Sabres Star Looks to Continue Dominance for Sweden Against Latvia

Latvia and Sweden will close out the elimination-stage contests as the men's hockey tournament at the 2026 Winter Olympics reduces to just eight nations. The winner of this knockout stage contest will go on to the quarterfinals to take on gold medal favorites, the United States.

Sweden won two of their three round robin stage games, and are looking to begin a run to the gold medal themselves. Meanwhile, Latvia is playing the role of underdog as they scrap to remain alive in the tournament.

Both teams need an X-factor player to lead them to victory. For both countries, the player is a defender: Latvia will look to young blue-liner Albert Smits, and Sweden will turn to Buffalo Sabres star Rasmus Dahlin to lead them to the quarterfinals.

Albert Smits - Latvian Wunderkind

There is only one player eligible for the 2026 NHL Draft participating in this event, and that is Latvian defender Albert Smits. The 18-year-old blue liner is the youngest participant at men's hockey tournament and the second-ranked European skater in the NHL Central Scouting's 2026 class. While he hasn't been able to single-handedly take Latvia into the gold medal conversation, he's looked like a seasoned NHL defender, which should be taken as a huge compliment.

The wunderkind has the chance to make one more impression on an international stage before the 2026 NHL Draft. He's already expected to be a top-10 pick, and he can cement his status as one of the best players in this class with a standout performance against Sweden.

Sweden defenseman Rasmus Dahli — Feb 13, 2026; Milan, Italy; Mikael Granlund of Finland in action with Rasmus Dahlin of Sweden in men's ice hockey group B play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn Images | Geoff Burke-Imagn Images

Rasmus Dahlin's Superstar Showing

It's been an incredible Olympics so far for Sweden and Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin. The captain of the Sabres joined a stacked Swedish blue line for this event, and he's managed to stand out even as fellow defenders like Erik Karlsson and Viktor Hedman have played impressive minutes together.

Dahlin has looked like a dominant force at both ends of the ice, and it's a huge reason why Sweden enters this contest as the favorite. Not only do they boast more offensive depth, but they also have a group of defenders that has three bona fide number ones in their top six.

In the preliminary round, Dahlin has been their best defender. In three games, he has one goal and three assists. He's also remained disciplined, taking just one minor penalty in the first three contests. With Dahlin playing at such a high level, Sweden is bringing three defensive pairs that can generate offense on one end and shut things down in the defensive zone. That spells trouble for Latvia.

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