COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Team USA men’s hockey program has named its first six players to its roster for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics in Italy in February.

The first six players named to Team USA for next year’s Olympics are Toronto Maple Leafs team captain Auston Matthews, Vegas Golden Knights alternate captain Jack Eichel, Vancouver Canucks captain Quinn Hughes, Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk, his brother and Florida Panthers alternate captain Matthew Tkachuk and Boston Bruins alternate captain Charlie McAvoy.

“The players we’ve named today represent excellence,” Bill Guerin, general manager of Team USA men’s hockey for the 2026 Olympics, said in a news release Monday. “They’re committed to the mission in front of us and excited about the opportunity to represent our country in the Olympics.”

All six players are first time Olympians, though they each helped lead Team USA to a second-place finish at the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament this past February.

Matthews leads the NHL with 401 goals scored since he was drafted No. 1 overall in 2016. Matthew Tkachuk is currently playing in his second consecutive Stanley Cup Final with the Panthers, having won the title last season. Eichel, the No. 2 pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, also won the Stanley Cup in 2023 with the Knights. Hughes won the Norris Trophy, awarded to the NHL’s top defenseman, in the 2023-24 season. Brady Tkachuk was drafted fourth overall by the Senators in 2018, while McAvoy was selected 14th in the 2016 draft.

The remainder of the U.S. roster is expected to be announced in early January 2026, with Olympic hockey tournament games beginning Feb. 11 in Milan, Italy.

Team USA hockey recently won the gold medal at the IIHF World Championships in Sweden in May, defeating Switzerland 1-0 in the gold medal game.

When it comes to the Olympics, however, Team USA men’s hockey hasn’t won gold since its improbable “Miracle on Ice” in 1980, which was highlighted by an underdog win over powerhouse Russia.

“We’ve seen the unprecedented success of our U.S. teams on the international stage this past season and we need to keep our foot on the gas,” Guerin said. “We haven’t won an Olympic gold in men’s hockey since 1980 and we’re out to change that.”