Rasmus Ristolainen makes Finland’s Olympic roster; Sam Ersson not on Sweden’s team
The hulking defenseman is set to play for his home country for the first time since the 2016 World Cup. The news wasn't as good for Ersson.
EDMONTON, Alberta — Rasmus Ristolainen is heading to Italy.
On Friday, the Flyers defenseman was named to Finland’s roster for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, next month.
“Obviously, very special,” Ristolainen said over Zoom on Friday about receiving the call to represent Finland. “Obviously missed the last two Olympics [as the] NHL didn’t go. And obviously you never know what happens in four years. So could be once a lifetime opportunity. So very excited.”
Ristolainen joins Travis Sanheim, who was named to Canada’s roster on New Year’s Eve, and Rodrigo Ābols, who was one of Latvia’s original six players named. Flyers coach Rick Tocchet is an assistant on Jon Cooper’s staff for Canada.Czechia has not released its roster yet but the expectation is that Dan Vladař will be on it.
» READ MORE: Flyers defenseman Travis Sanheim makes Canada’s Olympic roster for Milan
The Olympics are scheduled for Feb. 6 to 22.
A native of Turku, Finland, Ristolainen, now 31, last played for his country at the 2016 World Cup. At the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship, he scored the golden goal against rival Sweden. It gave the Finns their first gold since 1998. Ristolainen was also named that tournament’s top defenseman.
The blueliner was on the initial roster for Finland at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off but was unable to play due to an upper-body injury. The hulking defenseman did return to play a handful of NHL games after the tournament break, but did not play for the Flyers after March 11.
“So basically, three surgeries in the same elbow,” he disclosed of the injuries that also cut short his 2023-24 season. “Obviously started with a pretty bad infection, which I played with for multiple weeks until I couldn’t anymore. And then we found out there is some infection and a torn triceps tendon. So obviously, did those two things separately, and then tried to get back.”
He played just 31 games in 2023-24 and 63 last season.
“Probably the schedule was pretty too quick, looking at it now, after doing two” procedures in 2024, he said. “So came back pretty quick, played some decent hockey for 50, 60 games, and then it suddenly snapped, and not sure when or where it happened again.
“Obviously, second time the same tendon [was] torn. So saw a different doctor this time, and his timeline and recovery were a lot longer, which I think was the key and helped. And, yeah, right now I’m here and feel pretty good.”
Ristolainen said he had making it back for the Olympics “circled on the calendar” as he was rehabbing his latest injury, before adding that the honor is extra rewarding given all he has been through the past few seasons.
“Injuries happen when you play a long time and you, obviously, you can’t, can’t do anything about that. And obviously, was very excited to go to 4 Nations, too ... so obviously, obviously, kind of [stunk] that I couldn’t join the team,” Ristolainen said of missing the 4 Nations. But then obviously knew about the Olympics, an even bigger tournament. And ... been working my [butt] off for nine months to rehab and get healthy.”
A source had told The Inquirer in mid-December that Ristolainen was on the radar for Finland despite only recently getting back to the Flyers’ lineup.
Ristolainen returned Dec. 16 and has looked like his old reliable self while playing physical, throwing down monster hits — like the one that sent Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovský to the ice in his season debut — and skating over 20 minutes a night.
“Guys got to keep their heads up, because he is a good hitter, open-ice hitter,” Tocchet said after his debut. “It’s always good to have guys like that. Just a long stick in the corners, squashing plays, squashing a cycle, cutting off a reset.
“Those are big plays. They’re unnoticed plays, but they go a long way. Instead of defending 20 times a game, you’re only defending 14, because he’s squashing a player and gets his stick on a puck or something like that.”
The Flyers defenseman also believes the experience and style of play could benefit him with his NHL team when he returns from Italy.
“That time of year in the regular season, the games get even harder,” Ristolainen said. “Obviously, a lot to play for, especially you look at the East right now. So hopefully have a really good tournament, and I bet the games have a lot of speed and playoff-type hockey, so should be coming back feeling pretty good about myself and hopefully [we are] able to get into playoffs with Flyers. And that’s obviously a big goal for myself and for the team.”
Ristolainen joins a stacked roster for Finland, which has one only player, Mikko Lehtonen, who doesn’t play for an NHL team. Notable names include forwards Mikko Rantanen, Anton Lundell, and Sebastian Aho, defenseman Miro Heiskanen, and goalie Juuse Saros.
Florida’s Aleksander Barkov was not named to the team as he continues to recover from knee surgery, which repaired the ACL and MCL in his right knee.
Sweden also announced its roster on Friday, but Sam Ersson did not make the cut. The Flyers netminder, who has struggled at times this season with a .867 save percentage, was beaten out by Jacob Markström, Filip Gustavsson, and Jesper Wallstedt for the team’s three goalie slots.