Juraj Slafkovsky named to Slovakia's Olympic team, no other Canadiens picked
Slovakia's Juraj Slafkovsky, center, will suit up for the 2026 Olympic Games in Italy. (Darko Vojinovic/The Associated Press)
The Montreal Canadiens' number-one pick, Juraj Slafkovsky, will suit up for Slovakia at next year's Olympics.
The International Ice Hockey Federation posted Team Slovakia's preliminary roster on X, featuring six players named for next year's Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina.
Habs forward Slafkovsky, along with Martin Fehervary (Washington Capitals), Tomas Tatar (New Jersey Devils), Erik Cernak (Tampa Bay Lightning), Simon Nemec (New Jersey Devils) and Martin Pospisil (Calgary Flames) are expected to play, starting Feb. 11.
The other 11 teams that have qualified for the Olympics also announced their first six players.
Canada's first six picks are centres Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Connor McDavid, Brayden Point, defenceman Cale Makar and right winger Sam Reinhart.
No Habs player made any of the other countries' preliminary rosters.
The NHL announced in February that pro players will play in the 2026 and 2030 Olympics.
The last time NHL-ers suited up for their countries was at the Sochi Olympics in 2014.
NHL players have played in five Olympic games: Nagano in 1998, Salt Lake City in 2002, Turin in 2006, Vancouver in 2010 and Sochi in 2014.
Canada won gold in 2014, 2010 and 2002; Sweden won in 2006, and Czechia (then called the Czech Republic) won in 1998.
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