2025 Stanley Cup Final
Florida Panthers Have Five Players Picked for Olympic Teams
FORT LAUDERDALE — With the Florida Panthers gearing up for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final, five of their players were named to their respective country’s 2026 Olympic teams.
On Monday, the 12 countries participating in men’s hockey at the Winter Olympics in Italy named the first six players to their preliminary rosters.
The Panthers had five of their players named: Sasha Barkov (Finland), Matthew Tkachuk (USA), Sam Reinhart (Canada), Uvis Balinskis (Latvia), and Nico Sturm (Germany).
The remainder of the teams will be announced later in the year, and the Panthers will have plenty more players going next year.
The men’s tournament starts with preliminary games on Feb. 11 and the tournament runs through the Gold medal game on Feb. 22.
This is the first time NHL players have participated in the Olympics since 2014.
“It’s incredible,’’ Reinhart said. “When you’re growing up when you’re watching as a kid, it’s Stanley Cup finals and it’s Team Canada — those are the two things that you dream about playing for. To have that opportunity is obviously pretty exciting.”
Barkov was part of Finland’s trip to Socchi in 2014 and had been a part of numerous national teams through the years.
He does not take it for granted.
“That’s awesome,’’ Barkov said. “I was fortunate to represent them once already at the Olympics and that’s, for sure, the biggest hockey tournament for national teams.
“That was my dream as a kid to be there and I got to experience that for a little bit for two games. Now, to be named again is a huge honor. I’m really, really happy and honored and thankful for that opportunity.”
Balinskis, 28, played for Latvia at the 2022 Winter Olympic Games where he had three assists in four games.
He also helped Latvia capture its first-ever medal at an IIHF tournament, capturing bronze at the 2023 World Championship.
“It’s awesome. Pretty happy about it,’’ Balinskis said. “There’s going to be the best players in the world there. Should be a great tournament.’’
Sturm, like Tkachuk and Reinhart, will be going to the Olympics for the first time.
“Being an Olympian is something that not a lot of athletes can say about their careers,’’ he said. “It’s the best athletes in the world from every sport, and it’s definitely something that I’ve marked on my calendar, something that I want to achieve in my career.
“It’d be a huge accomplish to be able to play there and, once your career’s done, to say you participated in the Olympics, I think that’s a huge accomplishment not to be understated, and I’m really looking forward to it. Hopefully everything works out, stay healthy, go there and represent your country.”
The Panthers should have a number of other players going, with Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand playing for Canada at the 4 Nations earlier this season.
Anton Lundell, Niko Mikkola, and Eetu Luostarinen are likely to be joining Barkov; Gus Forsling is expected to join Sweden. Seth Jones, Aaron Ekblad, and Carter Verhaeghe could also make their respective teams.
Russia will not be participating, which means Sergei Bobrovsky will not be going.
2025 STANLEY CUP FINAL
GAME 6
EDMONTON OILERS @ FLORIDA PANTHERS
Panthers Lead Best-of-7 Series 3-2
- When: Tuesday, 8 p.m.
- Where: Amerant Bank Arena, Sunrise
- National TV: TNT/truTV
- National Streaming: Max
- Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys), SiriusXM
- Radio Streaming: SiriusXM, NHL App
- Series Schedule (all games at 8 p.m., TNT) — Game 1: @Edmonton 4, Florida 3 (OT); Game 2: Florida 5, @Edmonton 4 (2OT); Game 3: @Florida 6, Edmonton 1; Game 4: Edmonton 5, @Florida 4 (OT); Game 5: Florida 5, @Edmonton 2; Game 6: @Florida Tuesday; Game 7*: @Edmonton Friday.
- How They Got Here: Edmonton d. Los Angeles (6), Vegas (5), Dallas (5); Florida d. Tampa Bay (5), Toronto (7), Carolina (5)
- Postseason History: Florida Won 2024 Stanley Cup Final 4-3
- Regular Season: Panthers won 2-0
- All-time Regular Season Series: Oilers lead 23-18-0, 3 ties
