Who do I think will end up being the underdog team in the 2026 Olympic women's hockey tournament? Finland. The team's first seven appearances in the event have generally been quite successful. Of those seven appearances, Finland has won four bronze medals while making it to the bronze medal game an additional two times. Their seventh appearance was a fifth-place showing in the 2014 games in Sochi.
Though it's not the level of success you see Canada and the United States boasting, Finland is arguably the next in line for a gold medal game appearance. The only team not named Canada or the United States to make it to a gold medal game in women's hockey was Sweden; they achieved that feat back in 2006, which was ironically in Italy.
Can the Finns, who have won the most Olympic women's hockey medals of any team not named Canada or the United States, find success once again and secure their first-ever appearance in an Olympic gold medal game?
Their roster, which boasts some scoring depth, could very well be key in achieving that aim.
Finland’s women’s hockey team isn’t built around the PWHL like its rivals
Four of the players named to Finland's roster play their club hockey as part of the PWHL. Two of the players represent the Ottawa Charge, while the Boston Fleet and Vancouver Goldeneyes are both sending one player to the Winter Olympics.
Of the twenty-three Finns making their way to Milan, five play at the American collegiate level. Four university programs will be represented at the Olympics, with St. Cloud State University sending two players to the women's Olympic hockey tournament. The other three universities represented are Ohio State, Mercyhurst, and the University of Minnesota.
The remaining fourteen players play their club hockey in Europe. Ten players play in the SDHL (Swedish Women's Hockey League), three play in the Finnish domestic league, while the remaining member of the Olympic roster plays in the Swiss women's league.
The path to gold is through offense
If Finland is going to keep pace with the likes of Canada and the United States, they're going to have to find a way to match their offensive firepower. That starts with players like Susanna Tapani, who has tallied thirty-six points through sixty-four career PWHL games. Other players like defender Ronja Savolainen will also be key in Finland's hopes; she has thirteen points through 37 PWHL games.
That said, arguably the most important player for this Finnish lineup is Noora Tulus. So far this season, the Vantaa native has recorded 36 points (15 goals and 21 assists) through 33 games played. Despite her struggles in her lone season in the PWHL (she recorded just two points in thirty games played), she's consistently scored points at a point-per-game pace throughout her career.
If she is able to once again replicate that pace at the Winter Olympics, Finland will be able to consistently score goals and keep up with opponents; that will be key for any deep tournament run.
Despite winning bronze last time out, the Finns did struggle in the group stage. They did finish third, however they scored just three points in the standings while having a better goal differential than the ROC and Switzerland.
While I don't see Finland beating both Canada and the United States in the group stage, they can keep those games close or even send them to overtime. That should give them an edge over the likes of Czechia and Switzerland, who will both be beatable opponents for the Finns.
I'm pretty confident in predicting a third-place group stage finish for Finland, which should put the team in a decent position to make it to the semifinals for the third-consecutive Winter Olympics.