Definitely there! These are South Tyrol's first Olympic riders

Although there are still 2026 days until the start of the 235 Olympic Games in Milan and Cortina, the first participants have already been confirmed. Six ice hockey players, three of them from South Tyrol, were honored this Monday.

June 16, 2025

From: fop

On Monday, the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF), in consultation with the Italian FISG officials, announced a list of six players who will be included in Italy's preliminary roster for the 2026 Olympics. These are the first official nominations ever from the host country.

The six players who are already planning for the games are captain Thomas Larkin from the Schwenninger Wild Wings, Pustertal defender Luca Zanatta, Bolzano's Italian striker Daniel Mantenuto as well as three cracks from South Tyrol: Damian Clara, Diego Kostner and Tommy Purdeller.

Clara is considered Italy's brightest prospect, is under contract with the NHL club Anaheim Ducks, and has recently played in Sweden, Finland, and the North American AHL. Tommy Purdeller, who was trained in Canada, is also a true ice hockey gem, having promptly been named the league's best young player in his first ICE season with HC Pustertal. Diego Kostner, on the other hand, has been wearing the azure blue jersey for 13 years and has long been a fixture at the traditional Swiss club Ambrì-Piotta.

“They are excellent players, but also excellent team players.” Jukka Jalonen, Italy national coach

These six players will be there when Italy begins its "Mission Impossible" in Milan on February 11th, taking on top nations Finland, Sweden, and Slovakia in the 14.000-seat Santa Giulia Arena. "We can't wait for it to finally get started," says Italy's head coach Jukka Jalonen. "The guys selected so far are all excellent players, but also excellent team players."

From Rantanen to Hedman: These are the opponents

Incidentally, the IIHF will announce six Olympic participants from each of the participating teams this Monday. Italy's opponents, Finland and Sweden, feature world-class players such as Mikko Rantanen, Sebastian Aho, Aleksander Barkov, Juuse Saros, Esa Lindell, and Miro Heiskanen, as well as Rasmus Dahlin, Victor Hedman, Adrian Kempe, Gabriel Landeskog, William Nylander, and Lucas Raymond. All of them, without exception, earn their salaries in the NHL.