The 2026 Winter Olympics are nearly two months away, and rosters are due at the end of the month.
Team USA GM Bill Guerin will have some tough decisions to make by Dec. 31. The men’s national team fell a goal short of winning the 4 Nations Face-Off, so the chemistry and lessons learned from that tournament will factor into the Olympic roster.
Guerin also suggested that whoever’s on the team must be able to check and withstand a heightened level of physicality.
‘Honestly, I just don’t think you can put into words how tight those games were (at the 4 Nations Face-Off),’ Guerin told The Athletic in late November. ‘How little room there was to operate. And how well these elite players can check. In NHL games, they’re not always counted on to do that, but when they are, they can. And not everybody can play in those situations.
‘No matter what their offensive gifts are, if you can’t check, it’s probably not the tournament for you.’
At the end of the day, there are different philosophies in building the perfect Team USA. And while physicality and chemistry from the 4 Nations remain factors, some skilled players are playing too well to snub.
We’re projecting 14 forwards, eight defensemen and three goaltenders for Team USA after two months of the NHL season. If you’re looking for the August projection to compare, click here. Or here is one from USA TODAY. Players with an asterisk were already named to the roster in June.
US men’s hockey Olympic roster predictions
Forwards
Centers: Auston Matthews*, Jack Eichel*, Dylan Larkin, J.T. Miller
Wingers: Jake Guentzel, Matthew Tkachuk*, Brady Tkachuk*, Jack Hughes, Matthew Knies, Clayton Keller, Kyle Connor, Cole Caufield, Matt Boldy, Tage Thompson
The lowdown: The Americans are a co-favorite to win this tournament in no small part due to their depth at all positions, including up front. We’ve had to leave off some very talented young players, including Utah’s Logan Cooley, Anaheim’s Cutter Gauthier and Dallas’ Jason Robertson.
But had we included those three on our American roster, we’d be forced to omit players such as Toronto’s Knies and Buffalo’s Thompson. However, Knies’ physical game and Thompson’s size bring elements that the U.S. team needs to balance their smaller, skilled players.
So with players like the Tkachuk brothers. and Rangers star Miller, the Americans will be extremely tough to play against. And there’s no shortage of high-end skill for coach Mike Sullivan to lean on. Caufield would provide elite secondary scoring, while Keller is an elite playmaker.
Defensemen
Quinn Hughes*, Charlie McAvoy*, Zach Werenski, Jake Sanderson, Jaccob Slavin, Adam Fox, Brock Faber, Lane Hutson
The lowdown: Out of the three positions, the Americans have the most impressive depth on ‘D’. There’s skill and smarts to spare – and with McAvoy and Slavin in particular, there’s elite possession hockey that will be played in their own zone. Hutson can come in at any time the Americans need more puck movement from the back end as well.
The Americans’ defensive depth means that above-average blueliners, including New Jersey’s Luke Hughes, Anaheim’s Jackson LaCombe, Washington’s John Carlson and Florida’s Seth Jones didn’t make the cut. But if injuries cut into their defensive depth, those omissions will be able to step in and give the U.S. quality minutes.
Goaltenders
Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, Thatcher Demko
The Lowdown:Hellebuyck is currently injured, but he’s expected to return in time for the Olympics and be the starter. But if Hellebuyck does struggle or suffer additional health issues, Stars starter Oettinger and Vancouver starter Demko can step in and step up.
Demko has had his share of injuries to deal with in recent years, so a replacement for him could come in the form of Seattle’s Joey Daccord or Boston’s Jeremy Swayman. But in a high-stakes, short-span tourney like the Olympics, if you have to turn to the fourth or fifth option in net, you’re probably not going to be battling for gold. That said, if Hellebuyck is on his game, the U.S. will be extremely tough to beat. He had a 1.59 goals-against average and .932 save percentage at the 4 Nations.
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