Two former Kamloops Blazers players will represent their respective nations at the upcoming Winter Olympics.
Michael Fora, born in 1995, is a Swiss defenceman who played with the Blazers in the 2014-2015 season. During that season, he played 60 games and earned 32 points. Since then, he has spent most of his career playing in the Swiss Hockey League and will be representing Switzerland at the Olympics for the second time. He first competed in Beijing in 2022, when he played in four of the five games for Switzerland.
Rudolf Balcers, a Latvian forward born in 1997, spent his junior years in Norway playing for the Stavanger Oilers. However, in 2016, Balcers made his WHL debut as a Blazer after being drafted 43rd overall in the CHL Import Draft. Although he played only one season in Kamloops, he still had a significant impact, leading the team in scoring with 40 goals in 66 games. After his success that season, he was drafted by the San Jose Sharks and signed an entry level contract before playing a season with their AHL affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda. Since then, he’s spent time on a number of teams in the AHL and NHL, never staying on a team for more than three seasons. In 2018, Balcers was traded to the Ottawa Senators and has since played for the San Jose Sharks, the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
The 12 men’s hockey teams competing in the 2026 Olympics were largely determined by the IIHF World Ranking. The top eight teams following the 2023 Men’s Ice Hockey World Championship, along with the nation hosting the event, in this case, Italy, automatically qualify. Switzerland, being ranked seventh, was among the automatic qualifiers. The remaining three spots were determined by a round-robin style tournament in 2024, which is how Latvia secured its spot.
These games are the first time since the 2014 Sochi Olympics that NHL players are allowed to compete. After a dispute with the International Olympic Committee over who would cover the costs of travel, accommodations and insurance, the NHL opted out of the games. With the best players in the world now being allowed to compete, this is a tournament you won’t want to miss.