More from this series:
- European teams 🇪🇺
- United States 🇺🇸
- Canada 🇨🇦
We're nearly six months away from the opening ceremonies of the 2026 Milano Cortina Winter Olympics on Feb. 6. To celebrate, theScore's Kyle Cushman and Josh Wegman decided to project rosters for the men's hockey tournament, which will include NHLers for the first time since 2014.
Our series continues with Team USA, who will enter the tournament seeking its first men's Olympic hockey gold medal since the 1980 Miracle On Ice.
Unlike the 4 Nations Face-Off, which permitted teams to carry 20 skaters and dress 18, Olympic rosters are expanded. Each team can take 22 skaters and dress 20. Bolded players were named to their respective rosters in June.
Forwards
Toughest omissions: Jason Robertson, Matthew Knies
Team USA opted for veterans at the bottom of their lineup for the 4 Nations Face-Off. The management group takes a slightly different direction this time around, replacing Chris Kreider and Brock Nelson with World Championship standouts Thompson and Keller and adding Tuch to the mix with the extra roster spot. Trocheck holds his place because he's a right-handed faceoff specialist the coaching staff will covet.
The gold medal at the Worlds was huge for USA Hockey, and the impact Thompson and Keller had adds significantly to their case for the Olympics. The Americans have a bevy of elite offensive talent and need to lean into that identity. Including Thompson and Keller on the roster - and even giving Connor a bigger role - makes the U.S. that much harder to defend against and gives them insurance in case of injury.
Robertson remains a significant omission. He was great in the second half of the campaign and finished the playoffs strong, but was quiet for much of the Stars' postseason run (his first goal didn't come until Game 3 of the Western Conference Final). He has to be superb early next season to leapfrog the other bubble players who helped the USA to its first gold at the Worlds in 92 years.
As for Tuch, he adds size and speed that could be useful on the fourth line. He led the entire NHL with 12 tipped goals, too. - Cushman
Defense
Toughest omissions: Lane Hutson, Noah Hanifin
It's fair to wonder if the 4 Nations final would've gone any differently if the United States had its two top defensemen - Hughes and McAvoy - in the lineup. McAvoy suffered a season-ending shoulder injury during the round robin, while Hughes didn't suit up in the tournament at all while recovering from injury.
Behind them, Slavin and Faber showed great chemistry as the team's shutdown pair and should be reunited in Italy. Jones' length and right-handedness will certainly put him on the Americans' radar after a tremendous Cup run with the Florida Panthers. He and Werenski have chemistry dating back to their days together with the Columbus Blue Jackets, too.
Many will hope for Hutson to make this team after his historic rookie season. But as dynamic and exciting as he is, it's fair to wonder if he'd be able to hold up defensively against Canada's stacked forward group. The Americans have enough offense on their blue line, too, with Hughes, Werenski, and Fox. - Wegman
Goaltending
Toughest omissions: None
There are fair questions about Hellebuyck's big-game ability, but the three-time Vezina Trophy winner remains the likely starter. Oettinger and Swayman are near locks to make the team, too. Swayman holding his spot on the 4 Nations squad despite his poor start last season says a lot about the confidence USA Hockey has in this trio.
The Americans should be comfortable in net even if injuries strike, though. Their depth between the pipes is unmatched, with Dustin Wolf, Thatcher Demko, Anthony Stolarz, Joseph Woll, Joey Daccord, John Gibson, and Spencer Knight all capable of filling in. - Wegman
