The men’s hockey tournament will kick off on Wednesday, Feb. 11. Twelve teams will compete in three preliminary games within a group before moving on to single-elimination playoff rounds. The gold-medal game will take place on Feb. 22. This is the first Winter Olympics with NHL players since the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. 

Wojciech Stachowiak — Team Germany (Group C)

Stachowiak spent two seasons at MSU, competing from 2018 to 2020. He played in 27 of the team’s 36 games as a freshman, posting four points, all goals. The forward appeared in 13 games as a sophomore, tallying one assist.

Stachowiak signed with the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning on May 22, 2025, agreeing to a one-year, entry-level contract at age 25. He spent the past season with the Syracuse Crunch, the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, recording 17 points in 38 games.

Prior to signing his contract, he spent nearly five seasons with ERC Ingolstadt of the DEL, Germany’s top professional hockey league. In his final season with Ingolstadt, he skated in 52 games, totaling 10 goals and 30 points with a +15 rating. He ranked fifth in the league in goals.

Stachowiak was born in Poland but moved to Germany at 11 to further his hockey career. He has represented Team Germany at three IIHF Men’s World Championships. Stachowiak led the team in goals at the 2025 tournament, finishing with three goals, including two game-winners. 

Stachowiak’s first game will be on Feb. 12 when Germany takes on Denmark at 3:10 p.m. He will face Latvia on Feb. 14 and close out pool play against Team U.S.A. on Feb. 15. 

Dustin Gazley — Team Italy (Group B)

Gazley grew up in Novi, Mich., and spent four seasons at MSU, graduating in 2011. He joined the Spartans for the 2007-08 season, following MSU’s 2007 national title. Gazley skated in 153 career games, totaling 73 points on 30 goals and 43 assists. His point production increased in each season at MSU.

Despite his Michigan roots, Gazley obtained dual citizenship in the early 2000s, a result of his mother’s Sicilian roots. Since 2024, Gazley has represented Italy at the IIHF Men’s World Championship Division 1 Group A, the second-highest level of the World Championship. He has spent the last six seasons with HC Bolzano in Italy, a team in a Central European hockey league. 

Following his time as a Spartan, Gazley competed for several ECHL and AHL hockey teams, with various NHL organizations. He moved to Austria to compete for EC Salzburg in 2018 before joining HC Bolzano.  

Gazley’s first game will be on the tournament's opening day, Feb. 11. Italy will face Sweden at 3:10 p.m. Italy will take on Slovakia on Feb. 13 and finish pool play against Finland on Feb. 14.

Together, Stachowiak and Gazley represent two Spartans whose careers have taken different paths but converged on the international stage.