A few days after Team Canada announced their 2026 Winter Olympic men’s hockey roster, Team USA, Sweden and Finland followed suit – and a pair of Vancouver Canucks were named to their respective nations’ roster.

Forward Elias Pettersson was named for Team Sweden, while goaltender Kevin Lankinen was listed for Team Finland.

Both players met with the media following Friday’s morning skate to discuss the accomplishment and the moment they got the phone call:

“It’s special, very honoured,” Pettersson said. “I’m very excited for when the time comes.

“Coach called a week ago, talked game plan, etc. and about what to expect from every player.”

Pettersson was asked what the coaching staff expects from him this go-around, and he replied, “Play good hockey.”

“Yeah, it’s obviously great news,” Lankinen shared. “It’s something that’s been a goal of mine for a long time, and a dream come true.

“I got the call on Boxing Day morning, so it was a cool little late Christmas gift.”

Pettersson and Lankinen both represented their country at last February’s 4 Nations Faceoff – and both had very different tournaments.

Projected as Team Sweden’s first-line centre, Pettersson was held without a point throughout the entire tournament. In fact, his performance was so underwhelming that his minutes declined, and by the final game, Pettersson was demoted to the third line and played under 10 minutes.

Lankinen, on the other hand, started as Team Finland’s backup goalie. However, after a rough opening game against Team USA from Nashville Predators netminder Juuse Saros, Lankinen would get the start against Team Sweden, securing the 4-3 overtime victory. That performance earned him the start of the following game against Team Canada; however, he lasted just over one period before he was pulled.

Neither the Swedes nor the Finns advanced past the Round Robin stage, but Lankinen is optimistic about his country’s chances, given what they showed at the 4 Nations last year:

“[We have] a great roster. I think we showed last year in the 4 Nations that we can compete, and we’ve got some really good quality players. The only goal is to win gold.”

While the 4 Nations Faceoff was entertaining, it was just an appetizer for what the 2026 Olympics will be.

“Yeah, it’s going to be a really big thing,” Lankinen said. “It’s been a while, it must have been Sochi or Vancouver last time, so I’m sure people are going to be glued to their TVs and watch. It’s a special day for the Finnish national team to announce the team, and now we’re focused on the day-to-day stuff. When the time comes, we’ll be ready to go.”

The Olympics officially begin on Wednesday, February 11, with both Lankinen and Pettersson’s nations kicking off the preliminary rounds. Finland opens the tournament against Slovakia, while Sweden battles the host country, Italy.