The 2026 Winter Olympics are underway, and the men’s hockey has not disappointed. Team Canada looks like an absolute juggernaut. With their 10–2 demolition of Team France on Sunday, they are headed to the quarter-finals.
Unfortunately, no Toronto Maple Leafs are representing Team Canada this year. However, the Leafs have three players participating in the Olympics–Auston Matthews for Team USA, William Nylander for Team Sweden, and Oliver Ekman–Larsson also for Team Sweden.
Let’s take a look at how all three Leafs have performed in the Olympics ahead of the quarterfinals, which start on Wednesday.
Auston Matthews
Heading into the Olympics, Auston Matthews was perhaps one player above all others who had something to prove. Matthews has a history of not performing in the playoffs or in “big moments”, despite scoring at a prolific rate in the regular season.
Even at the 4 Nations Face-Off, Matthews only tallied three assists in the three games he played. While he was good defensively for Team USA, Matthews is known to be a goal scorer. In the Olympics, with the roster decisions that Team USA made, they are looking at Matthews to score goals.
And in the preliminary round, Matthews delivered.
In the three preliminary round games, Matthews scored three goals and two assists for five points. In the game against Germany, a tougher opponent comparatively, he scored two goals and an assist. He is Team USA’s leading goal scorer, and his point total ties him for third in points in the Olympics.
Team USA won all three of their preliminary games, which earned them the second seed, behind Team Canada. Matthews has proven so far to live up to the “Captain America” title, looking good both offensively and defensively.
It’s every player’s dream to represent their country at the Olympics, but Matthews seems to be playing with a chip on his shoulder. As a Leafs fan, I am hoping his play unlocks a new gear in his game come playoffs… Assuming Toronto can even still make the playoffs.
William Nylander
Another player with a lot to prove heading into the Olympics was William Nylander. Like Matthews, Nylander had a disappointing 4 Nations performance. Like Matthews, Nylander scored no goals and had two assists in the three games he played.
So far for Team Sweden, Nylander has scored one goal and one assist in the three preliminary games. While Team Sweden does have as much “star power” as Team Canada or Team USA, I would have liked Nylander to be more dominant on the score sheet.
Nylander and Team Sweden play Team Latvia in the qualifying round this afternoon. Looking at the statistics, Team Latvia has slightly higher scoring efficiency, 9.33% to Team Sweden’s 7.33%. But Team Sweden has the better power play percentage at 25% versus 22.22%.
It’s hard to criticize Nylander because he does “rise” to the occasion, at least more than the other Leafs’ superstars, in the big moments. And Nylander is known to love playing for Sweden. While Nylander has not had his best performance, I wouldn’t sleep on him just yet.
Oliver Ekman–Larsson
When Oliver Ekman–Larsson was named to Team Sweden, I think many were surprised. On the outside, Ekman–Larsson is on the back half of his career. However, Leafs fans have fallen in love with Ekman–Larsson this season, and are not surprised that he was named to Team Sweden.
With Jonas Brodin’s injury keeping him out of the Olympics, Ekman–Larsson was promoted to the roster. However, in the 5–2 win against Team Italy, Ekman–Larsson was benched for the entire game. However, Ekman–Larsson brushed it off because he’s a professional.
Ekman–Larsson saw action in the other two preliminary games, registering no points, zero shots on goal, and picking up two penalty minutes. While I don’t think we’ll see prime Ekman–Larsson based on how Team Sweden is utilizing him, I think Ekman–Larsson is just happy to play in what is likely his last Olympics of his career.
Onto the qualifying round
Assuming Team Sweden beats Team Latvia in the qualifying round, they will play Team USA in the quarter-finals. The two Leafs, Matthews versus Nylander, will no doubt be exciting to watch in this best–on–best tournament.
Have the three Leafs who are representing their countries in the Olympics impressed you so far? Let us know in the comments below!
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