2026 Milan Winter Olympics: Men’s hockey odds, futures, predictions

For the first time since 2014, NHL players are set to return to the Winter Olympics. That means hockey fans around the world are in for a treat as the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy brings us a true best-on-best tournament with a gold medal on the line. 

Team Canada brought home gold in 2014, as well as in last year’s 4 Nations Face Off. Now with 12 teams in the mix, will Canada continue its dominance? Or will a new champion of the hockey world be crowned?

Winter Olympics men’s ice hockey odds

Looking at the odds board for the tournament, we have a two-horse race between Team Canada (+115) and Team USA (+175). That isn’t necessarily surprising to see, as the rosters of Team Canada and Team USA are full of firepower from top to bottom. 

Team Sweden is also in the mix, with odds of +650, while Finland rounds out the top four at +1000. Group play is set to begin on Wednesday, February 11, and as we’ve seen before, anything can happen once the puck is dropped.

Here is a look at the full odds board for the Winter Olympics men’s ice hockey tournament:

Winter Olympics men’s ice hockey best bet: Team USA to win gold (+175)

Team USA enters the 2026 Olympics with a chip on its shoulder. Last February, Team Canada defeated Team USA in overtime in the gold medal game of the 4 Nations Face Off. It was a crushing loss for the Americans, but they now have a chance for revenge in the 2026 Olympics in Italy. Team USA possesses plenty of offensive firepower with playmakers like Jack Eichel, Kyle Connor, Matt Boldy, and Jake Guentzel. The Americans also have a nice complement of depth players who can play a solid 200-foot game, including Dylan Larkin and the Tkachuk brothers. 

Perhaps most importantly, the Americans could have the edge over the Canadians in goaltending. Team Canada’s goaltender group of Jordan Binnington, Logan Thompson, and Darcy Kuemper features plenty of question marks. Binnington is enduring the worst season of his career, Thompson missed multiple weeks with an upper-body injury in January, and Kuemper enters the Olympics coming off a rough month of January between the pipes for the Kings. Team USA’s goaltenders consist of Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, and Jeremy Swayman, and that group comes with far fewer question marks heading into the tournament. That could be the difference for Team USA.

Winter Olympics men’s ice hockey prediction: Macklin Celebrini to be the top point scorer of the tournament (+1700)

Macklin Celebrini is turning into a superstar right before our eyes. The 19-year-old has accumulated 81 points through 55 games this season, ranking fourth in the NHL. He earned his way onto Team Canada’s roster with his elite playmaking ability, and he is now set to play alongside Connor McDavid on Canada’s top line. He also figures to see plenty of opportunities on Canada’s top power play unit. That gives Celebrini nearly endless possibilities for this tournament.

With odds of +1700, taking Celebrini to lead the tournament in points could pay off in the best way possible.