Pastrnak, Draisaitl, Niederreiter named as Olympic flag-bearers

David Pastrnak, Leon Draisaitl and Nino Niederreiter not only will lead their respective countries on the ice at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026, they will do so in the Opening Ceremony as well.

Pastrnak, the Boston Bruins forward who will play for Team Czechia, Draisaitl, the Edmonton Oilers forward who will play for Team Germany and Niederreiter, the Winnipeg Jets forward who will play for Switzerland, each has been selected to be flag-bearers for their countries for the ceremony Friday (2 p.m. ET; NBC, CBC).

“I am speechless. Very, very honored,” Pastrnak said after Wednesday's 5-4 shootout loss against the Florida Panthers. “I am going to give them my all. Very happy and honored to be able to hold our flag and represent us at the ceremony.”

"Wow. I am extremely proud and happy. It will be a great honor for me," Pastrnak said in a press release. "I am looking forward to having a chance to represent our country along with all other athletes. Wonderful."

Draisaitl was selected via a vote of fans and members of the German Olympic team.

"Hey Oil Country and Canada," Draisaitl said Wednesday. "Thank you so much for voting for me as a flag-bearer for Team Germany at the Olympics. Such an incredible honor. I feel so proud and lucky I get to do that and it's all thanks to you guys, so thank you very much. Looking forward to Italy."

Niederreiter was named as his country's flag-bearer Thursday.

"It’s a huge honor and an immense privilege," the 33-year-old said in a video posted by the Swiss Ice Hockey Federation on X. "I’m immensely proud that I was chosen to carry the symbol of our country in front of the whole world. Good luck and much success to all Swiss athletes -- hopefully we can win lots of medals for our beautiful country."

This is the first time NHL players will participate in the Olympics since 2014 in Sochi, Russia. Pastrnak is sixth in the NHL this season with 70 points (22 goals, 48 assists) in 51 games for the Bruins, who will play their last game before the Olympic break against the Florida Panthers at Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, on Wednesday (7 p.m. ET; HBO MAX, TNT, TVAS).

"It will be a quick trip. We are flying back to Boston right after the game and I'll be on my way to Milan the next day," Pastrnak said. "I'm looking forward to it so much. I have been waiting a long time to have this opportunity to represent my country at the Olympics so I can't wait to get started."

The 29-year-old is third all-time among Czechia-born players in the NHL, with 903 points (413 goals, 490 assists) in 807 games.

Czechia is in Group A along with Canada, Switzerland and France, and will open against Team Canada on Feb. 12 (10:40 a.m. ET; Peacock, USA, CBC Gem, CBC). It plays Team France on Feb. 13 and Switzerland on Feb. 15.

Draisaitl is fifth in the NHL with 78 points (27 goals, 51 assists) in 54 games. The Oilers play their last game before the break at the Calgary Flames at Scotiabank Saddledome on Wednesday (10 p.m. ET; TVAS, SN, SN360).

He is the highest scoring Germany-born player in NHL history with 1,034 points (426 goals, 608 assists) in 844 games.

"We have amazing athletes in our country," Draisaitl said last week when he was announced as a finalist. "We're a big country that develops a lot of great athletes, whether it's in the Summer Olympics or Winter Olympics. To be in the conversation to represent our nation is really special. We'll see how it ends up."

Germany is in Group C of the 12-team tournament, along with Latvia, the United States and Denmark. Germany plays its first game against Denmark on Feb. 12 (3:10 p.m. ET; Peacock, CBC Gem, TSN). It plays Latvia on Feb. 14, and the United States on Feb. 15.

Niederreiter, who has 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) in 55 games with the Jets this season, is third all-time among Switzerland-born players in the NHL with 499 points (248 goals, 251 assists) in 1,006 games.

Switzerland, in Group A, will open against Team France on Feb. 12 (6:10 a.m. ET; Peacock, CBC Gem, SN). It plays Team Canada on Feb. 13 and Czechia on Feb. 15.

NHL.com/cs senior independent correspondent Michael Langr contributed to this report