Three Boston Bruins stars named to 2026 Olympic rosters

Instead of an NHL All-Star Weekend this past season, there was the 4 Nations Face-Off, and as far as the Boston Bruins were concerned, it turned into a nightmare week-plus of hockey. Star defenseman Charlie McAvoy was lost for the season with an injury, but truth be told, he has no regrets for agreeing to play in the tourney.

Next season, it'll be another season with no useless All-Star Game, as instead, the NHL's top players will head to Milano Cortina to take part in the Winter Olympics. Players who will be representing their country are starting to be leaked out by those countries, and on Monday, the first three members of the Black and Gold were leaked.

Three Bruins players have been announced to play in the Winter Olympics next year

On Monday, Czechia first announced six players that will be playing in the Olympics next February and two of the six players, David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha, were part of the list. As for Team USA's first six players, McAvoy will once again represent his country, this time in Milano Cortina.

McAvoy will hope to be healthy next February when the Olympics begin, and after falling short in the 4 Nations Face-Off, Team USA will get another opportunity to prove that they are the best in the world. Joining McAvoy so far are Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, and Quinn Hughes.

As for Pastrnak and Zacha, Czechia was not part of the 4 Nations Face-Off and Pastrnak made his feelings known when the four countries were announced, and expect them to play with a chip on their shoulders in Milan, especially after being eliminated early from the IIHF World Championship in May, a tournament that Team USA won behind the performance of goalie Jeremy Swayman.

In a surprising decision, Bruins center Elias Lindholm was not part of the first six players announced by Sweden for the Olympics, but after the World Championship he had, it would be stunning if he's not part of the final roster.