Jason Seed is training with the Azzurri in Bolzano. © Vanna Antonello

Italy's Olympic adventure begins in Bolzano

After the South Tyrolean ICE derby, it's on to the Olympic Games in Milan: On the morning after HC Bozen's thrilling victory against HC Pustertal, Italy's national ice hockey team began preparations for the big highlight at the same location.

February 02, 2026

From: dl

The first day of work for the Azzurri, who are currently in their pre-Olympic training camp in Bolzano. The Italian men's national team players will remain at the Sparkasse Arena until Thursday. Meanwhile, on Wednesday evening at 19:30 p.m., the Blue Team will play a friendly match against Germany, who are also preparing for the Winter Olympics in the South Tyrolean capital.

Germany arrived in Bolzano on Sunday, but without its nine NHL players. Goaltender Grubauer, defenseman Seider, and forwards Draisaitl, Peterka, Reichel, Samanski, Stachowiak, Stützle, and Sturm are all absent. All other nominated players are present; the roster has been expanded to compensate for the absence of the NHL players, who will join the team in Milan in the coming days.

Italy has all hands on board

On Monday, the Azzurri first completed an athletic training session led by conditioning coach Mike Kadar, followed by over an hour of on-ice work under the watchful eye and guidance of Jukka Jalonen. All 25 players nominated for the Winter Games are participating in the pre-Olympic training camp. This includes eight players from Bolzano and six from Puster Valley, who played in the derby on Sunday evening.

Jason Seed is eagerly anticipating the Olympic Games.

Defenseman Jason Seed, who has been playing in Bolzano for two years, came to Italy in 2022 – more precisely, to Cortina. The Canadian-born defenseman has played 30 games for the Italian national team. Speaking on the sidelines of training camp, the 34-year-old addressed his Olympic dream: “I don’t really know how to describe how I feel – I just know I’m extremely proud to have made the team and of all the sacrifices I’ve made. Wearing the Italian jersey will be a great honor.”

After completing three days of preparation in Bolzano, the Italian national team will travel to Milan on Thursday. There, they will begin their final preparations for the Winter Olympics. The Azzurri's first game will take place on Wednesday, February 11th, at 9:10 PM against Sweden in Milan's new ice hockey arena.

Italy's Olympic squad

Goalkeeper:
Damian Clara (Brynäs IF/Sweden)
Davide Fadani (Kloten/Switzerland)
Gianluca Vallini (HC Bozen/ICE)

Defender:
Dylan Di Perna (HC Bozen/ICE)
Gregory Di Tomaso (HC Pustertal/ICE)
Daniel Glira (HC Pustertal)
Thomas Larkin (Schwenninger Wild Wings/Germany)
Phil Pietroniro (Rytiri Kladno/Czech Republic)
Jason Seed (HC Bozen)
Alex Trivellato (Schwenninger Wild Wings)
Luca Zanatta (HC Pustertal)

Attacker:
Matthew Bradley (HC Bozen)
Tommaso De Luca (Ambrì Piotta/Switzerland)
Cristiano DiGiacinto (HC Bozen)
Luca Frigo (HC Bozen)
Mikael Frycklund (HC Pustertal)
Dustin Gazley (HC Bozen)
Diego Kostner (Ambrì Piotta)
Daniel Mantenuto (HC Bozen)
Giovanni Morini (Lugano/Switzerland)
Alexander Petan (Olimpija Ljubljana/ICE)
Tommy Purdeller (HC Pustertal)
Nick Saracino (HC Pustertal)
Alessandro Segafredo (Lions Zurich/Switzerland)
Marco Zanetti (HC Lugano/Switzerland)