The state of Michigan is going to be well-represented at the Olympics this month.
The 2026 Winter Olympics run from Feb. 6-22 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy (and other sites throughout Northern Italy), with 28 athletes with Michigan ties to compete for Team USA and others.
That includes three members of the Detroit Red Wings (each representing different countries), 16 hockey players in all (including eight representing Team USA on both the men’s and women’s sides) and 12 Michigan-connected athletes participating in other events.
Of course that also meant some tough choices on who, exactly, is a Michigander, for Olympic purposes. In the end, we went with the athletes born here (of course), those who trained here for an extended period, or those who competed for a Michigan college or pro team.
So with apologies to approximately half of the U.S. hockey roster – including Matt Boldy, Jack Eichel, Brock Faber, Noah Hanifan, Clayton Keller, Auston Matthews, Charlie McAvoy, J.T. Miller, Zach Oettinger, Jake Sanderson, Tage Thompson, Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk, – we’re leaving out the NTDP players who didn’t list a Michigan city as their hometown. (That still leaves five “true” Michiganders suiting up for the U.S., don’t worry.)
Here’s a look at the 28 Michigan-affiliated athletes looking for Olympic glory in the Milano-Cortina Games.
Evan Bates, ice dance
Key dates: Team rhythm dance, Feb. 6; team free dance, Feb.7; individual rhythm dance, Feb. 9; individual free dance, Feb. 11.
The buzz: Along with his skating partner (and wife) Madison Chock, Ann Arbor ice dancer Evan Bates will compete for the U.S. as one of Michigan’s most decorated Olympians.
Chock and Bates were gold medalists in the team event and finished fourth in the individual event at the 2022 Games in Beijing, their only Olympic appearance. They’ve since won three gold medals in the world championships (2023-25) and, in all, a record seven U.S. national championships (2015, 2020, 2022-26). Bates also attended the University of Michigan and graduated in 2013.
Nick Baumgartner, snowboarding
Key dates: Men’s snowboard cross, Feb. 12; mixed team snowboard cross, Feb. 15.
The buzz: Nick Baumgartner of Iron River is a veteran on the snowboarding scene, first competing in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver before finally winning a gold medal in the mixed snowboard cross event with Lindsey Jacobellis at Beijing in 2022, his fourth Olympiad.
At 44 years old, Baumgartner is, by far, the oldest snowboarder on Team USA and the only Michigan-born Olympian to hail from the Upper Peninsula.
Louis Boudon, hockey
Key dates: Group play – France vs. Switzerland, Feb. 12; France vs. Czechia, Feb. 13; France vs. Canada, Feb. 15; Knockout round – play-off, Feb. 17; quarterfinals, Feb. 18; semifinals, Feb. 20; gold-medal game, Feb. 21.
The buzz: A native of France – which qualified in hockey for the first time since the 2002 Salt Lake City Games – Boudon spent four seasons (2019-23) at Lake Superior State in Sault Ste. Marie, racking up 39 goals a =nd 75 assists in 139 games with the Lakers. After two seasons in the minors in the U.S., Boudon returned to Europe to play for two seasons in Sweden and Finland.
This season, Boudon returned to the U.S., to play for the Atlanta Gladiators of the ECHL, where he picked up 12 goals and 18 assists in 25 games. But he went back to Europe in late December, signing with Jukurit Mikkeli in Finland’s top league; he has a goal and two assists there.
Christina Carreira, ice dance
Key dates: Team rhythm dance, Feb. 6; team free dance, Feb.7; individual rhythm dance, Feb. 9; individual free dance, Feb. 11.
The buzz: Carreira was born in Montreal but moved to Novi when she was in middle school, and now calls St. Clair home.
She and her skating partner, Anthony Ponomarenko, earned bronze at the 2026 U.S. Championships, sending them to their first Olympics. Carreira got her U.S. citizenship in Detroit in 2025, making her eligible to compete in the Olympics.
Madison Chock, ice dance
Key dates: Team rhythm dance, Feb. 6; team free dance, Feb.7; individual rhythm dance, Feb. 9; individual free dance, Feb. 11.
The buzz: As previously mentioned, Chock and her husband Bates have made their second Olympic Games after taking gold in Beijing last time around in the team event. And while Chock was born in Redondo Beach, California, she went to Novi High School; the duo originally trained in Novi before moving to Montreal (though they’ll still be competing for the U.S.).
Kyle Connor, hockey
Key dates: Group play – U.S. vs. Latvia, Feb. 12; U.S. vs. Denmark, Feb. 14; U.S. vs. Germany, Feb. 15; Knockout round – play-off, Feb. 17; quarterfinals, Feb. 18; semifinals, Feb. 20; gold-medal game, Feb. 21.
The buzz: Forward Kyle Connor is a 10-year NHL veteran, having spent his entire career with the Winnipeg Jets. But before he carved out his career in the Great White North, Connor began his hockey career in Michigan, growing up in Shelby Township and playing at Michigan.
The two-time NHL All-Star has represented the United States most prominently as a junior competitor, but never on the senior team, as this will mark his first-ever Olympic appearance.
Dustin Gazley, hockey
Key dates: Group play – Italy vs. Sweden, Feb. 11; Italy vs. Slovakia, Feb. 13; Italy vs. Finland, Feb. 14; Knockout round – play-off, Feb. 17; quarterfinals, Feb. 18; semifinals, Feb. 20; gold-medal game, Feb. 21.
The buzz: The Novi native and former Michigan State forward will be one of the more senior hockey players in the tournament at age 37 as he suits up for the hosts, Italy. Gazley spent four seasons in East Lansing, racking up 30 goals and 43 assists in 153 games for the Spartans from 2007-11.
After eight seasons in the AHL, Gazley jumped to Europe, where he has spent the past six seasons with Italian club Bolzano HC in the ICE Hockey League of Austria. With Bolzano, Gazley has 84 goals and 122 assists in 250 games.
Connor Hellebuyck, hockey
Key dates: Group play – U.S. vs. Latvia, Feb. 12; U.S. vs. Denmark, Feb. 14; U.S. vs. Germany, Feb. 15; Knockout round – play-off, Feb. 17; quarterfinals, Feb. 18; semifinals, Feb. 20; gold-medal game, Feb. 21.
The buzz: Not to be outdone by his teammate (and fellow Connor), goalie Connor Hellebuyck has been in Winnipeg for 11 seasons. And though he was born and raised in Commerce Township, Hellebuyck played his college hockey at UMass before his NHL career started.
Hellebuyck is one of the NHL’s most decorated goalies, having won the Vezina Trophy three times and finishing in the top five in voting on three other occasions (while adding a Hart Trophy as league MVP last season). He has represented the senior team on three occasions, but this will be his first year on the Olympic roster.
Jack Hughes, hockey
Key dates: Group play – U.S. vs. Latvia, Feb. 12; U.S. vs. Denmark, Feb. 14; U.S. vs. Germany, Feb. 15; Knockout round – play-off, Feb. 17; quarterfinals, Feb. 18; semifinals, Feb. 20; gold-medal game, Feb. 21.
The buzz: Center Jack Hughes was born in Orlando, Florida, and grew up in Toronto before settling in Canton for high school while playing for the U.S. National Team Development Program in Plymouth Hughes was drafted No. 1 overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2019 and earned All-Star Game nods in 2022 and 2023. He and older brother Quinn both made the Olympic roster, though younger brother Luke, also with the Devils, didn’t make the cut.
Quinn Hughes, hockey
Key dates: Group play – U.S. vs. Latvia, Feb. 12; U.S. vs. Denmark, Feb. 14; U.S. vs. Germany, Feb. 15; Knockout round – play-off, Feb. 17; quarterfinals, Feb. 18; semifinals, Feb. 20; gold-medal game, Feb. 21.
The buzz: Hughes, best known as a Norris Trophy winner with the Vancouver Canucks, was recently traded to the Minnesota Wild in one of the biggest NHL transactions of the 2025-26 season.
Quinn’s Michigan bona fides run a little deeper than his brothers’, as he played at U-M from 2017-19 before heading to the NHL. Hughes earned All-Star Game nods in 2020 and 2024. Like his brother, he has represented Team USA before, but never in the Olympics.
Deedra Irwin, biathlon
Key dates: 15K individual, Feb. 11; 7.5K sprint, Feb. 14; 10K pursuit, Feb. 15; 6K relay, Feb. 18; 12.5K mass start, Feb. 21.
The buzz: Irwin, a Wisconsin native and alumnus of Michigan Tech in Houghton, was a two-time NCAA qualifier in cross-country skiing at MTU and made the U.S. biathlon team in 2020. (She also competed in cross country and track and field at MTU). A member of the Vermont Army National Guard (and 2021 Vermont Soldier of the Year), Irwin had one of the better stories at the 2022 Beijing Games.
Not only did she finish seventh in women’s individual biathlon (combining Nordic skiing and rifle shooting) – the best-ever finish by an American in the one winter sport the U.S. has never medaled in – but she met U.S. snowboarder Robby Burns; the two got engaged last year. “I’m not going to tell everybody to go to the Opening Ceremony and find the love of their life,” Irwin told reporters in January. “But it is possible. It happened to me.”
Jasmine Jones, bobsled
Key dates: 2-woman bobsled Heats 1 & 2, Feb. 20; Heats 3 & 4, Feb. 21.
The buzz: Jones is a latecomer to bobsled; she starred in sprinting at Eastern Michigan, a stint that included setting the second-fastest 200-meter time in program history. Jones will be the first Winter Olympian in EMU history. Switching over to bobsled in 2018, she moved up through the U.S. two-person sled ranks as a pusher when paired with veteran pilot Kaillie Armbruster Humphries. The duo won gold in World Cup competition on Jan. 11.
Lukas Kälble, hockey
Key dates: Group play – Germany vs. Denmark, Feb. 12; Germany vs. Latvia, Feb. 14; Germany vs. U.S., Feb. 15; Knockout round – play-off, Feb. 17; quarterfinals, Feb. 18; semifinals, Feb. 20; gold-medal game, Feb. 21.
The buzz: A native of Germany, Lukas Kälble played four seasons (2017-21) on defense for Lake Superior State in Sault Ste. Marie, picking up seven goals and and 50 assists with a plus-12 rating in 131 games with the Lakers. After finishing his college career at Clarkson in New York, Kälble spent two seasons in the ECHL before returning to Germany’s top league, the Deutsche Eishockey Liga for three seasons. That includes this one, in which the 28-year-old has three goals and 12 assists in 41 games for the Mannheim Eagles.
This will be Kälble’s first Olympics, but he was a member of Germany’s squads at Worlds in 2024 and 2025; he had two goals and two assists with a plus-2 rating in six games at the 2025 Worlds.
Megan Keller, hockey
Key dates: Group play – U.S. vs. Czechia, Feb. 5; U.S. vs. Finland, Feb. 7; U.S. vs. Switzerland, Feb. 9; U.S. vs. Canada, Feb. 10; Knockout round –quarterfinals, Feb. 13-14; semifinals, Feb. 16; gold-medal game, Feb. 19.
The buzz: Megan Keller of Farmington is one of the most decorated college hockey players of all time and one of the first stars of the PWHL, as she currently plays for the Boston Fleet. She also participated in the 2018 and 2022 Olympics for Team USA, earning gold in her first go-round and silver in her second.
Zak Ketterson, cross-country skiing
Key dates: Men’s 10km + 10km Skiathlon, Feb. 8; 10km Interval Start Classic, Feb. 13; 4×7.5km relay, Feb. 15.
The buzz: A Michigander by birth but raised in Minnesota, Zak Ketterson was a three-time All-American cross-country skier over his four seasons (2017-21) at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. His best finish while in college was a fourth-place spot in 20-kilometer freestyle event in the 2021 Worlds. As a pro in 2022, Ketterson skied the second leg for the first American relay team to finish on the podium in a World Cup event, winning gold.
At the 2025 Worlds, his 7.5-kilometer relay team finished seventh, while he personally finished 27th in the men’s 10-kilometer Interval Start Classic and 41st in the 10=10-kilometer Skiathlon.
Vadym Kolesnik, ice dance
Key dates: Team rhythm dance, Feb. 6; team free dance, Feb.7; individual rhythm dance, Feb. 9; individual free dance, Feb. 11.
The buzz: Ice dancer Vadym Kolesnik was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine, but moved to the Detroit area when he was 15 years old. He received his U.S. citizenship in Troy in August. He and his skating partner, Emilea Zingas (more on her later), currently train in Novi and will be participating in their first Olympic Games.
Kaila Kuhn, freestyle skiing
Key dates: Aerials qualifying, Feb. 19; aerials finals, Feb. 18.
The buzz: Boyne City native Kaila Kuhn first competed in the Olympics in Beijing in 2022, finishing in eighth place in the aerials event. She won two gold medals at the 2025 World Championships – doing so at age 21, the youngest American title-winner ever –and earned her first World Cup title on Jan. 12 in Lake Placid, weeks before her second Olympic Games.
The former gymnast (and big pancake fan) ripped off an impressive triple – that’s three full flips with 360-degree spins – for her World Cup win as a preview of her Olympic routine, which, she says, only 8-10 female skiers can pull off: “It’s dangerous,” she told reporters this month. “It’s scary. And there’s a reason why not many of us do it.”
Dylan Larkin, hockey
Key dates: Group play – U.S. vs. Latvia, Feb. 12; U.S. vs. Denmark, Feb. 14; U.S. vs. Germany, Feb. 15; Knockout round – play-off, Feb. 17; quarterfinals, Feb. 18; semifinals, Feb. 20; gold-medal game, Feb. 21.
The buzz: There’s no award for “most Michigan” Olympic athlete. But if there was, Red Wings center Larkin would have a strong case.
Not only is Larkin the team captain for the Wings, but he was also born in Waterford Township and played a season at U-M. He has also played for Team USA dating back to junior events in 2013 and figures to be a key piece in his first-ever Olympics.
Alex Petan, hockey
Key dates: Group play – Italy vs. Sweden, Feb. 11; Italy vs. Slovakia, Feb. 13; Italy vs. Finland, Feb. 14; Knockout round – play-off, Feb. 17; quarterfinals, Feb. 18; semifinals, Feb. 20; gold-medal game, Feb. 21.
The buzz: Canadian by birth, Alex Petan played four seasons at Michigan Tech (2012-16), with 59 goals and 76 assists in 153 games. His stint as a Husky included a 2015-16 season in which he captained the Tech squad and had 18 goas and 15 assists while winning WCHA Player of the Year honors and finishing as a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award (the Heisman Trophy of college hockey).
After two seasons in the ECHL in the U.S., Petan went to Europe, where he has spent the past six seasons in the ICE Hockey League in Austria; this season, the 33-year old has seven goals and 23 assists in 41 games for Ljubljana Olimpija HK in Slovenia. Petan has played in multiple international tournaments for Italy, the host country/team making its first Olympic appearance since hosting the Games in Torino in 2006.
Lucas Raymond, hockey
Key dates: Group play – Sweden vs. Italy, Feb. 11; Sweden vs. Finland, Feb. 13; Sweden vs. Slovakia, Feb. 14; Knockout round – play-off, Feb. 17; quarterfinals, Feb. 18; semifinals, Feb. 20; gold-medal game, Feb. 21.
The buzz: And now we come to our first Red Wing playing for a different country. The Wings’ first-round pick in 2020 entered February with 116 career NHL goals and 196 assists, a total boosted by this season’s team-high 40 helpers.
Raymond has played for the Red Wings since the 2021-22 season and has represented Sweden on the national level since winning gold at the U18 World Championships in 2019. Since then, he has helped Sweden win two bronze medals, at the 2024 and 2025 World Championships.
Allison Reed, ice dancing
Key dates: Rhythm dance, Feb. 9.
The buzz: Reed was born in Kalamazoo to a Japanese-American ice dancing family before moving to New Jersey as a teen. Reed has represented both Georgia and Israel in international competition before, qualifying for the Olympics for Georgia when she was 15 years old with her skating partner Otar Japaridze in 2010.
She received her Lithuanian citizenship in 2024 and is competing with her partner Saulius Ambrulevičius, skating in the Olympics for the first time in 16 years.
Moritz Seider, hockey
Key dates: Group play – Germany vs. Denmark, Feb. 12; Germany vs. Latvia, Feb. 14; Germany vs. U.S., Feb. 15; Knockout round – play-off, Feb. 17; quarterfinals, Feb. 18; semifinals, Feb. 20; gold-medal game, Feb. 21.
The buzz: Much like Lucas Raymond, Detroit Red Wings defenseman Moritz Seider is a Michigander by employment, as he will represent Germany in the Olympics.
Not known as a traditional hockey power, Germany won silver at the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. And though Seider has represented Germany going back to 2017 (including Worlds appearances in 2019 and from 2021-25), this will be his first time playing for Germany’s Olympic squad, which also features stars Leon Draisaitl and Tim Stützle.
Kirsten Simms, hockey
Key dates: Group play – U.S. vs. Czechia, Feb. 5; U.S. vs. Finland, Feb. 7; U.S. vs. Switzerland, Feb. 9; U.S. vs. Canada, Feb. 10; Knockout round –quarterfinals, Feb. 13-14; semifinals, Feb. 16; gold-medal game, Feb. 19.
The buzz: Kirsten Simms of Plymouth is still in college, but the two-time NCAA champion is already a key player on Team USA’s roster having competed on two World Cup teams and winning the gold medal over Canada at the 2025 World Cup.
Simms led the country in scoring with 71 points in 36 games for the Wisconsin Badgers in the 2023-24 season and scored the NCAA championship-winning goal for Wisconsin over Ohio State in the 2025 NCAA tournament.
Wojciech Stachowiak, hockey
Key dates: Group play – Germany vs. Denmark, Feb. 12; Germany vs. Latvia, Feb. 14; Germany vs. U.S., Feb. 15; Knockout round – play-off, Feb. 17; quarterfinals, Feb. 18; semifinals, Feb. 20; gold-medal game, Feb. 21.
The buzz: This Poland native spent two seasons (2018-20) at Michigan State, recording four goals and an assist in 40 games with the Spartans in a career halted by the coronavirus pandemic. He returned to Europe in 2020 to play with Ingolstadt ERC in the DEL in Germany; Stachowiak picked up 42 goals and 62 assists in 239 games.
Now 26, Stachowiak came back to the U.S. this season, signing with the Tampa Bay Lightning before getting sent down to the Syracuse Crunch (the Bolts’ AHL affiliate); in 36 games, he had nine goals and eight assists entering Saturday, Jan. 31. This will be his first Olympics, though he has experience on the world stage, as his three goals led Team Germany at the 2025 Worlds.
Frederik Tiffels, hockey
Key dates: Group play – Germany vs. Denmark, Feb. 12; Germany vs. Latvia, Feb. 14; Germany vs. U.S., Feb. 15; Knockout round – play-off, Feb. 17; quarterfinals, Feb. 18; semifinals, Feb. 20; gold-medal game, Feb. 21.
The buzz: A German native, Frederik Tiffels played three seasons (2014-17) at Western Michigan, amassing 27 goals and 32 assists in 105 games. After splitting a season between the ECHL ad AHL in the U.S., Tiffels went back to Europe, where he has spent the past eight seasons playing in the DEL, the top league in Germany. That includes eight goals and 35 assists in 44 games with the Berlin Polar Bears.
This will be his second Olympics – he represented Germany at the Beijing Games last time around – but Tiffels owns one of the most iconic moments in Germany hockey history, scoring the OT winner in the semifinals of the 2023 Worlds to bounce the U.S. and give the Germans their first finals appearance in the current format, dating back to 1992.
Jake Vedder, snowboarding
Key dates: Men’s snowboard cross, Feb. 12; mixed team snowboard cross, Feb. 15.
The buzz: Pinckney’s Jake Vedder has represented Team USA in snowboarding since the 2016 Youth Olympics, in which he brought home gold in the snowboard cross event. He entered the 2022 Beijing Olympics as an alternate but ended up competing, finishing sixth in snowboard cross while replacing injured Alex Deibold.
Winter Vinecki, skiing
Key dates: Aerials qualifying, Feb. 19; aerials finals, Feb. 18.
The buzz: Winter Vinecki of Gaylord may be the most impressive (and certainly the most appropriately named) Michigan-born athlete heading to the Winter Olympics, as she is also an accomplished marathon runner and triathlete in addition to freestyle skiing.
Vinecki competed in the 2022 Beijing Olympics and is teammates with fellow Michigander Kaila Kuhn.
Zach Werenski, hockey
Key dates: Group play – U.S. vs. Latvia, Feb. 12; U.S. vs. Denmark, Feb. 14; U.S. vs. Germany, Feb. 15; Knockout round – play-off, Feb. 17; quarterfinals, Feb. 18; semifinals, Feb. 20; gold-medal game, Feb. 21.
The buzz: Grosse Pointe’s Zach Werenski came oh-so-close to completing the Michigan hockey trifecta –native, college, pro – but has played his NHL career entirely for the Columbus Blue Jackets, about 3½ hours south of Detroit’s Little Caesars Arena.
Werenski has competed with the United States dating back to his U17 days, and this will be his first Olympic Games with Team USA.
Emilea Zingas, ice dance
Key dates: Team rhythm dance, Feb. 6; team free dance, Feb.7; individual rhythm dance, Feb. 9; individual free dance, Feb. 11.
The buzz: Emilea Zingas has represented Cyprus in international competitions but was born in Grosse Pointe Farms and has represented the United States since 2022.
She was named to her first Olympic team on Jan. 11 with her partner Vadym Kolesnik, who was born in Ukraine but currently lives in Novi where he trains with Zingas.
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You can reach Christian at cromo@freepress.com.
Free Press sports writer Ryan Ford contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michiganders going for gold: Meet Mitten State’s 2026 Olympic athletes
Reporting by Christian Romo, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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