Vancouver Canucks goaltender Kevin Lankinen is on the cusp of achieving a major personal milestone this season. With Finland set to announce its men's hockey roster for the upcoming Milano Cortina Olympic Games on Friday, Lankinen is widely expected to be named to the team, a goal he has openly coveted.
Strong Play Fuels Olympic Aspirations
The 30-year-old netminder has hit his stride at the perfect time, delivering his best performances of the season in recent weeks. Lankinen backstopped the Canucks to a 3-2 shootout victory over the Seattle Kraken last Monday, making 37 saves. Prior to that, he turned aside 39 shots in a 5-4 shootout win against the Boston Bruins on December 20.
When asked about the impending roster announcement, Lankinen did not hide his enthusiasm. "Yeah, of course. It’s a big goal of mine this year," he said with a grin.
A Season of Adversity and Resilience
Lankinen's path to this point hasn't been without challenges. His season statistics—a 3.41 goals-against average and an .885 save percentage with a 6-10-3 record—are a step back from his strong 2024-25 campaign. The team's overall defensive play has also been less consistent.
In November, he took a brief leave of absence from the team for personal reasons, missing two games. Reflecting on the season's ups and downs, Lankinen emphasized resilience. "Every season is a roller-coaster," he stated. "There’s been adversity on the team side and on the personal side, too... At the same time, it’s not really about what happens but how you bounce back. And right now I feel really, really confident in my game."
Finland's Goaltending Landscape
Lankinen's case for the Olympic team is bolstered by his history with the national program and the current landscape of Finnish NHL goalies. He split duties with Nashville's Juuse Saros at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament and was the standout performer at the 2019 IIHF World Championships, posting a 7-1 record with a 1.50 GAA and a .942 save percentage to lead Finland to gold.
Among the six Finnish goalies in the NHL this season, only Saros has seen more game action than Lankinen. Saros, 30, has a record of 15-12-3 with a 2.93 GAA and .898 save percentage this year. Other contenders include Boston's Joonas Korpisalo and Buffalo's Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, who was also part of the 4 Nations roster with Lankinen and Saros.
Lankinen also spoke highly of his partnership with Canucks starter Thatcher Demko, noting their strong friendship and collaborative approach to improving their games. Both goalies are signed to be in Vancouver for the long term, with Lankinen on a five-year deal and Demko recently extending for three more years.
The Olympic men's hockey tournament in Italy runs from February 11 to February 22, 2026. The Canucks' schedule conveniently provides a break, with their last game before the Olympic period on February 4 in Vegas and their next game not until February 25 versus Winnipeg, allowing selected players ample time to participate.
For Kevin Lankinen, Friday's announcement represents the potential culmination of a season-long objective, a reward for persevering through a challenging year and finding his best form when it mattered most.
