Brock Nelson is heading to Italy for the upcoming Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
The Avalanche’s second-line center was officially named to the Team USA roster on Friday after getting a call from the general manager confirming it on New Year’s Eve.
Nelson, 34, is having one of his best defensive seasons to date. And he’s doing it while posting 16 goals and 30 points before the halfway mark of the regular season. He is a third-generation Olympian.
At last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, Nelson was among the centermen chosen to the squad that lost to Team Canada in the Gold Medal game. Nelson was traded to Colorado a month later.
His first full season with the Avs didn’t start well. At least not offensively. While Nelson has had great defensive metrics all year, he only had three goals and five points in 17 games. But since then, Nelson has found his offensive stride, with 13 goals and 25 points in 23 games. This, while leading a shutdown line for the Avalanche, allows Nathan MacKinnon to score at a 70+-goal pace with a ton of offensive-zone starts.
Nelson is having a Selke Trophy worthy season and gives Team USA a strong option down the middle in the bottom six.
The Olympics will run from Feb. 11-22. This is the first time since 2014 that the NHL is pausing its season to allow players to participate.
The last two Olympic Games with NHL participation were both won by Team Canada. In 2014, Canada defeated Gabe Landeskog and Team Sweden 3-0 in the gold medal game. Four years prior, Sidney Crosby scored the golden goal for Canada in Vancouver to defeat Team USA 3-2 in overtime.
