Ehlers, Andersen highlight Denmark’s initial six-player roster for 2026 Olympics

A few notable names will be getting the chance to represent their country next year.

On Monday, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) released the first names of the roster of Team Denmark for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Forwards Nikolaj Ehlers, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Lars Eller and Jonas Rondbjerg will join defensemen Jesper Jensen Aabo and goaltender Frederik Andersen, for next year’s tournament.

This will mark just the second time Denmark will compete in the men’s tournament at the Winter Games. The nation first qualified for the 2022 Olympics in Beijing. Despite not having any help from NHLers, the Danes made it to the quarterfinals before being eliminated by the Russian Olympic Committee.

Denmark had to win their way through qualification to punch its ticket to next year’s Olympics as well.

Though there’s still plenty of time between now and the start of the Games next February, the Danish Lions have a little bit of momentum heading into 2026. This past spring, the country put together its best performance at the IIHF Men’s World Championship. The co-hosts stunned a stacked Canadian team in the quarterfinals, advancing to the semifinals for the first time. Denmark ultimately finished fourth after losing to Sweden in the bronze medal game.

A few of the players on that roster are among the six names previously mentioned.

Ehlers was a late addition to the roster, joining the team after the Winnipeg Jets were eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs. The veteran made an immediate impact, scoring three goals in his four games. The 29-year-old has played for the Danes in three of the last four world championships and played a key role in Denmark qualifying for the last two Olympic Games.

Eller was another important player in getting Denmark return to the Olympics. The Washington Capitals forward scored four points during qualification last fall, which was his first bit of international experience since the Men’s Worlds in 2019.

Andersen won all three games he played in during Olympic Qualification last season, marking the second time he attempted to help Denmark advance to the Winter Games. The Carolina Hurricanes backstop hasn’t played in a full-blown international tournament since the 2018 IIHF Men’s World Championship.

Next year will mark the first time since the 2021 Olympic Qualification that Bjorkstrand will represent his country. The Tampa Bay Lightning forward has appeared in two men’s world championships on top of playing parts of 10 seasons in the NHL.

Rondjberg made his senior national team debut during Olympic qualifying last season, leading to him making the Danish roster at the world championship this past spring. Between captaining the Danes at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship and this year, the 26-year-old has focused on playing in North America, having spent five of the past six seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights organization.

Aabo has been the captain of the Danish National Team for the past three years. Having previously spent time in the KHL, SHL and DEL, the 33-year-old plays in Austria with EC-KAC of the ICEHL.

Denmark is currently ranked 11th in the latest IIHF polls, trailing the likes of Latvia and Slovakia.

Next year, the Danes will be competing in Group C, along with the likes of Germany, Latvia and the United States. They might not be favored to win the group, but there’s a good chance they can sneak into a quarterfinal spot.

The men’s tournament is set to begin on Feb. 11, 2026, with the gold medal game scheduled for Feb. 22.