We are back with a 2022 Winter Olympics Ice Hockey betting preview with the latest odds and wagering picks for the upcoming hockey tournament.
Ice hockey tournaments have been a part of the Olympics since the Antwerp 1920 Summer Olympics, when the first men’s ice hockey tournament was held before it transferred permanently to the Winter Olympics in 1924. Meanwhile, the first women’s tournament happened at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan.
Since it was first introduced to the Olympics, the hockey tournament has become a staple international sporting event. For many sports fans, it is the main reason they follow the Winter Olympics. The Olympics produced some of the most thrilling ice hockey games and some of the most memorable storylines in sporting history, including the Miracle on Ice, which saw the US Olympics team upset the heavily favoured Soviet Union in 1980 under the guidance of Herb Brooks.
The bookmakers have made clear who are the favourites to win the men’s Olympics tournament by pricing the Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) at 6/5 to defend the title. Behind the defending champions is Finland at 5/1 and Sweden, which the online betting sites have priced as the 3rd favourites with 2022 Winter Olympics medal odds at 6/1.
The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC), who won gold at the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics, heads back to Asia as the main favourite to win the trophy. And that is even though the team will miss a few star names.
That includes 3 NHL stars, Kirill Kaprizov, Igor Shestorkin, and Ilya Sorokin, who stayed in the United States to help their clubs. But while the NHL won’t have any presence at the Beijing Olympics, the Russian squad does have a couple of former pro players on its roster.
That includes Artem Anisimov, who scored 180 goals and 376 points across 13 seasons with Rangers, Blue Jackets, Blackhawks, and Senators before returning to the KHL. He will team up with another former NFL pro in Mikhail Grigorenko, so while ROC won’t have as stacked a roster as the team could have, there’s plenty of talent left to compete for the gold.
The 3-time world champions have never won gold in ice hockey at the Olympics, but they have managed a podium finish in all but 2 Olympics Games since 1988, including 4 bronze medals and one silver from the 2006 Turin.
So while Finland never managed to go all the way, they were always one of the favourites to compete for the title. And this year is no different.
With Leo Komarov and Valteri Filppula leading the way and Sami Vatanen and Mikko Lehtonen serving as a strong foundation, the Leijonat have all the right to feel confident about their chances to win their first Olympic gold. And we have no reason to doubt them.
Sweden won the Olympic Games in 2006 when they beat their eastern neighbours with a roster that featured the likes of Nicklas Lidstrom, Mats Sundin, Peter Forsberg, and the Sedin brothers. Unfortunately, Sweden’s roster for 2022 does not field as many star names, but the Scandinavian nation deserves a lot of respect.
Admittedly the retirement of Henrik Zetterberg, Henrik Lundqvist, and Niklas Kronwall has left Sweden with many holes to fill. Still, enough young talent is left in the team to threaten another podium finish.
Many sportsIn-play modeLive streaming25+ sportsSuperb bonusesEasy to useVIP programLive gamesMany bonusesMany bonuses24/7 supportMobile appsLive bettingMany sportsFast payoutsWhile the men’s tournament has one clear favourite and a handful of underdogs, the women’s side sees 2 teams in the USA and Canada who share the tag as the main favourites. Behind the 2 are Finland (16/1) as the only team who might be able to cause an upset, while most legal bookies are giving the rest of the field little to no chance to go all the way, with odds of 33/1 and over.
Canada is the favourite to win the women’s Ice Hockey Olympics gold medal, priced as low as 10/11 on the 2022 Winter Olympics hockey odds. While surprisingly low odds, the oddsmakers’ decision to price Canada as the top dogs makes a lot of sense.
Not only is Canada the winningest team of the Winter Olympics (4 titles), but they have also made the final in all of the last 6 Olympics games. Since the first women’s tournament in 1988, Canada has been a class above most other countries, and nothing that would suggest this year will be any different.
The USA women’s national ice hockey team is in a similar spot success-wise to its northern neighbours. Although the USA has won the Winter Olympics gold medal only twice (1988, 2018), they have made the final in all but one (2006) Olympics Games.
The USA are the defending Olympic champions, having edged out Canada 3-2 in Pyeongchang in a shootout. And while it’s incredibly tough to say which of the 2 North American teams will come out on top, one thing is clear – it’s doubtful that any other squad other than the USA and Canada can make the 2022 Olympics final.
The 2022 Olympics ice hockey odds show Finland priced as high as 16/1, suggesting their chances to compete for the gold are slim to none. Still, the Lady Lions deserve some respect for their past success in international events.
Finland women’s national ice hockey team are 4-time European champion, and has won 13 World Championship bronze medals and one silver from the 2019 IIHF Women’s World Championship. Even at the Olympics games, Finland has achieved reasonable success.
They have not placed worse than 5th since 1988 and won 3 bronze medals in 1988, 2010, and 2018. Still, Finland was always the clear 3rd-best team of the Olympics, having lost the 2018 semi-final against the USA with 0-5 and the 2010 Winter Olympics semis with 0-5 against Canada, so it’s hard to imagine Finland emerging as the winner of the tournament.
The ice hockey tournaments of the 2022 Winter Olympics will play out at 2 venues in the Beijing cluster – the Beijing National Indoor Stadium and the Wukesong Arena.
The women’s ice hockey tournament will kick off on Thursday, February 3, and conclude 2 weeks later on Thursday, February 17. Meanwhile, the men’s ice hockey tournament will start on Wednesday, February 9, and end on Sunday, February 20, with the grand final.
As one of the most significant international ice hockey events of the year, you can expect both the men’s and women’s games to receive extensive coverage by your favourite TV channels. Alternatively, you can watch the tournaments via a live stream on all prominent sports streaming sites.
ROC is the clear favourite to defend their Winter Olympics gold medal, and while the Russian squad might look the strongest out of the 12 teams, there are other teams in the mix that you can’t ignore. So if you’re betting on ice hockey Olympics 2022, it might be worth looking at a couple of outsiders with a legitimate chance to emerge as the champions.
Finland will kick off the 2022 Winter Olympics in Group C, alongside Slovakia, Latvia, and Sweden. Without knowing how good Finland will look on the ice, we can safely say that they will beat both Latvia and Slovakia comfortably, leaving Sweden as the only team that could potentially deny Finland the top seed.
Still, on paper, Finland looks more potent than its Scandinavian neighbours and has a realistic chance of defeating Russia and claiming gold for itself.
The average age of the Finnish lineup is almost 30.5 years old, making them the most senior and experienced team for the upcoming Olympics. Admittedly, most of the roster features lesser-known names, but if you look at the stats these players have achieved in their respective leagues, you will soon realize that the Finnish squad for the 2022 Olympics has tremendous upside.
Canada opened as the odds-on favourites, but as soon as the NHL announced that it opted out of the games, the online betting odds on Canada tanked to 7/1, pricing Canada as the 4th-most likely team to win the gold.
However, while Canada will miss its best players, the roster still features exciting young talent in Mason McTavish and Owen Power and a veteran lineup of Eric Staal and David Desharnais.
So while Team Canada won’t be as strong as expected, the online real money bookies are underrating them a bit by offering 7/1 on the outright betting markets. Admittedly, the youngsters will have to step up and show that they can play at an elite level, but Canada could threaten the gold medal if things fall into place.
The betting odds for Olympics Hockey 2022 women’s tournament make it very easy to see which nations should compete for the gold. And barring any shock results, Canada or the United States should end up with a trophy.
Canada will open play in the preliminary round on Wednesday, February 2, marking their first match after the team opted to remain in the bubble to ensure the safety of the players and staff members. So even though we won’t see Canada in action before the tournament starts, there are good reasons Canada is the top favourite to win their 5th Olympic title.
Canada looks set to compete for the gold with Marie-Philip Pulin, Jamie Lee Rattray, Sarah Nurse, and Loren Gabel on the roster. And while beating the USA won’t come easy, Canada has all the tools they need to become 5-time Olympic gold medalists.
We end our 2022 Winter Olympics betting preview with an outsider bet on team Czechia, priced as high as 11/1, to win the gold medal on most top-rated betting sites. However, excluding NHL players who have no strong squad on paper has benefited them more than any other team since it did not change its roster too much.
Czechia will miss big names such as Jakub Voracek, but the roster still has talent from the Kontinental Hockey League and the SHL. One thing that could concern you is that team Czechia doesn’t have much depth in the back, but they have enough firepower upfront to shake up the field and cause some damage.
Prediction: Czechia to win – 11/1
That concludes our betting preview, equipping you with all the knowledge you’ll need to place smart wagers on the upcoming Winter Olympics!
