Three out of the four Winnipeg Jets playing in Italy at the 2026 Winter Olympics are still in contention for a medal after an electric two days of “best on best” hockey. Tuesday saw four fairly exciting “qualifying” games to lead into the quarter-finals, followed by the four quarter-finals games on Wednesday, three of which ended in overtime. While some NHL players will now head back home to their NHL teams, others will be preparing for the semi-finals on Friday and the medal games on Saturday and Sunday. Time to get you up to speed with the latest updates on the Jets at the Olympics.

Nino Niederreiter failed to get on the scoresheet during Switzerland’s first three games. The Swiss ended up just outside the top 4 seeds, so as the 5th seed they played the 12th seeded Italy on Tuesday. Switzerland outshot Italy 51-20, but only won 3-0, as Damian Clara made 48 saves for Italy. Five of those saves came from shots on goal by Niederreiter, but he remained without a point heading into the quarterfinals.

Switzerland had a strong 1st period against Finland in their quarter final game, jumping out front to a 2-0 lead after the 1st. Switzerland’s 2nd goal came from none other than Nino Niederreiter, who was finally able to get on the scoresheet at the Olympics. Unfortunately for Niederreiter and the Swiss, Finland weren’t giving up without a fight. Two goals in the final 7 minutes of the 3rd for Finland forced overtime, and three or so minutes into the 3 on 3 overtime Artturi Lehkonen scored on a breakaway to end Switzerland’s (and Niederreiter’s) time at the Olympics.

Josh Morrissey hasn’t played since Canada’s first game against Czechia. Morrissey left the game with an undisclosed lower body injury, and has been a “scratch” for three straight games now. Morrissey has been practicing with Canada since the injury, which indicates that the injury must not be too serious.

Canada’s head coach Jon Cooper confirmed earlier this week that Morrissey’s tournament was “not over”, and now after Canada’s 4-3 overtime win against Czechia, Jets fans await another update on his status. The question now isn’t so much if Morrissey is healthy enough to play in the next game(s), but rather if Canada would re-insert him back into the lineup. Morrissey could work his way back into the lineup if he proves he’s 100% ready, but Canada may not want to mess around with their lineup as they head into their final two games of the tournament.

Kyle Connor appeared in USA’s first two games, but has now been a healthy scratch in their past two. USA advanced to the semi-finals after a 2-1 overtime thriller against Sweden, and will now play Slovakia in the semi-finals. Jets fans are disappointed that Connor remains out of the lineup, and barring an injury or a drastic lineup change, Connor probably won’t be back in the lineup for the final two games.

Mark Scheifele, who wasn’t selected to Team Canada, reacted to Connor being scratched lately on Wednesday, saying that it must be tough for him be in that situation. Jets fans are of course familiar with their star forwards chemistry on the 1st line, and Scheifele said “to see that [he’s scratched], you just feel for him as a friend and just hope he’s okay. I’m always there for him whenever he wants to talk”. Hopefully Connor is in good spirits despite not playing, and he’ll be back with the Jets scoring goals (and probably with a medal) in a week’s time.

The most impactful Winnipeg Jets player at the Olympics continues to be Connor Hellebuyck. After starting two of USA’s first three games, USA went back to Hellebuyck for their quarter final game against Sweden. Hellebuyck made 28 saves on 29 shots, his 3rd straight game allowing just one goal. With the win, Hellebuyck is now a perfect 3-0-0 at the Olympics with a 0.98 GAA and a .958 SV%.

Hellebuyck hasn’t necessarily been super “busy” during any of his three starts, but he’s done everything he’s needed to do to help USA get their wins. Hellebuyck will very likely be the starting goalie for USA for the rest of this tournament, as he looks to help USA win their first gold medal at the Olympics since 1980.

Make sure to stay tuned here at JetsNation and on the official Olympics website for the final few updates on the Men’s hockey tournament as the Gold Medal game approaches on Sunday. Although only one of the three Jets left at the Olympics are making an impact for their team, there’s still a very good chance that all three of them will be bringing back medals to Winnipeg once it’s all said and done.