Beijing Olympics: Men's hockey preview

The men's tournament begins in just two days. While the NHL disappointingly - yet understandably - chose not to send its players to the Olympics, there'll still be plenty of familiar names participating.

Let's look at how the tournament is shaping up and what we can expect from each team.

Russia is favored in this tournament, and for good reason. The Russians are icing a veteran-heavy team with an abundance of players who have played games in the NHL. They have plenty of skill up front, with the likes of Nikita Gusev, Vadim Shipachyov, and Mikhail Grigorenko leading the charge. Arseni Gritsyuk is in the midst of a breakout season in the KHL and is a wild card to provide some real scoring pop.

Russia's defensive core looks to be in good shape as well. Including Slava Voynov, four defensemen have spent time in the NHL.

I don't see many weaknesses on this roster, and the fact many of them have played together in the KHL should allow Russia to hit the ground running. For example, there are seven players from CSKA Moscow.

Many see Finland as the team most likely to give Russia a run for its money, and it's easy to see why. The Finns feature plenty of former NHLers in their lineup, including Valtteri Filppula, Leo Komarov, and Markus Granlund. They also have Sami Vatanen heading the defense. This team probably won't score a ton of goals, but they'll play structured and responsible hockey. That'll allow them to stay in every game they play - even against more high-powered opponents.

I'm not sure Canada is getting enough respect in this market. The Canadians have a nice mix of former NHLers trying to fight their way back into the league (Eric Staal, Josh Ho-Sang, etc.) and impact prospects close to making their mark as professionals (Owen Power, Mason McTavish). It might take a little time for this team to gel and for the coaching staff to find everyone's optimal role, but there's enough talent for them to make noise in this tournament. This will be a scrappy and motivated group.

Sweden will be stung by a lack of NHL players. The Swedens don't have as deep of a talent pool to pick from as a team like Canada, and they don't have the luxury of stacking former NHLers who have familiarized themselves with one another from playing together - a la Russia. Sweden's best hope for a medal is for its goaltending to get hot and allow them to slip by some more talented teams.

Czechia has real potential to surprise in this tournament. The Czechs might well have the best player in David Krejci, who just last season was a near point-per-game player with the Boston Bruins. The team has some others with NHL experience as well, including long underrated two-way winger Michael Frolik. The big question mark is in goal. If Czechia's goaltending can hold up against some of the stiffer opponents, it can make a real run.

What Switzerland lacks in raw talent it could make up for in teamwork, structure, and familiarity. Like Russia, the Swiss have stacked guys who play for the same club. That should lead to less of an adjustment period than most countries. Their best hope of surprising in this tournament is playing smart, low-event games and squeezing out just enough offense to get by.

The U.S. is following a similar formula as Canada. It doesn't have as much talent in the way of former NHLers, but the lineup does feature a few high-end prospects. Matty Beniers and Jake Sanderson were both high first-round picks, while Matthew Knies looks like one of the steals of the 2021 NHL Draft. The hope is that those kids can provide some game-breaking ability while the rest of the veterans scratch and claw their way through games. However, goaltending is a significant question mark.

Germany might not medal, but it will be competitive. With Dominik Kahun and Tobias Rieder headlining the forward group, the Germans have some speed and scoring ability that can threaten opponents, plus a big, rangy defense that could provide some physicality to keep opponents to the outside. They also have one of the more underrated goaltenders in Mathias Niederberger, who I think deserves the bulk of the workload. Germany will be a tough out.

Slovakia looks thin on paper. The team will be relying on former NHL top prospects Marko Dano and Tomas Jurco to provide offense, while 17-year-old blue-liner Simon Nemec will get his first taste of big-stage hockey. I don't know how much of an impact he'll be able to make right now - it's a lot to ask of a kid - but the experience should serve him well. He's the future of Slovakian hockey.

Generally, Denmark is a team built around team speed, but I'm not sure it'll have much success playing that way in this tournament. The roster is aged, with eight forwards 32 or older. Mikkel Boedker (32), Frans Nielsen (37), and Co. have put together strong careers, but they just don't have the speed or skill to make plays at a high level anymore. This team will struggle.

The Latvians are a hard-working team that relies on effort plays and goaltending to grind out wins. They might well steal a game unexpectedly, but I don't think they have the horses to enjoy sustained success playing the way they do.

Lastly, we have China, who'll be hard-pressed to win a game. The hope is that team familiarity - every player's home club is HC Kunlun Red Star - will allow the team to be more than the sum of its parts. Spencer Foo, Brandon Yip, and Ryan Sproul are probably China's best bets to produce some much-needed offense.

Todd Cordell is a sports betting writer at theScore. Be sure to follow him on Twitter @ToddCordell.