There’s a lot to love about the Winter Olympic Games, but ice hockey is always one of the most sought-after blue riband events. The fact that the NHL made assurances that the world’s top players would make it to the games in Beijing in 2022 only adds fuel to the fire.
Eight nations have made it through already thanks to the world rankings, while China gets a spot as they are the hosts. That leaves three qualifying places left, with twelve countries entering the final Olympic pre-qualification tournament in. Which nations are expected to make it to the ice in Beijing? Let’s find out.
Slovakia
The Slovak men’s national ice hockey team is the leading contender to take one of the three spots. Firstly, the nation’s ranking makes them the ninth-best team in the world, only 125 points behind Switzerland. Secondly, they have experience in the major tournaments, as the country has won gold at the Winter Olympics before in 2002. And, thirdly, the current roster has a few skilful players who ply their trades in the National Hockey League, such as Martin Marinčin of the Toronto Maple Leafs and Christián Jaroš of the Ottawa Senators.
Latvia
Not far behind Slovakia in the rankings is Latvia. Only 25 points are separating the two, which highlights the competitiveness between the nations. Of course, the way the qualification tournament works out is that neither Latvia nor Slovakia will face one another as they have been drawn into different groups. As a result, the odds of Latvia taking the Qualifier 2 place in the Winter Olympics are greater, according to the information on sites such as Comeon, for example. They only have to finish top of a group that includes Italy, France and Hungary, three sides that they are superior to on paper. Anything can happen in qualifying, yet if the Latvian players keep their nerve, they should be home and dry.
Norway
Out of the three highest-ranking nations in the qualifying rounds, Norway has the toughest job because their group isn’t as friendly as Slovakia’s or Latvia’s. Having to play fierce rivals, Denmark, isn’t going to be easy, but more on that later. What sets Norway apart from the rest of Group F at the minute is home advantage. The fact that they will understand the conditions better than the rest of the teams and have a home crowd cheering the guys on will only benefit the players in a pressure cooker situation.
Denmark
In many ways, it’s a toss-up between Denmark and Norway. Both will fight tooth and nail to make it to the Winter Olympics proper, even if like Latvia they end up in the group of death as a result. It’s not often players get to shine on the main stage, and there aren’t any bigger than Beijing 2022. Denmark has plenty of standout team members, but the star of the show is Patrick Russell. The Edmonton Oilers right-winger is at the peak of his powers at the age of 28, while the fact that he’s only the 12th Dane to play in the NHL would make his country’s appearance at the Olympics even more special.
Currently, Slovakia, Latvia and Norway are the leading contenders for the three remaining spots at the Winter Games in Beijing. However, you would be foolish to rule out Denmark given the depth of their roster.
