Oliver Bjorkstrand powers through recovery from that brutal compartment syndrome surgery that sidelined him last spring, just months after the Lightning swung big to land him from Seattle. The 30-year-old winger, now fully cleared and skating again, eyes a monster first full season in Tampa alongside Hagel and Cirelli.

Czechia faces Denmark in a high-stakes Olympic qualifying playoff where the winner punches a ticket to tangle with powerhouse Canada in the quarters. The Czechs, carrying the weight of a proud hockey nation after a shaky prelim round, lean on NHL vets like Radko Gudas and Tomas Hertl to prove they still belong among the elite. Denmark counters with Frederik Andersen in net and scorers like Oliver Bjorkstrand eyeing a massive upset.

Denmark's hockey team steps into the Olympic glare feeling a bit out of place, with players like Lightning forward Oliver Bjorkstrand admitting it's surreal for their small country to draw this much attention. Packing six NHLers including Senators vet Lars Eller and Hurricanes stars Nikolaj Ehlers and Frederik Andersen, the Danes just absorbed a 3-1 loss to Germany and now face a powerhouse U.S. squad loaded with top talent.

Columbus Blue Jackets winger Oliver Bjorkstrand talks up Denmark's rising hockey tide as the 2026 Winter Olympics loom in Milano Cortina. The Danish star, who's carved out a solid NHL career stateside, points to growing talent pipelines and international momentum that casual fans might miss from afar. With NHLers heading back to the Games for the first time in over a decade, Bjorkstrand's optimism underscores how smaller nations challenge the hockey hierarchy.