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For every team, we’ll have one question, a look at the lineup, and their path to victory (plus any other lingering notes). The lines are courtesy of PuckPedia and subject to change.

Czechia

Question: Why is Czechia the nation nobody wants to face?

Czechia has all the pieces in place to not only pull off multiple upsets but also be a top nation at the end of the day. Their goaltending unit alone has Lukas Dostal, Dan Vladar, and Karel Vejmelka, all of whom can easily carry the weight for them in the net. Aside from that, they have at least two lines they can lean on and a defense that can have three reliable pairings.

Projected Lineup

Forwards

Martin Necas – Tomas Hertl – David Pastrnak

Ondrej Palat – David Kampf – Ondrej Kase

Roman Cervenka – Lukas Sedlak – David Tomasek

Matej Stransky – Radek Faksa – Dominik Kubalik

Defense

Radim Simek – Filip Hronek

Michal Kempny – Radko Gudas

David Spacek – Jan Rutta

Goaltending

Lukas Dostal

Dan Vladar

(Karel Vejmelka)

Czechia doesn’t have the versatility or the centers to roll with a depth-heavy lineup. However, their top line with Martin Necas and David Pastrnak on the wings can run up the score on most nations. Filip Hronek and Radko Gudas play on the same side but it might work to Czechia’s advantage as they’ll have two reliable pairings on defense. The other key is their fourth line, turning back the clock since Radek Faksa and Dominik Kubalik have seen better days but maybe have one more run in them.

It’s also worth noting that Pavel Zacha is day-to-day with an upper-body injury, so if he returns, he makes the top-six even better.

The Path to Gold for Czechia

It starts with elite play in the net, whether it’s from Dostal, Vladar, or Vejmelka. Czechia also needs its stars to play like stars, where the top line takes over games, and Hronek carries the blue line. Goaltending in particular gives them an edge since they can find and ride the hot hand to Gold, or at least a medal.

Germany

Question: Germany is everyone’s dark horse, so what is their biggest weakness?

The star power is what makes Germany a favorable pick to go on a run. It’s easy to look at the goaltending as their biggest weakness and what will ultimately let them down. That said, Philipp Grubauer is putting together a rebound season with the Seattle Kraken, so don’t discredit him. Ultimately, the depth is what’s holding the Germans back, even if they spread out the lineup.

Projected Lineup

Forwards

Leon Draisaitl – Tim Stützle – JJ Peterka

Josh Samanski – Nico Sturm – Lukas Reichel

Marc Michaelis – Tobias Rieder – Wojciech Stachowiak

Freddie Tiffels – Dominik Kahun – Alexander Ehl

Defense

Leon Gawanke – Moritz Seider

Kai Wissmann – Jonas Muller

Fabio Wagner – Moritz Muller

Goaltending

Philipp Grubauer

Mathias Niederberger

That top line can go up against anyone with Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stutzle, and JJ Peterka leading the way. Throw in Moritz Seider on the point, and Germany has an elite power play or last change they can lean on to win games. The only question is whether they want to address the depth by moving some players around, specifically, having Draisaitl and Lukas Reichel center lines. It’s another benefit to their lineup, which also has versatility.

The Path to Gold for Germany

There’s a good chance German makes a run at a Gold Medal. It’s all about the matchups for them, and either they rely on the top-heavy lineup and give the Draisaitl-Stutzle-Peterka line all the ice time or lean towards depth and roll four lines. The defense is a question mark, so Seider must carry the unit, and Grubauer must remain steady in the net but if both happen, expect Germany to at the very least be in the medal conversation.

Slovakia

Question: Are they good or just have a bunch of fun players to watch?

The latter is more accurate. Juraj Slafkovsky and Dalibor Dvorsky are the scorers to watch, and the Slovaks have a handful of players who will make a big play here or there. Otherwise, it’s not a nation that can compete with the top tier, certainly not with issues in the net and on defense.

Projected Lineup

Forwards

Pavol Regenda – Martin Pospisil – Juraj Slafkovsky

Oliver Okuliar – Dalibor Dvorsky – Tomas Tatar

Peter Cehlarik – Adam Ruzicka – Milos Kelemen

Adam Liska – Matus Sukel – Libor Hudacek

Defense

Martin Fehervary – Erik Cernak

Patrick Koch – Simon Nemec

Peter Ceresnak – Martin Gernat

Goaltending

Samuel Hlavaj

Adam Gajan

Tomas Tatar is the naming names player for this nation as the longtime NHLer is now a veteran of the Slovakian team. Taking a step back, the 2022 NHL draft saw Slafkovsky and Simon Nemec go one and two in the first round, and now both are leading the way for Slovakia, although more accurately, Slafkovsky will be the key player in any run they put together.

The Path to Gold (or Medal) for Slovakia

Goaltending, or lack of it, puts Slovakia at a disadvantage. However, if the defense puts it together with Nemec stepping up in the second pair while the top six rounds into form behind Dvorsky and Slafkovsky, they can win a few games, maybe enough to earn a Bronze.

Switzerland

Question: Can the star power compensate for the lack of depth?

Nico Hischier and Kevin Fiala are among the best forwards in the NHL, and Roman Josi is a top-of-the-league defenseman. The top six and two pairings defensively can go toe-to-toe with the best but their problems are everywhere else. It makes them an intriguing team but one that won’t go far in the long run.

Projected Lineup

Forwards

Kevin Fiala – Nico Hischier – Timo Meier

Nino Niederreiter – Pius Suter – Philipp Kurashev

Sven Andrighetto – Denis Malgin – Christoph Bertschy

Simon Knak – Calvin Thurkauf – Damian Riat

Defense

Jonas Seigenthaler – Roman Josi

Tim Berni – JJ Moser

Dean Kukan – Michael Fora

Goaltending

Akira Schmid

Reto Berra

The wild cards are Timo Meier and JJ Moser, as they can turn both units into strengths for the Olympics. Meier is having a rough season with the New Jersey Devils but is the power forward who can make the difference, while Moser has stepped up with the Tampa Bay Lightning and can make his mark on the defense. The big question mark, aside from depth, is goaltending, with Akira Schmid having his struggles in recent seasons, with this one being no exception.

The Path to Gold (or Medal) for Switzerland

Switzerland has a path to a medal if things go right. The top two lines must step up but if needed, Fiala or Meier can move to the third line to give the Swiss some depth. They can match up well with most countries, and great play from Schmid puts them in the conversation. At the end of the day, they’ll only go as far as their stars take them, so Hischier and Josi must take over some games for them to go far.