Kevin Gravel didn’t compete in the Olympics, but he did get a taste of hockey on the world stage as a member of Team USA at the U-20 World Youth Championship.
So when a U.S. team that included players he played with took to the ice at the Milan Cortina Games, the blow came even closer for the Milwaukee Admirals captain.
advertise
“I think anytime you play international hockey, it’s really cool when you play against the best players,” said defenseman Gravel, who played six games and scored one goal as a junior in 2012.
“Just like the Olympics, NHL players haven’t been there in the past few years. But even without NHL players, you see guys coming together to play for their national teams, which is a really cool thing. Now that the NHL is back, it’s going to be the absolute pinnacle of the sport.
Milwaukee Admirals guard Kevin Gravel enjoyed international experience when he competed with Team USA at the 2012 World Junior Championship.
“So it was really cool to be able to see it and experience it first hand [of having] Putting on the national team jersey is something that men do not take lightly. “
advertise
The Olympic men’s hockey tournament begins on Feb. 11, coinciding with the American Hockey League All-Star Game, giving Gravel and his teammates more free time to watch. But the start of the schedule is also an opportunity for players to get rid of the torment of 72 regular season games and take a mental break from the game.
Forward Joakim Kaymer looked for the right balance at halftime.
“There are a lot of different ways, but the most effective way for me was to just take a few days away from hockey completely … and not even think about it,” said Kaymer, who won a silver medal with Finland at the 2022 World Youth Championship and a bronze medal at the 2022 U-18 Championship.
“Obviously, I’m going to watch every game Finland plays and try to help my country out of this situation.”
advertise
Finland faced Slovakia in the opening match.
Finland’s Joakim Kemell is challenged by Switzerland’s Mattia Comolli at the 2020 Winter Youth Olympic Games in Lausanne, Switzerland.
While Kaymer doesn’t have national team gear on hand — he thinks his father is probably one of the best-dressed Finnish fans — Joey Willis plans to don the red, white and blue in the first U.S. game against Latvia on Feb. 12.
The 20-year-old from Elmhurst, Ill., won the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship with the United States 13 months ago, defeating host Canada. Willis plans to take a few days away from hockey, but he knows the Olympics will still appeal to him.
“When I was growing up, I was a huge [Patrick] “I’m a Kane fan, being from Chicago, so I watched him play in the Olympics,” Willis said. A dozen years later, he started watching some of his peers play.
advertise
“It’s obviously really cool because you get to meet a lot of players from your country and you get to come together and compete against them and see where you stand,” Willis said of his international experience. “Obviously, it’s been really fun getting to know these guys and playing with them and playing with other countries.”
Defender Andreas Englund won a gold medal with Sweden at the 2013 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and has competed in four other international competitions, including two World Junior Championships.
He plans to travel to Colorado with his fiancée during the All-Star break before the season restarts in Rockford on Feb. 14. But he doesn’t plan to miss Sweden’s match against Italy on February 11 and is considering how to take advantage of the time difference to watch some other games without spoilers.
Andreas Englund of Sweden defeats Matthew Tkachuk of the United States at the 2016 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in Helsinki.
“The Olympics itself is an amazing moment,” Englander said. “Whether it’s the Summer Olympics or the Winter Olympics, it’s a cool event where you just turn on the TV and you can watch any sport and then you obviously pay a little more attention to your favorite sport. And it doesn’t happen that often, which is a big thing, and I think that’s really cool.”
advertise
Some games may be particularly important from an Admiral vs. Admiral perspective. Finland’s match against Sweden on February 13 will be the most controversial match in the qualifying round. The question then becomes how the playoff matchup might go down.
“Once you get into something like a medal game, that’s when it gets really fun to watch,” Gravel said. “So especially if it looks like — selfishly in our room — it would add a little extra if the U.S. and Canada play together, or Finland, Sweden, players come from. I’m sure there will be some friendly bets. I know the players are looking forward to it.”
The last time the Admirals had an Olympian was in 2018, when right wing Bobby Butler opted not to sign an NHL contract and instead play in the AHL so that he could be considered for the U.S. Olympic Team in PyeongChang, South Korea. He played five games.
The Admirals do have one player this season who will compete in the 2022 Olympics, although the experience in Daniel Carr is not what anyone would have dreamed of. He contracted the coronavirus a week before the game and was unable to play for Team Canada.
advertise
Still, Carr made the most of his opportunity in the Beijing bubble after being cleared.
“Obviously, you don’t get to experience the full culture, but it’s still cool to go to Beijing,” Carr said. “I’m grateful for that.
“It’s a cool thing that the whole world comes together, the whole world watches, the whole world participates. Whether it’s hockey, whether it’s other sports… when we were there, we competed in some events. Like the figure skating competition we competed in, which I’ve never seen live, and you’re sitting there with other Canadian athletes and Canadian coaches, it’s a really cool event.”
The All-Star Game was a great moment for him, even if it wasn’t meant to free up time to watch his compatriots on international ice.
advertise
“We’re having our baby this week,” Carl said. “So I think there are some more important things in life.”
Maybe there will be another Karl at the 2046 Olympics.
This article originally appeared in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee Admirals players get a unique look at Olympic hockey