The Friday Four is a collection of thoughts and information on some intriguing player storylines from around the hockey world. On deck this week is:
As Sidney Crosby slid the puck past Ryan Miller for the Golden Goal nearly 16 years ago, Drew Doughty was one of the first players to pounce on him in celebration. Doughty was on the ice for the critical moment as a 20-year-old back then, surging up the ranks from seventh defenceman in Vancouver to a key contributor by the time Canada captured the gold medal.
Since then, Doughty has added another gold medal to his resume and a pair of Stanley Cup rings to his fingers, becoming one of the most accomplished Canadian blue-liners of his generation. Despite the NHL not sending players to the Olympics for 12 years, Doughty’s inclusion on this 2026 team was still never in question, but the role he was going to play was.
Now 36 and with Canada bringing eight defencemen to Milan, there was a good chance Doughty was going to be used sparingly this time around, especially based on his play leading up to the tournament. The veteran managed just one assist and was minus-12 in his final 18 games for the Los Angeles Kings before heading to the Olympics, while being outscored 15-8 at five-on-five over that stretch.
One thing Doughty did have going for him was experience. He and Crosby are the only two Canadian players who have skated in an Olympics, and they’re an invaluable resource on a team with a handful of younger players. Someone like Doughty didn’t get rattled when Josh Morrissey left Canada’s opening win over Czechia with an injury and didn’t return. He confidently stepped up when coach Jon Cooper needed to lean on him more than expected.
Doughty ended up playing 18:59 in the 5-0 victory, more than Cale Makar and behind only partner Thomas Harley and Devon Toews. They were effective minutes, too. Doughty had a great stick all game and broke up several Czech plays in the defensive zone. He also did a good job of moving the puck out of the Canadian end, even springing Brad Marchand for a partial breakaway in one sequence.
The veteran didn’t pick up a point in the contest, but he did play a critical role on a pair of Canadian goals. Before Bo Horvat’s beautiful breakaway tally, Doughty stood his ground at the Canadian blue line and forced Martin Necas to dump the puck in, instead of allowing him to get it to David Pastrnak, who was looking to create an odd-man rush. Harley quickly retrieved it, and two passes later, Horvat was off to the races. Later on, Doughty stepped up aggressively and kept the puck alive in the offensive zone before Connor McDavid found Nick Suzuki for a deflection in front.
It remains to be seen how much time Morrissey will miss, but Canada can no longer add a replacement if he’s done for the tournament. That could mean more minutes for the Doughty and Harley duo, which proved they were up to the task in Game 1. Having Doughty next to him should be very comforting to Harley, who was also having a down year by his standards, as some questioned if Evan Bouchard or Matthew Schaefer deserved a chance instead.
Perhaps not pegged to be a major contributor, Doughty is again proving he can take on an elevated role when needed. In what is likely to be his final Olympics, Doughty may end up following a similar path to his first. The moment still isn’t too big for him.
Brock Nelson, United States
If you listen to critics of Team USA’s roster selection for this Olympic tournament, Brock Nelson shouldn’t even be here. The 34-year-old has lost a step, didn’t have a great 4 Nations and had a slow start to the season. However, if Game 1 was any indication, Nelson is proving he’s more than worthy of a spot on the team, and he might just be a driving force for this group.
The Colorado Avalanche forward was everywhere Thursday, scoring twice, hitting a post and having another goal disallowed, all in only 13:25 of ice time. Nelson also had great chemistry with Jack Hughes, who assisted on both of his goals. The Americans are not in an overly challenging group, so these early games will be more about finding line combinations that click, and the pair of Hughes and Nelson feels like something they’ll want to run with moving forward.
In reality, Nelson’s hot start is just a continuation of the torrid pace he’s been on since the calendar turned. After not getting off to the best start in 2025, almost no one has been hotter than Nelson once the Olympic rosters were announced. Since Jan. 2, Nelson’s 13 goals are the most in the NHL leading up to the break.
There is definitely a good argument that the U.S. would have been wise to bring along Jason Robertson and Cole Caufield to Milan. No American skater has more goals than Caufield and Robertson have this season, so you can understand why some fans would question their omission. That said, Nelson is making sure that there is no debate about his selection for the roster, and his strong play leading up to the tournament could give him the momentum needed to be a difference-maker in what the U.S. ultimately hopes will be a gold medal.
If you are looking for an early dark horse in this Olympic tournament, Germany wouldn’t be a bad choice. The Germans knocked off Denmark 3-1 in their opening game on the back of a pair of goals from Tim Stutzle. Much like Nelson, Stutzle is riding the wave of a strong run before the break right into this competition.
Stutzle scored in his final five games with the Ottawa Senators before heading off to Milan, and nine of his last 12 games overall. That puts him on pace for an 88-point campaign, which would be just under his career best. While we’ve missed out on best-on-best hockey for more than a decade, Germany has been developing some incredible individual talents who are finally getting a chance to play together on the world’s biggest stage.
Leon Draisaitl alone makes this team dangerous. Draisaitl has a Hart, an Art Ross, a Ted Lindsay and Rocket Richard Trophy to his name and is a perennial 100-point player. Add in Moritz Seider, who has become a dominant defenceman for the Detroit Red Wings and is working his way into the Norris conversation in 2025-26. Then there’s JJ Peterka, who is an offensively gifted player only scratching the surface of his abilities.
What really should give Germany belief this time out, though, is goaltending. Philipp Grubauer is having a bounce-back season and playing at a really high level, which was on display against Denmark. Grubauer stopped 37-of-38 shots in a dominant performance.
High-end talent is always a scary thing to deal with for any opposing team because you know players like Stutzle and Draisaitl are capable of taking over a game. That should make potential challengers to Germany in an elimination game very nervous.
Filip Forsberg and Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Sweden
Sweden picked up a win in its opening game against Italy, but it was anything but straightforward. The Italians shocked the hockey world by scoring first and were actually tied with the Swedes at 2-2 during the second period, despite being outshot by a lopsided margin. One other thing that stood out in Sweden’s 5-2 victory was the way it divided up the ice time.
There were definitely some raised eyebrows when Filip Forsberg was slotted in as the 13th forward for Sweden, despite being one of the league’s more potent scorers. Forsberg had 48 goals and 94 points two years ago, but players such as Alex Wennberg and Pontus Holmberg were trusted more in Sweden’s opening contest. The Nashville Predators forward logged just 1:04 of ice time across one shift and was a complete non-factor, while every other forward received at least 13 minutes of action.
Now, part of that probably had to do with a costly turnover Forsberg made during his lone shift that led to an Italian goal. Still, to bench him for the rest of the contest in a tight game was probably counterproductive. Forsberg has the offensive ability that players such as Wennberg and Holmberg don’t, so not utilizing him in what turned out to be a tighter-than-expected game in order to create offence could have ended up costly.
At least Forsberg did see the ice at one point, but the same can’t be said about Oliver Ekman-Larsson. The veteran blue-liner didn’t receive a single shift in the contest. That is a little more understandable because Sweden has a very talented and capable group of six on their blue line, although perhaps there was a missed opportunity to balance out the minutes. Ekman-Larsson is having a great season, and there shouldn’t have been any issue giving him a handful of shifts here and there. That would’ve allowed Sweden to ease some other defender’s workloads. All six other defenseman played at least 18 minutes, with Victor Hedman and Erik Karlsson logging more than 21, which we’re sure was more than planned against an opponent like Italy. Hedman is just returning from a lengthy injury absence and both players are 35, so getting a little rest whenever possible is going to be key.
The competition is only going to get tougher, and Forsberg and Ekman-Larsson are likely going to have to play a larger role going forward if Sweden plans to go deep into the tournament.
