The Colorado Avalanche were well represented in the 2026 Winter Olympics. The roster boasted eight Olympians from five nations. Here at MHS, we've already broken down why Sunday's gold medal game was basically a win-win situation for Avalanche fans. With players on both sides of the gold medal final, someone in Colorado's locker room was guaranteed gold.
In fact, with Finland taking bronze in a matchup with Slovakia on Saturday, it was inevitable that Avalanche players would be represented on every level of the podium. A total of six medals would be awarded to the burgundy and blue in Milan. The only question was how those honors would ultimately be distributed.
The triumph of the United States, on an overtime winner from Jack Hughes of the New Jersey Devils, meant that Brock Nelson, Colorado's biggest signing this summer, would come home with a gold medal. Nelson has been exemplary this season with Colorado, but Olympic glory was not just about family legacy, but his first taste of major success.
Unfortunately, having to break the hearts of NHL teammates is the nature of international competition. Last year, it was Canada who prevailed in the matchup of the North American neighbors and hockey powerhouses in the Four Nations tournament.
We here at MHS are thrilled for all of the Avalanche Olympians. Their collective efforts left no doubt who has the most stacked roster in the NHL. I went into these Winter Olympics knowing this fact in my heart, but decided to spend the time tracking overall points when compared to other clubs just for fun. I found it curious nobody else seemed to be doing this, but here at a Colorado Avalanche obsessed outlet, it is our duty.
The results were telling, not to mention personally gratifying.
Avalanche players blew the competition out of the water
In the final breakdown on raw point totals, Avalanche players accumulated 39 collective points! If that feels like a lot, that's because it is, friends. In fact, the next-closest club was none other than Colorado's eternal rival the Dallas Stars, who chipped in 24 total points.
Other organizations who showed up and showed out in Milan might surprise puck watchers. The New Jersey Devils, for instance, were just one point behind Dallas in production with 23. The Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, who led in player count with 10, finished the Winter Games with 22 points in total. Interestingly, this tied them with the club they have beaten twice in a row in the Stanley Cup Final, the Edmonton Oilers.
The Oilers, meanwhile, did the most with the least, so to speak. It obviously helps that Connor McDavid led all skaters in points with 13 (2 G, 11A). Leon Draisaitl and Josh Samanski, who both played for Germany, added seven and two points respectively.
You might wonder how Colorado was able to account for so much scoring. Part of it was about playing on great rosters, obviously. The Avalanche, for instance, had three representatives on the Canadian squad, who were the most prolific scorers. This is a distinction Colorado shares with two other NHL clubs, the Panthers and the Vegas Golden Knights.
Nathan MacKinnon accounted for seven points, (4G, 3A), Cale Makar added six, (2G, 4A), and Devon Toews was responsible for three more, (1G, 2A). So, yes, the 16 points the Colorado cohorts combined for on team Canada was impressive. The trio of Mark Stone, Mitch Marner and Shea Theadore were credited with 11 points by comparison. That was just over half of all the VGK points in the Olympics, as they finished with a total of 21.
The Florida Panthers contingent of Canada (Sam Bennett, Brad Marchand, and Sam Reinhart) mustered just 4 points for Canada, although Bennett and Marchand were admittedly tasked with being more of the old sandpaper element to the country's lineup by head coach Jon Cooper.
Speaking of Cooper's professional club, the Tampa Bay Lightning were one of the surpises for me during the Olympics. Like Colorado, Vegas and Minnesota, the Lightning had a total of eight representatives playing. But their collective output was just 14 points.
As it turns out, what helped the Avalanche absolutely lap the NHL field in point production was about spreading their considerable talent around the Olympics. To borrow a phrase from elsewhere, Colorado's diversity was its strength in international play.
If we look closer at why the Dallas Stars were the closest competitor to Colorado for the points crown, you'll see both how they racked up points on the way to second place, but also perhaps why they were no threat to eclipse the Avalanche. They were 'mobbed-up' together on Finland. Dallas had four players representing Finland, which I believe was the most by one franchise and one country.
Even with the biggest blowout win in Milan, an 11-0 result over the host country Italy, and a bronze medal finish, that was a recipe for this particular kind of statistical race. Of course, it also helps that the Avalanche sent two players from Finland as well.
The Finns from Dallas—Mikko Rantanen, Miro Heiskanen, Esa Lindell and Roope Hintz—were great. Together, they tallied 18 points. For comparison's sake, this is the same as the Minnesota Wild in total. But at least for the purposes of this exercise, it was not enough. Particulary when offset considerably by the contributions of Finland's two Avalanche players, Artturi Lehkonen (2G, 4A) and Joel Kiviranta (2G).
It's true that key members of the Avalanche shined on some of the world's best squads. The podium breakdown shows that. But the Avalanche player who filled up the stat sheet the most didn't even see the medal round. Martin Necas flat out rocked for his native Czechia.
Necas tallied eight points (5G, 3A) in just five games played. Honestly, if you watched the games Necas was consistently jumping off the screen. The guy I affectionately call Marty McFly was living up to his nickname every shift. Many Avalanche fans are hyper-focused on Necas proving his worth the rest of the way this season, especially in the playoffs. If these Olympics were a preview of where he can get to motor-wise? Watch out baby.
Brock Nelson might not steal the headlines on this stacked roster. Heck, even as a gold medal winner, he was not the big story for the United States. Nelson's point production came early. His three points (2G, 1A) came relatively early on in Milan. He was a disallowed goal away from an Olympic hat-trick though.
What I liked most about Nelson's play in the Olympics was tied to intangibles. He was an effective veteran presence on an American squad full of younger talent. The United States was perfect on the penalty kill throughout the tournament and Nelson was a big part of that. Those kinds of guts could be everything down the stretch for Colorado.
The last Avalanche player I haven't talked about yet is Colorado's captain Gabriel, who likewise wore the coveted C for his native Sweden. Landeskog was not the points leader for the Swedes. That honor went to Detroit's Lucas Raymond, who captains the Red Wings.
Yet for me, as an Avalanche diehard who was locked-in watching the Olympics, Landeskog was maybe the single player I was most invested in seeing. This had less to do with Olympic considerations and more to do with what he means for the Avalanche.
Obviously with Gabriel Landeskog missing considerable time due to injury, yet again, his health remains a pressing question for Colorado. But even after being out for over a month, Landeskog looked good for Sweden. The captain played important minutes and chipped in four points (2G, 2A). As ever, Landeskog brought balance and calm to the lineup.
Landeskog went back to Denver without hardware, but he showed why he's still the ideal guy to lead his Colorado teammates when regular play resumes this week. Landeskog is determination personified. His dedication to lead his country so closely mirrors his dedication to his pro club.
How the Avalanche could use this to fuel the rest of their season
Ultimately, an international tournament that has no bearing on NHL standings doesn't have to mean much to a team of professionals. But when looking at this example in totality, I think there is a lot to be gained by these mini-lessons.
The Colorado Avalanche players were individually and collectively excellent in Italy. They reminded the hockey world that their current roster is frankly unparalleled. But as much fun as it was to compile these points tables together and compare them against other clubs, at this point, it's flexing.
If MacKinnon, Makar and Toews are sore from falling short, that could be to Colorado's benifit in June. If Lehkonen and Kiviranta want to show their Finnish friends on Dallas what winning really looks like, they can do it wearing burgundy and blue. If Necas found that extra gear, he can use it soon enough. Landeskog is back and this club looks ready to prove something.
Brock Nelson might be the Avalanche's lone gold medal winner. But it's now, with this team, that he could finally capture a Stanley Cup and complete what could well be the most magical season any hockey player could dream.