The National Hockey League (NHL) is the world’s premier professional ice hockey league, so it’s no surprise that many, if not most, of the players who will play on Olympic ice hockey national teams during the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics have been drawn from active NHL rosters.
So, which top NHL players from the United States will compete under the Star-Spangled Banner as part of Team USA Hockey at the Winter Olympics? Here’s a look at which players made the cut this time around.
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Who Made Team USA for the 2026 Winter Olympics?
The last time we saw Team USA’s ice hockey team in action, it was during the NHL’s wildly popular 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025. That tournament was the NHL’s first best-on-best event since 2016 and featured the top players from the US, Canada, Finland and Sweden.
Team Canada eventually won the 4 Nations Face-Off over Team USA, but not without a serious fight — literally and figuratively. The Americans forced Team Canada into overtime in the Final before falling 3-2, though their rivalry ignited even earlier in the tournament: three fights broke out within the first nine seconds of the teams’ first round-robin meeting.
That performance served as a key reference point for Bill Guerin, general manager of the Minnesota Wild, who was tasked with drawing up the Team USA roster for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics,
Tkachuk Squared
Those fights, and Team USA’s stellar performance throughout the 4 Nations, also introduced the broader American public to the Tkachuk brothers, Matthew and Brady. The pair were both the primary instigators of the brawls and two of the US’s most effective forwards.
Both brothers will make the trip to Italy, anchoring what is shaping up to be one of the most stacked US national hockey teams we’ve seen in decades.
4 Nations Veterans Well Represented
Unsurprisingly, Guerin drew most of the Team USA Winter Olympics squad from the 4 Nations alums. Of the confirmed roster, only Tage Thompson (Buffalo Sabres), Seth Jones (Florida Panthers) and Clayton Keller (Utah Mammoth) were not on the 4 Nations team.
Notable Team USA Ice Hockey Snubs
Despite the similarities between rosters, there were also some notable snubs: Anaheim forward Chris Kreider and New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox, both of whom played at the 4 Nations Face-Off, were cut. Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies, Detroit’s Alex DeBrincat, Montreal’s Cole Caufield and Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson—the NHL’s current points leader—were also left off the Cortina-Milano roster. Passing over Robertson, in particular, has been viewed as a major surprise.
Full Team USA Ice Hockey Roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics
Here’s a breakdown of who’s who on Team USA entering the Winter Olympics:
Forwards
Matthew Tkachuk – Florida Panthers
Jack Eichel – Vegas Golden Knights
Brady Tkachuk – Ottawa Senators
Kyle Connor – Winnipeg Jets
Auston Matthews – Toronto Maple Leafs
Jack Hughes – New Jersey Devils
Jake Guentzel – Tampa Bay Lightning
Dylan Larkin – Detroit Red Wings
Matt Boldy – Minnesota Wild
J.T. Miller – New York Rangers
Brock Nelson – Colorado Avalanche
Tage Thompson – Buffalo Sabres
Clayton Keller – Utah Mammoth
Vincent Trocheck – New York Rangers
Defensemen
Quinn Hughes – Minnesota Wild
Brock Faber – Minnesota Wild
Zach Werenski – Columbus Blue Jackets
Charlie McAvoy – Boston Bruins
Jaccob Slavin – Carolina Hurricanes
Jake Sanderson – Ottawa Senators
Seth Jones – Florida Panthers
Noah Hanifan – Vegas Golden Knights
Goaltenders
Connor Hellebuyck – Winnipeg Jets
Jake Oettinger – Dallas Stars
Jeremy Swayman – Boston Bruins
Coaching
Head Coach: Mike Sullivan – Head Coach, New York Rangers (Two-time Stanley Cup winner)
Assistant Coaches: John Hynes (Minnesota Wild head coach), David Quinn (New York Rangers assistant coach), John Tortorella (former Philadelphia Flyers head coach)
Team USA Projected Line Combinations at 2026 Winter Olympics
With a roster packed with so much talent, the next most important thing to get right in pursuit of taking home a gold medal is the line combinations. Based on what we saw at the Four Nations Face-Off, the lines are likely to look like this:
Forward Lines
1. Matthew Tkachuk – Jack Eichel – Brady Tkachuk
2. Kyle Connor – Auston Matthews – Jack Huges
3. Jake Guentzel – Dylan Larkin – Matt Boldy
4. J.T. Miller – Brock Nelson – Tage Thompson
Depth: Clayton Keller, Vincent Trocheck
Defensive Pairings
1. Quinn Hughes – Brock Faber
2. Zach Werenski – Charlie McAvoy
3. Jake Sanderson – Jaccob Slavin
4. Kyle Hanifan – Seth Jones
Goalies
Starting: Conner Hellebuyck
Jake Oettinger
Jeremy Swayman
Watch the 2026 Winter Olympic Games on DIRECTV
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Frequently Asked Questions
Who is the head coach of Team USA for the Winter Olympics in 2026?
Mike Sullivan, the New York Rangers head coach, will be the head coach of Team USA in the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Who are the top US NHL players going to the Olympics?
Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Jack and Quinn Hughes and Brock Faber are some of the top players headed to the Winter Olympics on Team USA.
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