Simon Nemec, Slovakia on pace to the early shock of the Olympics by winning Group B

The New Jersey Devils are well represented at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. They have players on four of the 12 teams, with multiple players on Sweden and Switzerland. Their youngest representative at the Olympics is Slovakian defenseman Simon Nemec. 

Nemec has had a good tournament so far, connecting with his friend and fellow 2022 draft pick Juraj Slafkovsky. He had a primary assist on Slafkovsky’s goal on Saturday that led to a 1-1 tie against Sweden. Slovakia eventually lost the game 5-3, but that result is significant. 

Going into the Olympics, the expectation was that Sweden and Finland would be fighting for a chance to win the group. Slovakia and Italy were considered long shots, at best. Their route to a group win seemed unlikely, and they were facing two hockey powerhouses filled with NHL talent. 

Sweden’s defense is stacked with Rasmus Dahlin, Erik Karlsson, and Victor Hedman. Simon Nemec is on the top line for Slovakia. It’s a very different situation, yet, Slovakia is on pace to winning the group.

It started when Slovakia shocked Finland with a 4-1 win. Nemec had a primary assist on the goal that made it 3-1, securing the win in a major upset. After a 4-3 nail biter with Italy, Slovakia just needed to keep the deficit versus Sweden to under three goals and they would be primed to win the group. 

Things were looking bad when Sweden scored in the third period to make it 5-2, pushing Slovakia to tie breakers if Finland beats Italy. But then, with just 39 seconds left in the game, Dalibor Dvorsky scored to make it 5-3. That goal was celebrated like a game-winning goal, because it might be their key to a bye straight to the quarterfinals. 

Could this prove that Nemec is ready to take the next step when he’s in a situation to thrive?

Slovakia’s surprise performance in group play will definitely help raise Slafkovsky’s platform, but it should also help Nemec. The 21-year-old has been one of the best offensive defensemen in the tournament so far. If that can continue, it should keep him lifted for the next few weeks.

The Devils hope that confidence continues when he returns to New Jersey. He was a confidence machine to start the season, being personally responsible for a few Devils wins. Since he returned from injury, he hasn’t been himself, but this performance shows he might be ready to put the foot on the gas again.

Finland still has to beat Italy, which has been feisty this entire tournament. And then Slovakia has to avoid their own upsets in the QFs for the confidence to continue, but this has been as good a start as any for Nemec.