2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Odds and Predictions

The 2026 Winter Olympics have arrived and one of the marquee events for this world-wide spectacle is Men’s Ice Hockey. This year, the hockey teams will feature the biggest stars in the world as the NHL allowed its players to compete at the Milano-Cortina Games.

While 12 teams will compete for gold and glory, this edition of Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey will come down to one epic battle between Canada and the USA.

Let’s take a closer look at the Men’s Olympic Hockey tournament, check out the latest Winter Olympics odds courtesy of the top sports betting sites, and make our predictions as to who will win the gold medal along with a handful of additional hockey prop bets.

When Is The Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Games?

The following is a breakdown of the Men’s Hockey rounds for the 2026 Winter Olympics:

• Preliminary Round: Feb. 11 to Feb. 15
• Qualification Playoff: Feb. 17 (if needed)
• Quarterfinal Round: Feb. 18
• Semifinal Round: Feb. 20
• Bronze Medal Game: Feb. 21
• Gold Medal Game: Feb. 22

Where Are The Men’s Olympic Hockey Games At?

The Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena is the primary home for the 2026 Men’s Hockey games. This venue was newly built for the Milano-Cortina games. The Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena is a secondary venue that will host some of the Preliminary Round games.

2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Odds

The Winter Olympics Men’s Ice Hockey features numerous prop bets to consider wagering on. We’ll take a look at some of the major props available prior to the start of the Preliminary Round. As we close in on the medal rounds, we’ll take a look at some of the game and player prop bets for each matchup.

With that in mind, if you need additional assistance for betting on the Winter Olympics or the NHL, then check out this industry’s premier betting membership as it features the best handicappers around.

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2026 Winter Olympics Men’s Hockey Predictions

Check out our predictions for the following Men’s Olympic Hockey prop bets:

Group A Winner

• Canada (-500)
• Czech Republic (+700)
• Switzerland (+800)
• France (+50000)

To the surprise of no one, Canada is the large odds-on favorite to win Group A. They’re the best team in this group with a loaded roster. In fact, this roster is superior to any other team in the group, and quite possibly the entire Olympics.

Czechia is a veteran team with some top-shelf talent. The opening match against Canada could decide which team gets the top seed for this group and how much of a chance the Czechs have in this Olympics.

Switzerland has improved over the years as they feature skilled wingers along with a disciplined style of play. How they fare against Czechia on Feb. 15 could decide where they place in the next round and either give them a favorable opponent to beat or a difficult challenge that could bounce them from the Olympics.

France is one of the biggest longshots of the Olympics. While they have some potential to play solid against everyone but Canada, the French hockey team will be lucky to score a win in Group Play.

In the end, this Group will come down to how badly Canada beats the rest of these teams. And, that will set the tone for the rest of the Olympic hockey tournament.

Bet: Canada (-500)

Group B Winner

• Sweden (-150)
• Finland (+140)
• Slovakia (+1600)
• Italy (+50000)

This group is the most difficult of the three. And, that’s because of Sweden and Finland being very close in odds and roster talent.

Finland enters as the defending gold medal winners. However, that was at an Olympics where NHL players didn’t participate. While their strength is in defensive play, the Fins do capitalize on opportunistic scoring along with steady goal tending.

Slovakia might not carry the same reputation as the other two favorites, but they do play a frustrating style that boasts of strong forechecking and a physical brand of hockey. If they could pull off an upset against Sweden or Finland, then this team could fight for the Group B win.

Italy, like France, has no hope of winning this group. In fact, if they weren’t hosting the Olympics then this team wouldn’t even be in the tournament. With that said, the Italians will hopefully shine enough to provide a few cheerful moments in front of their fellow countrymen.

In the end, you have to like Sweden to pull off the win in Group B. They have a proficient team on both sides of the ice that puts them as the third best squad heading in the men’s hockey tournament. Additionally, their depth and international experience give them intangibles that other teams in this group can’t overcome.

The Feb. 13 meeting against Finland should provide us with the clear-cut favorite to win this group and challenge for a medal.

Bet: Sweden (-150)

Group C Winner

• USA (-1000)
• Germany (+750)
• Latvia (+3300)
• Denmark (+4000)

Denmark, Latvia and Germany are minor speed bumps for the Americans to run over on their way to an undefeated group play. The USA is clearly one of the best teams in men’s Olympic hockey and they have a much easier path to the no.1 seed than Canada does.

In fact, there’s a good chance that the Americans end up with the no.1 seed due to scoring more goals and scoring differential overall. The Canadians have a slightly harder challenge in their group with Czechia buzzing around.

USA is the biggest favorite to win their group and it’s due to having a vastly superior roster compared to the other countries. They will outscore, outplay, and boast of better goaltending than the rest of the countries in this group combined.

Bet: USA (-1000)

To Win A Medal

• Canada (-400)
• USA (-300)
• Sweden (-130)
• Finland (+150)
• Czechia (+275)
• Switzerland (+350)
• Germany (+700)
• Slovakia (+800)

It’s clear as day, Canada and USA will fight it out for the gold medal. That means the loser will capture the silver. So, it comes down to which of these other countries will end up winning the bronze medal.

Currently, I have Sweden taking the bronze due to their balance, goal tending, and fantastic defense. The Swedes will provide a challenge to anyone that they face, even the mighty Canadian and American teams. In the end, it will come down to a lack of firepower and the goal tending falling short of the two best teams.

When it comes to betting value, Sweden offers the best at -130 odds. Canada and America offer little value, but are as much of a lock as we can get to win an Olympic medal. In fact, I am surprised that their odds aren’t higher.

Bet: Canada (-400), USA (-300), Sweden (-130)

Gold Medal Winner

• Canada (+110)
• USA (+225)
• Sweden (+650)
• Finland (+1000)
• Czechia (+1600)
• Switzerland (+2000)
• Germany (+6600)
• Slovakia (+8000)

Men’s Hockey Favorites

The following teams are odds-on favorites to win the gold at the Milano-Cortina Games:

Canada (+110)

Canada boasts one of the best top six forward groups in hockey history, and they’re led by a generational talent in Connor McDavid along with playmakers like Nathan MacKinnon. Furthermore, the Canadians’ depth is only matched by USA, but their blue line is possibly better.

The combination of veteran players like Crosby, along with rising stars, gives this team the balance it needs to play a variety of styles and matchup with anyone else in the Olympics.

Canada is looking to win gold for the first time since 2014. They missed the podium in 2022, and won the bronze in 2018.

USA (+225)

The Americans haven’t won an Olympic hockey medal since 2010. And, they haven’t taken home the gold since 1980. This team is hungry and desperate to beat Canada, or any other country for a gold medal.

USA features elite scoring with Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews and Quinn Hughes to name a few. The Tkachuk brothers set a gritty, physical tone that gives this squad a much-needed edge. Goaltending shouldn’t be an issue, considering Hellebuyck is back along with solid depth behind him at this position. In fact, this could be the one advantage that the Americans have over Canada.

USA should be able to roll out four lines with solid scoring and defense on all of them. Their +225 odds provides plenty of value at the start of the Olympic Games.

Sweden (+650)

Sweden won gold in 2006 and 1994. They’ve traditionally been a proud defensive group with depth and talent across at least three lines. This year, once again, the roster balance is strong for Sweden as they have the veteran leadership to compete for a medal.

With Hedman, Pettersson, Nylander and Zibanejad, the Swedes have top-notch players to compete against the big two (Canada and USA). Linus Ullmark could be the biggest reason why this team is taking home a medal in Milano-Cortina.

Any Other Team Have A Chance?

Finland is the reigning gold-medal winner and returns a strong roster that carries confidence, toughness, and balance. While they don’t have as many NHL players as the teams above, the Fins do have enough talent to reach the medal round once again.

Players like Barkov and Rantanen, will lead this team as far as it can go. More than likely, it’s playing in the Bronze Medal game against Sweden.

Who Wins Olympic Gold?

Last year, USA beat Canada in the 4-Nations tournament. It was a big win for the Americans that showed the rest of the world that USA is a true threat to win gold in Italy.

USA has the depth, scoring, talent, defense and goaltending to play for a gold medal as they threaten to win it for the first time in 46 years. Yet, it’s hard to pick anyone over Canada, not even my home country of USA.

While I will be rooting for USA to win, my money is rolling with Canada as they have the deepest roster, the most superstars, a wealth of scoring, and talent on both sides of the ice.

As long as Canada can get consistent goaltending in the Knockout Rounds, this team is winning gold on February 22.

Bet: Canada (+110)

Men’s Ice Hockey Olympic Medals

The following is a list of the 12 countries participating in the Men’s Ice Hockey tournament at the Winter Olympics, and their respective medal count.