Which Golden Knights have chance to play in 2026 Winter Olympics?

Get used to seeing the Golden Knights being well-represented in international competition.

Seven players and coach Bruce Cassidy were selected for the 4 Nations Face-Off last season. The Knights still had a healthy presence even with defenseman Alex Pietrangelo and center William Karlsson withdrawing because of injuries.

Expect more of the same when the NHL begins its break Feb. 6 for the Winter Olympics in Italy. The competition begins Feb. 11.

Cassidy will make his Olympic coaching debut as an assistant under coach Jon Cooper for Team Canada.

The Knights already have two confirmed Olympians with center Jack Eichel (Team USA) and right wing Jonas Rondbjerg (Denmark) being named the first six players for their country.

Barring injury, nearly half the roster could be playing hockey in Italy next winter.

Some names to keep in mind:

Mitch Marner, RW, Canada

It’s a given that the Knights’ newest star is going to play for his country again.

Marner, coming off a career-high 102 points last season, had a goal and two assists for Canada during the 4 Nations.

One of those assists was the primary helper on Connor McDavid’s tournament-clinching goal against the United States.

Shea Theodore, D, Canada

Theodore’s first taste of best-on-best competition was cut short after he broke his wrist in Canada’s first game of the 4 Nations against Sweden.

That caused Theodore to miss 15 regular-season games, but he still had the best season of his career with 57 points in 67 games.

Theodore can play either side in a top-four role on Canada’s stacked blue line and might be considered for the second power play unit.

Mark Stone, RW, Canada

Given the emergence of some budding young talent in Canada’s forward group, the Knights captain could be one of the bubble selections.

Stone overcame a huge health hurdle by appearing in 66 games and totaling 67 points last season, overcoming a frustrating three-year stint of injuries.

He could benefit from a strong start to the season to secure his Team Canada spot, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see general manager Doug Armstrong try to infuse younger talent in the lineup.

Macklin Celebrini of the San Jose Sharks, Connor Bedard of the Chicago Blackhawks and Nick Suzuki of the Montreal Canadiens immediately come to mind.

Adin Hill, G, Canada

Hill was the backup to Jordan Binnington during 4 Nations but never got into a game.

Given the Olympics last two weeks, goalies will be rotated.

Hill will face stiff competition to keep his spot. Former teammate Logan Thompson became the undisputed No. 1 option for the Washington Capitals. Los Angeles Kings goaltender Darcy Kuemper was a Vezina Trophy finalist last season.

Hill admitted that trying to make Team Canada last season was at the front of his mind, which led to a rough start to the season. He will need to do better in that scenario to get a look again.

Noah Hanifin, D, United States

Hanifin is another player who could be on the bubble because of others on the rise.

He has the talent to make the roster, but an inconsistent season puts his case in an interesting conversation.

Hanifin, who had 39 points last season, saved his best hockey following the 4 Nations and finished strong.

But there are some players — such as Calder Trophy winner Lane Hutson, former Olympian John Carlson and Stanley Cup champion Seth Jones — who could make a push.

William Karlsson, C, Sweden

The most frustrating season of Karlsson’s career last season, when he played only 53 games, included not playing for his native Sweden during the 4 Nations.

But he proved his injury problems were behind him by being a stellar two-way option — at wing and center — during the playoffs.

He should be a lock for Sweden if he stays healthy.

Tomas Hertl, C, Czech Republic

Hertl is another lock for his home country after producing a 32-goal season in his first full campaign with the Knights.

Hertl reached the 30-goal mark for the third time in his career, with 14 of his goals coming on the power play.

Any team would love to add someone such as Hertl to camp out in front of the crease and score tough goals.

Akira Schmid, G, Switzerland

Schmid is the only active Swiss goaltender in the league, so he makes the roster by default.

But Schmid will have some merit to get in if he enters the season as Hill’s backup and gets more playing time.

He played well in his three starts late last season while passing Ilya Samsonov on the depth chart.

Schmid has made the most of his opportunities with the Knights. Doing so again should get him to Italy.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.