The NY Islanders Russian stars will not participate in 2026 Winter Olympics

After the massive success that was the 4 Nations Face-Off, hockey fans around the world have a new appetite for best-on-best international competition.

With the NHL and NHLPA allowing their players to participate in the Olympics this upcoming February, we’ll see much more of the league's recognizable faces, as the competition is open to more than the four nations that competed this past winter.

No Russian's at 2026 Olympic Games

While it’s considered a best-on-best, the tournament will be missing some of its elite talent, as the International Olympic Committee has announced that Russian athletes will not be allowed to partake, unlike they have in previous Olympic Games under the title of ‘Olympic Athletes from Russia.

The Islanders currently have three Russian players under contract - Ilya Sorokin, Alexander Romanov, and Max Tsyplakov (becomes a free agent on July 1). Sorokin and Romanov would likely have had a high probability of making the team if they were able to compete. 

Sorokin, who competed at the 2018 games in Sochi as part of the Olympic Athletes from Russia, won a gold medal at the games before joining the Islanders. 

Not only will the Russian stars of the Islanders be excluded from plays in Milan, but some of the games' biggest names like Alexander Ovechkin, Nikita Kucherov, and Kirill Kaprizov.

Russia has been one of the world's most historic and dominating hockey nations. Between the multiple names used throughout the years, whether that be as the Soviet Union, or the Olympic Athletes from Russia, the nation is tied with Canada for the most Gold Medals in Men’s Hockey (9).