Flyers forward Rodrigo Ābols named to Latvia’s Olympic team for 2026
Ābols, 29, played 22 games with the Flyers last season and will be participating in his second Olympics for Latvia.
The Flyers will have at least one representative in next February’s Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, and it is probably not the first name you’d expect.
That player is Rodrigo Ābols, who was named as one of Latvia’s first six roster players on Monday. Ābols, 29, has long been a linchpin of the Latvian national team and will be participating in his second Olympics after representing Latvia in the 2022 Beijing Games. He was a key member of Latvia’s 2023 World Championship team, which earned the country’s first hockey medal by winning bronze over the United States.
The center played 22 games for the Flyers and 47 games for Lehigh Valley last season, making his long-awaited NHL debut in January at 29 years old. Ābols tallied two goals and three assists during his spell in the NHL, and played a bigger role with the Phantoms during their run to the postseason with 15 goals and 32 points.
The 6-foot-4 Ābols, who recently signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Flyers worth $775,000, will compete for a bottom-six role with the Flyers next season.
The Flyers will likely have additional Olympians beyond Ābols at the first Olympics featuring NHL players since 2014. Defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen is expected to make Finland’s team, while goalie Sam Ersson will compete for one of the three goalie spots with Sweden.
Defenseman Travis Sanheim looks to have a good shot at making Team Canada after his strong performances during the 4 Nations Face-Off and the recent World Championships, while winger Travis Konecny, who also played at the 4 Nations, is probably on the bubble for Canada.
USA and Canada name preliminary rosters
While Sanheim and Konecny will have to wait to see if they will make Canada’s Olympic team, Connor McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart will not. Those players were chosen Monday as the first six members of Team Canada’s roster.
Team USA also named its first six, with forwards Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, and defensemen Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy earning the nod. The United States will look to build on its momentum from the 4 Nations and try to unseat Canada atop international hockey’s summit.
Former Flyers forward Pierre-Édouard Bellemare, 40, was named to France’s roster, and defenseman Radko Gudas was named to Czechia’s team. Sweden notably did not name a goaltender in its initial six. Ersson is likely competing with Jacob Markström, Filip Gustavsson, and Linus Ullmark for three spots.
The full “Olympic Six″ rosters are below:
Canada: Crosby, MacKinnon, McDavid, Makar, Point, and Reinhart
Czechia: Lukáš Dostál, Gudas, Martin Nečas, Ondřej Palát, David Pastrňák, and Pavel Zacha
Denmark: Frederik Andersen, Oliver Bjorkstrand, Nikolaj Ehlers, Jesper Jensen Aabo, Lars Eller, and Jonas Røndbjerg
Finland: Sebastian Aho, Aleksander Barkov, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell, Mikko Rantanen, and Juuse Saros
France: Yohann Auvitu, Bellemare, Jules Boscq, Hugo Gallet, Jordann Perret, and Alexandre Texier
Germany: Leon Draisaitl, Philipp Grubauer, Lukas Reichel, Moritz Seider, Tim Stützle, and Nico Sturm
Italy: Damian Clara, Diego Kostner, Thomas Larkin, Daniel Mantenuto, Tommy Purdeller, and Luca Zanatta
Latvia: Ābols, Uvis Balinskis, Teddy Bļuger, Zemgus Girgensons, Elvis Merzļikins, and Artūrs Šilovs
Slovakia: Erik Černák, Martin Fehérváry, Šimon Nemec, Martin Pospíšil, Juraj Slafkovský, and Tomáš Tatar
Sweden: Rasmus Dahlin, Victor Hedman, Adrian Kempe, Gabriel Landeskog, William Nylander, and Lucas Raymond
Switzerland: Kevin Fiala, Nico Hischier, Roman Josi, Timo Meier, Nino Niederreiter, and Jonas Siegenthaler
United States: Eichel, Hughes, Matthews, McAvoy, Tkachuk, and Tkachuk