Kraken Foursome Taking ‘The Biggest Stage’ In Milan

Kraken forward Kaapo Kakko is looking forward to testing himself as a hockey player like never before as he prepares for a shot at Winter Olympics gold.

Kakko was the lone Kraken representative at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off event and got a taste of what “best-on-best” global competition is truly like playing for Team Finland against the U.S., Canada and Sweden. His Finnish team lost 5-3 to eventual champion Canada in the semifinal game after putting on a strong display throughout the tournament.

“For sure they were the hardest games I’ve ever played,” Kakko said of the 4 Nations event won by Canada over the United States on a Connor McDavid overtime goal. “Especially the game against Canada, the pace was so fast. They had a great, great team so it was good to be a part of that game.”

But the 2026 Winter Olympic Games Milano Cortina will elevate that feeling on the grandest of global stages as NHL players participate in the men’s hockey event for the first time since 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Kakko and Kraken teammate Eeli Tolvanen, have the local NHL squad’s best shot at a medal.

Their powerhouse Team Finland won the nation’s first Winter Olympics gold at the 2022 Beijing Games where there were no NHL players. And now – bolstered by the likes of Dallas Stars talents Esa Lindell, Miro Heiskanen, Mikko Rantanen, and Roope Hintz and Carolina Hurricanes forward Sebastian Aho -- are still counted among the world’s best.

Kakko, unlike Tolvanen, has never been an Olympian and hopes the 4 Nations experience prepared him.

“I think it gives you a little more confidence,” he said. “When I came back here after those games I felt pretty good. I feel I did well in those games. So, you kind of know you can be good there and be good here (in the NHL) also. So, that’s what I’m looking for in the Olympics also.”

Besides Kakko and Tolvanen, Kraken netminder Philipp Grubauer will make his Winter Olympics debut for Team Germany while Kraken AHL prospect and sometimes first-year NHL forward Oscar Fisker Molgaard will suit up for Denmark. Of the Kraken quartet, Tolvanen has the only Olympic experience from the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games at age 18 in which he registered nine points in five matchups and made the tournament all-star team.

But that wasn’t yet a best-on-best scenario.

“It means a lot,” Tolvanen said of this year’s inclusion alongside top NHL talents. “I think every kid in Finland dreams about playing for the national team, and especially for the Olympics, it being best-on-best hockey.”

Finland opens the men’s tournament Wednesday morning against Slovakia, followed by Team USA debuting Thursday at noon against Latvia. Grubauer and Fisker Molgaard will also make Olympic debuts at that same time as Germany and Denmark square-off.

The U.S. hasn’t won Winter Olympics gold since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” at Lake Placid and prevailed one prior time in 1960 at Squaw Valley. In fact, the U.S. had never won any other top global men’s competition – not counting the world juniors – in 92 years until capturing last spring’s IIHF World Hockey Championship in Sweden with a roster that included current Kraken players Joey Daccord and Matty Beniers and trainer Jeff Camelio.

But Team USA is largely expected to compete for gold in Milan, based off last spring’s world championship and the strong 4 Nations Face-Off showing. Americans continue to pour into the NHL at record levels, and the U.S. team has a strong contingent of stars led by captain Auston Matthews, brothers Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Jack Eichel, Quinn Hughes and goalie Connor Hellebuyck.

Winter Olympic playoff qualification rounds begin Feb. 17, with quarterfinals Feb. 18, semifinals on Feb. 20, the bronze medal game Feb. 21 and gold medal contest Feb. 22.

Games will be played across two venues, with main competition at the new and somewhat controversial Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena – a facility with an ice surface that came in more than three feet shorter than NHL versions and was still racing to complete construction last week after initial work was delayed by a year. A secondary Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena will also host games.

The women’s event opened last week with Team USA and Team Canada widely expected to play in the Feb. 19 gold medal game. The U.S. boasts four Seattle Torrent players in Hilary Knight, Alex Carpenter, Hannah Bilka and Cayla Barnes, while Julia Gosling plays for Canada and Aneta Tejralova for Czechia.

When Grubauer and Fisker Molgaard open their tournaments next Thursday, they’ll both be savoring the Olympic experience for the first time but from vastly different perspectives. Grubauer, 34, is a decade long NHL veteran while Fisker Molgaard, 20, only debuted this season and has played just three Kraken games.

The call that Fisker Molgaard had made the Olympic roster, from Danish general manager Morton Green, fulfilled a hockey dream he’d willed into existence through sacrifice and determination.

“I told him I was proud to be a part of his team,” the Kraken’s second round pick from 2023 said, adding: “Playing games in the NHL and AHL have prepared for what’s ahead this month. The (Kraken and Firebirds) experience I have been getting has been pretty, pretty awesome. I will take it with me into my game.”

Fisker Molgaard prepared for his North American career by moving as an 18-year-old to play in Sweden’s top pro league while living solo in a city apartment. His mother, Trine Fisker, and father, Lars Molgaard, supported him throughout his foreign ventures and made it to Chicago just in time after a last-minute flight from Denmark last November to see their son’s NHL debut for the Kraken against the Blackhawks.

This time, they’ll have an easier trip to Milan, driving along with Fisker Molgaard’s younger brother, Anton.

“My parents and brother will be able to drive their car,” Fisker Molgaard said, smiling. “They made the hotel reservations right away. We're all pumped and excited. It'll be easier traveling for them this time. Hopefully, my mom will sleep more than she did last time.”

Though nobody expects the Danes to do much damage, Fisker Molgaard cautioned their lineup of ample NHL players should not be taken lightly. They include Winnipeg’s Nikolaj Ehlers, former Kraken winger Oliver Bjorkstrand, Ottawa’s Lars Eller and Carolina’s Frederik Andersen, plus former Seattle expansion draft pick Alex True.

“We're small with 6,000 hockey players [at all levels],” Fisker Molgaard said. “When you compare it to other countries, it's not a lot. But for some reason that that makes it even more fun. Sometimes I feel like we're just one big family, which I am hoping is an advantage for us. Everyone knows everyone back home. We all play with our hearts. Good things happen when you do that, when you love each other. We’ve all played together multiple times. Heading into that tournament, it's short term. Anything can happen when you just play one game [to move on].”

As for Grubauer, his German team also has its share of NHL products such as Edmonton Oilers star Leon Draisaitl, Ottawa Senators forward Tim Stutzle and centerman Nico Sturm from the Minnesota Wild. Like Denmark, Germany isn’t expected to contend for a medal.

Still, Grubauer, having one of his best statistical seasons in years for the Kraken, is looking forward to both the games and overall experience. He’s represented Germany at the world championships as recently as last spring but feels the Olympics are “the biggest stage in hockey” because all the top NHL players will be there.

“For me, it's my first Olympic experience, so I think that is one of a kind,” Grubauer said. “I don't know how this tournament is going to be different from usual world championships, but just super excited to represent Germany on an Olympic stage to really close to my hometown. So that's going to be awesome.”