USA Hockey unveiled its roster Friday on the “Today” show, with a vast majority of it made up of players who took part in the NHL-run international 4 Nations tournament in February, when the Americans made the final before losing to Canada in overtime.
Here are the local athletes who made the team, plus the ones that will be representing other countries at the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics.
Florida Panthers going to the Winter Olympics
Team USA
Canada
Latvia
Who else is on Team USA?
Tage Thompson and Clayton Keller helped the U.S. win the world hockey championship for the first time since 1933, while Seth Jones was a key part of the Florida Panthers’ second consecutive Stanley Cup run.
Those contributions earned them a spot on the U.S. team at the Milan Cortina Winter Olympics as the only three additions from the 4 Nations Face-Off early last year.
The only ones not back from the 4 Nations are forward Chris Kreider and former New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox.
“It was incredibly difficult for our management group to get to the final roster and that’s a credit to so many in our country, including all those at the grassroots level who help make our sport so strong,” general manager Bill Guerin said. “There’s nothing like the Olympics and I know our players and staff will represent our country well and work hard to achieve our ultimate goal.”
Keller, who’s captain of the Utah Mammoth and tied for their lead in scoring, wore the “C” at worlds. Thompson, who plays for the Buffalo Sabres, was a point-a-game producer.
The U.S. followed Canada’s lead after its northern neighbor also chose a 4 Nations-heavy roster. But while Canada made some changes in net beyond starter Jordan Binnington, the Americans went with the same three goaltenders: Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman.
Left off were Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars, who’s leads U.S. players in points this season, and a couple other elite goal scorers, Cole Caufield and Alex DeBrincat.
Guerin and his management staff, along with coach Mike Sullivan, prioritized experience and players they knew well. That meant sticking with depth forwards Vincent Trocheck and Brock Nelson over Robertson and others.
Teams are allowed 25 players at the Olympics, up from 23 at the 4 Nations, and can dress 20 skaters — typically 13 forwards and seven defenseman, along with two goalies. The first U.S. game is Feb. 12 against Latvia.
See the full roster
FORWARDS (14)
Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild
Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay Lightning
Clayton Keller, Utah Mammoth
Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
J.T. Miller, New York Rangers
Brock Nelson, Colorado Avalanche
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
Tage Thompson, Buffalo Sabres
Vincent Trocheck, New York Rangers
DEFENSEMEN (8)
Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild
Noah Hanifin, Vegas Golden Knights
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
Seth Jones, Florida Panthers
Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins
Jake Sanderson, Ottawa Senators
Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
GOALIES (3)
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins