Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament Odds: Russia OC +150 Favorite; Team USA Given 15-1 Odds

• The 2022 Olympic Winter Games Men’s Ice Hockey tournament gets underway on February 9 when Switzerland faces the Russian Olympic Committee
• Defending gold medalist ROC is currently favored to win gold at +150; Canada is listed at +650 while USA is +1500
• See the Men’s Ice Hockey Odds, schedule and important dates for Beijing 2022

While the tournament won’t have the same amount of star power with the NHL pulling out, Men’s Ice Hockey continues to be one of the premier events at the 2022 Olympic Winter Games.

And while a lack of NHLers may hurt some countries, the ROC was able to overcome it in 2018 as they claimed gold.

Although they would normally carry an NHL-heavy roster, the Russian Olympic Committee still has one of the deepest squads this year. The ROC sits atop the odds, favored to take home gold for a second-straight Olympics.

When is the Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament?

Puck drop on the preliminary round is on Wednesday, February 9th when Switzerland takes on ROC at 3:40 am ET. Day 1 features three games, while the four days following feature four game slates.

The winners of Groups A, B and C will move on, as well as the second-place teams. There will then be four qualifying round games played before the quarterfinals. Thursday and Friday feature one semifinal each, with the Bronze and Gold medal games taking place on Saturday, February 19th.

How to Watch Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Tournament

For those living in the Eastern time zone, Beijing is 13 hours ahead of you. That means that there will be plenty of early mornings if you plan on tuning in to watch your country.

Group C might be the ultimate fan favourite.

Who are you cheering for in the men's tournament: @leijonat @Trekronorse, #Slovakia or @lhf_lv? #Beijing2022 pic.twitter.com/zYLvbIUE8C

— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) February 1, 2022

The schedule for the tournament placed either one or two games at 3:40 am EST, and one or two at 8:10 am EST. There is then typically one game played at 11:10 pm EST, with other times occasionally sprinkled in. The bronze medal game will be played at 8:10 am, while the gold medal game will start at 11:10 pm.

For those working off of Pacific Standard Time, they will be 16 hours behind Beijing.

Team USA Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Schedule

The United States plays all of their games on USA Network. Two of the three games are at 8:10 am.

For the duration of the tournament, games will be available on USA Network, CNBC, NBCOlympics.com or streaming on Peacock. The bronze medal game is on CNBC and the gold will be played on USA Network.

USA’s medal total is set at 22.5. The hope is they can add on in Men’s hockey.

Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey Odds

Odds as of February 6th at FanDuel

Countries have taken drastically different approaches. Some have veteran-laden rosters from other pro leagues. Others have decided that it’s a perfect time to infuse their program with youth.

ROC is one of those team’s leaning on veterans. There are familiar NHL names like Artem Anisimov and Mikhail Grigorenko,  but the roster is comprised exclusively of KHL players. They carry the best collection of all-around talent, but they did have issues with Covid late last week.

The #ROC Men's Hockey team has six people in Covid protocol. Don't know how many are players. Some players were left in Moscow because of test issues and now they are flying in more. #2022Olympics

— sportsology (@sportsology) February 3, 2022

Canada is offering viewers a mix. Captain Eric Staal undoubtedly has the most decorated career in the tournament, and is joined by former NHLers Daniel Winnick and Jason Demers. Missing Hart Trophy odds leader Connor McDavid definitely hurts though. They also have young star power in Owen Power, Mason McTavish and Devon Levi.

The United States turned their eyes towards the future, selecting 11 players under the age of 23. Overall 15 of their players are currently playing in the NCAA. Their +1200 odds leave them with an implied probability of  7.69% when it comes to winning gold.

ROC Rightfully Men’s Hockey Favorite

For the second straight Olympics, North America may not be golden.

There’s a chance that the young Americans can catch fire and pull off some surprising results. Canada will be a medal threat, but ROC, Finland and Russia will be tough to handle.

Looks like Canada’s top line on Day 1 of practice at National Indoor Stadium sees Eric Staal between Josh Ho-Sang and Mason McTavish. #Beijing2022

— Joshua Clipperton (@JClipperton_CP) February 5, 2022

In terms of predicting the podium, those are the three to watch. While there’s pride on the line for all of them, the ROC always emphasizes international play.

While either Sweden or Finland are fine picks, and Switzerland is great value farther down the board, it’s tough to ignore the likelihood of a repeat by the ROC, provided they overcome this latest Covid hiccup.

The Pick: ROC (+150)