Thirteen PHPA members representing five different countries participated in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan in February, getting to live out a once-in-a-lifetime experience representing their country on the world’s biggest stage – with several members making a major impact on the ice throughout the tournament.

Coachella Valley’s Oscar Fisker Mølgaard, 21, was the youngest player on Denmark’s roster at the 2026 Olympics in Milan, but it didn’t stop him from making a big-time impression in his first time competing at the Olympics.

“It’s such an honor to be able to represent your country. Just being in the (Olympic) Village, being around the athletes, (living) the Olympics experience was unreal,” Mølgaard told NBC Palm Springs prior to Coachella Valley’s February 27 game against Henderson. “It’s something I will never forget, and hopefully something I can experience another time.”

The way Mølgaard performed for Denmark in Milan, finishing tied for second on the team in scoring with Carolina Hurricanes forward Nikolaj Ehlers with three points (one goal, two assists), he will certainly be a player on Denmark’s radar for the 2030 Winter Olympics.

Grand Rapids winger Eduards Tralmaks made the most of his first experience at the Olympics – leading Latvia with three goals and four points in four games in Milan last month.

“It’s everything I expected it to be and more. It’s hard to put it into words,” Tralmaks told local media in Grand Rapids after his first game back with the Griffins last weekend.

The 29-year-old forward has had a strong showing on the international stage previously, but nothing tops competing in the Olympics and Tralmaks shined for Latvia on the Olympic stage.

“Just being there around all these top-level athletes, seeing them everyday and talking to some of them. Going through this.. it’s like an out of world experience,” Tralmaks explained. “It’s something I will carry with me for the rest of my life.”

Samuel Hlavaj of the Iowa Wild made his presence felt in the opening game of the tournament for Slovakia, stopping 39 shots in Slovakia’s 4-1 win over Finland on February 11.

He was also busy in a group stage game against Sweden, making 46 saves in a loss on February 14 before stopping 25 of 27 in Slovakia’s Quarterfinals win over Germany.

Unfortunately for Slovakia, a loss in the Semifinals to the United States and a setback in the bronze medal game against Finland left Hlavaj leaving Milan without a medal despite his performances in net throughout the tournament.

“We ended up fourth and (came up) short, and it sucks, but at the end of the day it was a great tournament for us,” Hlavaj said of his Olympics experience in an interview with Iowa Wild broadcaster Ben Gislason upon his return to AHL-Iowa.

No goalie stopped more shots (158 saves) at the 2026 Olympics in Milan than Hlavaj, who is hoping to use the strong performances at the international stage to further bolster his professional hockey career in North America with the Minnesota Wild organization.

“I realized if I’m at the top of my game I can play with the best players in the world,” Hlavaj said when asked about what he learned from playing in the Olympics earlier this month. “Hopefully I can bring that back here to Iowa.”

Other PHPA members who participated in the Olympics include Dans Locmelis (Latvia), Anri Ravinskis (Latvia), Lukas Reichel (Germany), Pavol Regenda (Slovakia), Jonas Røndbjerg (Denmark), Mads Søgaard (Denmark), Josh Samanski (Germany), David Spacek (Czechia), Wojciech Stachowiak (Germany) and Sandis Vilmanis (Latvia).