Capitals’ Fehervary, Eller named to preliminary Olympic squads

At least two current Capitals will represent their nations at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Center Lars Eller and defenseman Martin Fehervary were named to the Danish and Slovakian squads, respectively, on Monday morning.

National teams started announcing preliminary rosters — including the top six players — on social media on Monday. Hype for the hockey tournament at the Milano Cortina Games is growing as NHL players will join the competition for the first time since 2014.

Alex Ovechkin, the Capitals’ biggest star and the NHL’s all-time leading goal-scorer, won’t be joining his teammates on the ice in Italy next Winter. His native Russia was barred from the Olympic tournament due to the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Nine of the 12 participating teams announced their first selections on Monday morning. 

The U.S. named Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy as its first six players for the 2026 Olympics, avoiding goaltenders on the initial roster.

Some assortment of Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, Jeremy Swayman and Thatcher Demko figure to make the team when full rosters are submitted in early January.

“Our goalies played well for us, great seasons: Connor just got the Vezina and Hart, which is incredible,” U.S. general manager Bill Guerin said on a video call with reporters. “It was just kind of the thing we talked that about before we did it for 4 Nations: do we add a goalie, do we not add a goalie? I felt it was best we stay consistent and just let the goalies play it out during the season.”

This tournament marks what should be the first Olympics for Canada’s Connor McDavid and many other top players who have not yet gotten that opportunity.

“Incredibly honored to represent my country at the biggest sporting event in the world,” McDavid said after he and the Edmonton Oilers practiced during the Stanley Cup Final. “You think of the Canadian players that can be named to that team and to be selected again, it means a lot.”

McDavid would have been there had the NHL not pulled out of the 2022 Beijing Games because of pandemic-related scheduling issues. Along with McDavid, Canada picked Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Brayden Point and Sam Reinhart, the latter of whom is also in the final with the defending champion Florida Panthers.

While the national teams started the selection process on Monday, the full rosters will not be announced until the Games, which begin in February, draw closer.

“There is a recognition of how important this is to the players. And in the spirit of cooperation, particularly the work that we did together during COVID, everybody felt on our side that it was the right thing to do,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in February.

Fehervary missed most of the Capitals’ postseason run with a torn meniscus. The defenseman played in 81 regular-season games for Washington, leading the blue line in hits while blocking 150 shots.

The 25-year-old also notched his first 20-assist campaign last season.

While Fehervary is a rising star, Eller is a journeyman. The Capitals added the center through a trade with the Pittsburgh Penguins during the season before slotting him into the lineup for the playoff push.

The 36-year-old notched six goals and nine assists as Washington earned the top seed in the Eastern Conference.

Eller will be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

This article is based in part on wire service reports.