Many players from the 2022 Beijing Olympics are making an impact in the NHL

Just two years ago, hockey at the 2022 Beijing Olympics went ahead without NHL players because of COVID-19 pandemic-related scheduling issues.

“Gosh, that feels like so long ago,” said Matthew Knies, who played for the United States. “It’s crazy.”

Crazy that since then, more than two dozen of those Olympic participants already have played in the NHL — including Knies and several others making a big impact. Seattle’s Matty Beniers, Minnesota’s Brock Faber and Ottawa’s Jake Sanderson were teammates of Knies, Canada has had a handful of prospects turn into professionals, from Buffalo’s Owen Power to Anaheim’s Mason McTavish, and Juraj Slafkovsky of Slovakia is growing into his game with Montreal after being the No. 1 pick in the 2022 draft.

“It’s crazy how fast it goes once you’re there and in a couple years you’re playing in the NHL against the best players in the world,” said Slafkovsky, who led all scorers in Beijing with seven goals and was the tournament MVP. He and now-New Jersey defenseman Simon Nemec helped Slovakia win its first Olympic medal.

Slafkovsky is on a heater of late, with 11 points in seven games, pushing for a bigger role with the Canadiens before his 20th birthday. Captain Nick Suzuki is impressed, knowing Slafkovsky is just getting started 24 months after his Olympic coming-out party.

“Most of us were in junior (hockey) or in college, and he’s playing at the highest level against the top players,” Suzuki said.

The same can be said for Beniers, Power, Faber, Sanderson, McTavish and Knies, who made his debut late last season with Toronto and is considered a big piece of the Maple Leafs’ long-term future. A total of 29 players from the Beijing Olympics have been in the NHL from March 2022 until now, including 16 this season.

Philadelphia’s Noah Cates, one of the…