Seth Jarvis of Canada and Jaccob Slavin of the United States will compete for the gold medal in men’s ice hockey at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. Both players, who play for the Carolina Hurricanes, were key contributors to their national teams’ semifinal victories on Friday.
Jarvis was moved up to Canada’s second line alongside Bo Horvat and Nathan MacKinnon after Sidney Crosby suffered an injury. He played a role in Canada’s 3-2 win over Finland. If he plays again on Sunday, it will be his fifth consecutive game at the tournament.
Canada is making its fourth appearance in an Olympic gold-medal game featuring NHL players, following previous finals in 2002, 2010, and 2014. The last time they reached this stage was in 2014.
Slavin helped Team USA defeat Slovakia with a score of 6-2. He finished with a +2 rating and was instrumental on the penalty kill unit, which successfully defended all four Slovakian power plays. Throughout the tournament, Team USA has not allowed a single power play goal against them.
“This kid’s going for gold,” said the Carolina Hurricanes via social media.
Sebastian Aho, also from the Hurricanes but representing Finland, will aim for bronze when Finland faces Slovakia on Saturday. Aho leads his team in goals scored during this tournament with three goals in five games. Only Macklin Celebrini (Canada), Nick Olesen (Denmark), Tim Stutzle (Germany), Nathan MacKinnon (Canada), and Juraj Slafkovsky (Slovakia) have scored more goals so far.
Aho also leads Finnish forwards in average ice time per game at over sixteen minutes. Finland must overcome their only loss of the tournament—a group stage upset by Slovakia—if they hope to secure third place.
The Carolina Hurricanes have previously recognized significant player contributions by inducting members such as Eric Staal and Rod Brind’Amour into their Hall of Fame according to their official website. The team achieved its most notable milestone by winning the Stanley Cup in 2006 (source).
The Hurricanes play at Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina (source). The venue accommodates up to 20,000 people and hosts more than 150 events annually (source). It covers over 700,000 square feet with multiple seating levels and various amenities including suites and concession stands (source). Through these events and community engagement activities, the franchise generates an economic impact exceeding $200 million each year (source).
For fans interested in following Canes players during Milano Cortina 2026 competition updates are available online.
