One more player from the Montreal Canadiens will not be getting a mid-season vacation this year. With roster decisions for the 2026 Olympic hockey tournament coming in this week, Oliver Kapanen has been selected to represent Finland when the NHL goes to Italy.
Oliver Kapanen fera partie d'Équipe Finlande aux Jeux olympiques d'hiver 2026 de Milan-Cortina! 🇫🇮
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) January 2, 2026
Oliver Kapanen has been named to Team Finland for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Congrats, Kappy!#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/tQRDE4pLBR
Kapanen has put together a very impressive rookie season in the NHL, which obviously caught the attention of Finland’s brass. His 21 points have him in the top five for rookie scoring, with 12 goals tying him for the most among any first-year players. He has formed a very dangerous line with Ivan Demidov, and Slovakian representative Juraj Slafkovsky, and in so doing has earned the honour to represent his country.
The news comes on the same day that the United States announced their roster, with both Lane Hutson and Cole Caufield being left off it. So while the Habs will have some pretty decent representation at the tournament, they do have some key players getting that mid-season vacation to reset and finish the year strong
Patrik Laine, who has long been a staple in Finland’s lineups, was also not named to his country’s roster. Presumably, his injury status has something to do with that decision, as we still don’t have a clear timeline for his return to action.
