Just two years ago, hockey at the Beijing Olympics went ahead without NHL players because of COVID-19 pandemic-related scheduling issues.
"Gosh, that feels like so long ago," said Matthew Knies, who played for the United States. 鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy.鈥
Crazy that since then, more than two dozen of those 2022 Winter Games participants already have played in the NHL 鈥 including Knies and several others making a big impact. Seattle's Matty Beniers, Minnesota's Brock Faber and Ottawa's Jake Sanderson were teammates of Knies, Canada has had a handful of prospects turn into professionals, from Buffalo鈥檚 Owen Power to Anaheim鈥檚 Mason McTavish, and of Slovakia is growing into his game with Montreal after in the 2022 draft.
鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy how fast it goes once you鈥檙e there and in a couple years you鈥檙e playing in the NHL against the best players in the world,鈥 said Slafkovsky, who led all scorers in Beijing with seven goals and was the tournament MVP. He and now-New Jersey defenseman Simon Nemec helped Slovakia win its first Olympic medal.
, with 11 points in seven games, pushing for a bigger role with the Canadiens before his 20th birthday. Captain Nick Suzuki is impressed, knowing Slafkovsky is just getting started 24 months after his Olympic coming-out party.
鈥淢ost of us were in junior (hockey) or in college, and he鈥檚 playing at the highest level against the top players,鈥 Suzuki said.
The same can be said for Beniers, Power, Faber, Sanderson, McTavish and Knies, who made his debut late last season with Toronto and is considered a big piece of the Maple Leafs' long-term future. A total of 29 players from the Beijing Olympics have been in the NHL from March 2022 until now, including 16 this season.
Philadelphia's Noah Cates, one of the self-declared 鈥渙lder young guys鈥 selected by USA Hockey, looks around at the rest of the league and takes pride in how many players from that tournament have reached the highest level of the sport so quickly.
鈥淪ome of those guys were freshmen and sophomores and kind of coming up (as) NHL prospects,鈥 said Cates, who has helped the Flyers contend this year, one of the biggest surprises of the season. 鈥淚t鈥檚 fun to see. It was obviously an awesome team, awesome experience and something I鈥檒l never forget. Such a good group, as well.鈥
despite a to Slafkovsky and Slovakia that the Americans' coach has even . David Quinn, who had been fired from his first job with the New York Rangers, is now in his second season and believes Beijing allowed him to rediscover himself as a coach.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been a believer that your No. 1 job as a coach is to bring everybody together because everybody鈥檚 in it together and we all want the same thing,鈥 Quinn said. 鈥淚 kind of felt I got away from that my last year in New York, and that tournament gave me an opportunity to kind of get back to what I鈥檝e been doing for 30 years and confirming the way I have approached it.鈥
Like Quinn, Eric Staal got back into the league after the Olympics, going from a training camp tryout with the Panthers the following fall to to the Stanley Cup Final. Finland goaltender Harri Sateri, who backstopped his country to its first Olympic hockey gold medal, and Sweden counterpart Magnus Hellberg were also among those who made a return to the NHL.
A vast majority of those in Beijing became pros after that tournament.
Knies called it a good taste of what was to come in the NHL and a confidence boost once that day arrived. Faber learned a lot from his first chance to 鈥減lay some grown-up hockey鈥 against experienced adults.
鈥淏eing in college and world juniors, obviously it鈥檚 such a high level, but playing there it was just a whole different level of physicality and speed and skill and obviously every guy is just so smart,鈥 Faber said. 鈥淚t helped me take a step for my game, that鈥檚 for sure, and kind of helped me realize what it takes to play at the next level.鈥
The surreal nature of the event 鈥 confined to a bubble, tested daily amid China鈥檚 鈥淶ero-COVID-19鈥 policy and 鈥 also made many of the players grow up quickly.
鈥淒efinitely pretty crazy getting tested every day and having masks on,鈥 Beniers said. 鈥淗opefully, a once-in-a-lifetime experience in a couple of different ways.鈥
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