2026 Winter Olympics from Milano Cortina, Italy, odds, picks: Projected men's hockey results from proven expert

With the return of NHL players to the Winter Olympics in Italy, Canada comes into the 2026 Games as the odds-on favorites to bring home the gold medal. Canada is at +120 to win it all. Defending champion Finland, who won gold at Beijing in 2022, are also among the favorites. 

Other favorites include the United States at +175, Sweden at +600, Finland at +1000 and the Czech Republic at +2000. One of the favorites, Russia, is not allowed to compete because of the war in Ukraine. Men's hockey preliminary round play begins on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at Milano Cortina, Italy.

Before making any 2026 Winter Olympics men's hockey picks or predictions, you need to see what hockey insider Matt Severance has to say.

Severance is coming off an outstanding NHL season in which he went 235-155-21 (plus $2,022). He enters the Olympic break on a 26-12 roll on NHL money-line picks this season, returning $1,326 for $100 players. 

For the 2026 Winter Olympic Games at Milan and Cartina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Severance is backing the United States to earn its first men's hockey medal since taking silver at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics.

Severance has three other top picks, potentially netting any backer a huge payday! He is also backing a team to win its group. See which plays Severance is backing.

So who wins the gold medal in men's hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cartina d'Ampezzo, Italy, and which massive longshot could stun the competition? Visit SportsLine now to see the picks and best bets from the 2026 Winter Olympics, and find out!