

3:10 p.m.

Canada vs. Switzerland (Streaming Only)

Saturday, February 14

6:10 a.m.

Sweden vs. Slovakia (Streaming Only)

Germany vs. Latvia (CNBC)

10:40 a.m.

Finland vs. Italy (USA Network)

3:10 p.m.

United States vs. Denmark (USA Network)

Sunday, February 15

6:10 a.m.

Switzerland vs. Czechia (CNBC)

10:40 a.m.

Canada vs. France (USA Network)

1:10 p.m.

Denmark vs. Latvia (CNBC)

3:10 p.m.

United States vs. Germany (USA Network)

*All games can be streamed on Peacock, NBCOlympics.com, NBC app, NBC Sports app, and Olympics.com. Complete broadcast schedule can be found at NBCOlympics.com. Full event schedule can be found at Olympics.com.

Men's Groups at the 2026 Winter Olympics

Bruce Bennett/Getty Images

Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk of Team USA

Group A

Canada

Czechia

Switzerland

France

Group B

Finland

Sweden

Slovakia

Italy

Group C

United States

Germany

Latvia

Denmark

Preview

Elsa/Getty Images

Oliver Kapanen and Sebastian Aho of Team Finland

The big development with this year's men's tournament is that the NHL has once again allowed its stars to compete—which it last allowed during the 2014 Olympics in Sochi.

This is a big reason why Team Canada is considered the early favorite. The Canadian team is stacked with stars like three-time Hart Memorial Trophy winner Connor McDavid, Colorado Avalanche captain Nathan MacKinnon, and 10-time All-Star Sydney Crosby.

Many current NHL stars have never experienced the Olympics.

"I'm excited to be here and be with the guys and get out there and see the rink and get our first skate under us," McDavid said, per Steven Ellis of Daily Face Off. "It's exciting. It's surreal."

Canada, of course, won last year's 4-Nations Face-Off, which also involved Finland, Sweden, and the United States. Unsurprisingly, those are the top four favorites in the bracket.

It'll be a surprise if Canada doesn't advance with a bye from Group A and slightly less surprising if Team USA doesn't advance from Group C. The Americans took second place at the 4-Nations, narrowly losing a 3-2 overtime thriller.

Team USA has 22 4-Nations participants on this year's Olympics roster. Standouts like Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk, and Brady Tkachuk make Team USA a formidable squad that may also earn a bye in the knockout round.

Finland and Sweden are both in Group B and have some NHL stars of their own. Anaheim Ducks center Mikael Granlund, for example, will help lead Finland, while Toronto Maple Leafs forward William Nylander will be on the ice for Sweden.

We may see both Finland and Sweden receive byes. That's because the top-ranked team from each bracket, along with the highest-ranked remaining team, will receive byes in the knockout round.

The group stage is strictly for seeding purposes. Each team will play every other team in its group before moving on to the single-elimination bracket. The four highest-seeded teams will move straight to the quarterfinals, while the remaining eight will need to get through an extra elimination game.

The first playoff contests are scheduled for 6:10 a.m. ET on Tuesday, February 17.