One of my favorite events to watch is Olympic ice hockey, and this year it’s especially exciting to watch because NHL players are on Olympic rosters for the first time since 2014. That means the Games include several of my favorite players from my favorite team, the Nashville Predators.
ROMAN JOSI – SWITZERLAND: For many fans of the Nashville Predators, Roman Josi is the heart and soul of the team. He has played for the Predators since being drafted by them as the 38th overall pick in the 2008 NHL draft. He is Nashville’s team captain.
Josi was the first player in the Predators franchise history to win the James Norris Memorial trophy as the best defenseman in the league.
Filip Forsberg (photo courtesy Seattle Times)
FILIP FORSBERG – SWEDEN: Forsberg is another player who is often viewed as an integral part of the Predators’ roster. He is an alternate captain for the Preds, and much like Josi, he has never played for another NHL team since coming to Nashville in 2013. He has 342 regular-season goals, has played 837 games, and has 24 goals so far this season. He also had great success in international play with the Swedish team. As part of international tournaments for Team Sweden, he has won two gold and five silver medals. The two gold medals came at the 2012 IIHF World U20 Championship and the 2018 IIHF World Championships. This year, he is looking to win Olympic gold in his Olympic debut before returning to Music City.
ERIK HAULA – FINLAND: Erik Haula’s journey to the Olympics has been that of a true journeyman. He has been playing in the NHL since 2013, playing for seven different NHL teams. He is now in his second stint in Nashville. He played for the Minnesota Wild from 2013 to 2017 before being made available in the 2017 Expansion Draft, at which point he was signed by the Vegas Golden Knights. He played for Vegas until he was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2019. In February of 2020, was traded again, this time from Carolina to the Florida Panthers. Haula became a free agent after a very short stint with the Panthers. As a free agent, he signed a one-year contract with the Nashville Predators. Haula would score nine goals across 51 games during the shortened season. After his time with the Predators, he would sign a two-year contract with the Boston Bruins, who would eventually trade him to the New Jersey Devils. Then the Devils traded him back to Nashville on June 18, 2025.
Though he has moved around like a gypsy soul, Erik Haula has put up 161 regular-season goals across his NHL career.
Juuse Saros (photo courtesy Sportsnet)
JUUSE SAROS – FINLAND: The man between the pipes for Team Finland will be Nashville Predator’s goalie, Juuse Saros. Saros had a successful international career before arriving in the NHL. He represented Finland in various international tournaments and achieved several awards and honors. Including a silver medal at the 2012 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, a bronze medal in the 2013 IIHF World U18 Championships, and a gold medal at the 2014 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. In the 2013 tournament, he was named the best goaltender. He also brought home silver medals at the 2014 and 2016 IIHF World Championships. He has been playing in North America since 2015, and has spent most of that time in the Nashville Predators uniform, starting as the backup goaltender to fellow countryman, Pekka Rinne. While Saros had initial success as a starter, he has struggled in that role on and off. He entered his first Olympic Games in the midst of struggles as the Preds allowed a combined 15 goals in their last three games before the Olympic break. So far in the 2026 games, Finland is 2-1, losing 4-1 to Slovakia, beating Sweden by the same score, and dominating Italy 11-1.
