Goalkeeper Connor Hellebuyck is among the hockey stars who participated in the 4 Nations Face-Off and also will compete for Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Photo by Armando Babani/EPA
Jan. 2 (UPI) — Team USA’s men’s hockey roster for the 2026 Olympics, revealed Friday, is packed with players who led the Americans to February’s 4 Nations Face-Off finale.
USA hockey released the rosters for both the men’s and women’s hockey teams on the Today show. The 2026 Winter Games will be held from Feb. 6 to 22 in Milan, Italy, and the Cortina d’Ampezzo mountain resort.
“I like the way we played [at the 4 Nations Face-Off],” U.S. men’s team general manager Bill Guerin told reporters. “Everybody was together. Everybody played the right way, adhered to the game plan. … The biggest thing to me was the chemistry.
“I think the chemistry allowed the guys to play the way that they did. The willingness to accept their role. The willingness to do things, that maybe on their NHL teams, they aren’t asked to do.”
Team USA announced 14 forwards, eight defensemen and three goalies for the 25-man roster. New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox and Anaheim Ducks forward Chris Kreider are the only players who played for Team USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off who aren’t on the Olympics roster.
Reigning NHL MVP Connor Hellebuyck, Zach Werenski, who totaled a 4 Nations Face-Off-best six points, and brothers Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk, who totaled three points apiece, are among the key players from the tournament who plan to represent Team USA at the Olympics.
Utah Mammoth captain Clayton Keller, Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson and Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones are the only players on the roster who did not participate in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
The Team USA men, who lost to Slovakia in the 2022 Winter Olympics quarterfinals, will play Latvia in their Olympic opener Feb. 12 in Milan. The Team USA women, who won silver in 2022, will start Feb. 5 against the Czech Republic.
Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher Yoshinobu Yamamoto (C) celebrates with teammates after the Dodgers defeat the Toronto Blue Jays 5-4 in 11 innings in Game 7 to win the World Series in Toronto on November 1, 2025. Photo by Aaron Josefczyk/UPI | License Photo