Milano Cortina 2026: Get to Know Team Italy 

The Para ice hockey competition at the Milano Cortina 2026 Paralympic Winter Games promises to deliver fast-paced action, emotional storylines, and world-class competition as the world’s eight best teams gather from 7 to 15 March. With the medals to be decided on the final day of the Games, the tournament is set to be one of the marquee events of the Paralympic programme.

All games will be played at the newly built Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena, a state-of-the-art venue designed to showcase the speed and physicality of the sport. The compact schedule and single-venue format will create an intense atmosphere, with multiple high-stakes matchups unfolding across nine days of competition.

The eight qualified teams will be divided into two preliminary-round groups of four. Each team will play three round-robin games within its group, with the top two advancing to the semifinals. The remaining teams will move into classification games to determine fifth through eighth place. With little margin for error in a short tournament, every shift — and every point — will matter.

Here’s a look at No. 8-seeded Italy.

Background 

As host of the 2026 Winter Paralympics, Italy automatically qualified for the tournament and has built its long-term planning around performing on home ice. Milano Cortina will mark the nation’s sixth straight Paralympic appearance in Para ice hockey, continuing a run that began when it last hosted the Winter Games in Torino in 2006.

Recent history offers added motivation: each of the last four Paralympic host nations has reached the podium in Para ice hockey. To follow that trend, Italy would need to secure its first-ever Paralympic medal, surpassing its best finish of fourth place from PyeongChang 2018.

Italy 🇮🇹 across the Paralympic Winter Games.
This time, the home ice 🧊is calling: @milanocortina26 #Paralympics #ParaIceHockey @Paralympics pic.twitter.com/hpGSJhpeVS

— Para Ice Hockey (@paraicehockey) February 3, 2026

Italy’s identity is rooted in structure and discipline, with decades of international experience from defenders Andrea Macri and Gianluigi Rosa, and athletes who ventured to Italy later in their careers after having success elsewhere, including Nikko Landeros (USA) and Sandro Kalegaris (Austria).  The team emphasizes responsible defending, strong goaltending, and capitalizing on limited scoring chances.

Energized by a passionate home crowd in Milan, the Azzurri will aim to turn preparation and belief into a historic breakthrough performance. Three players from the Italian national team — Alessandro Andreoni, Gabriele Lanza and Macri — have also worked for the Milano Cortina 2026 organisers in various capacities. 

Roster Breakdown:

Forwards: Alessandro Andreoni, Christoph Depaoli, Stephan Kafmann, Sandro Kalegaris, Nils Larch, Roberto Radice, Matteo Remotti Marinini, Francesco Torella

Defenders: Eusebiu Antochi, Gian Luca Cavaliere, Alex Enderele, Nikko Landeros, Andrea Macri, Gianluigi Rosa

Goaltenders: Gabriele Araudo, Julian Kasslatter

Paralympic Winter Games History 

2022: 5th place 
2018: 4th place
2014: 6th place
2010: 7th place
2006: 8th place

Athlete to Watch

Nikko Landeros, who lost his legs in a car accident at age 17, is the only athlete on the squad to have won a Paralympic medal in the sport — winning three golds previously when he competed for Team USA. He will bring a veteran presence through leadership, composure, and two-way reliability. Landeros was the leading scorer across all teams at last year’s World Championships B-Pool with 30 points (24 goals, 6 assists), scoring nine more goals than the second leading goal scorer. 

Matchup to Watch

USA vs. Italy on Saturday, 7 March: Italy’s first game of the tournament agains the defending Paralympic champions will be one of the most exciting on the docket for fans as the host nation hopes to use the fans to their advantage to pull what would instantly be one of the greatest upsets in Paralympic history on Day 1.