With NHL Stars Back After 12 Years, Team USA Chases First Men’s Ice Hockey Gold Since 1980

Uncle Sam’s 25-member team at the Winter Olympics 2026 is completely made up of NHL stars.

With NHL Stars Back After 12 Years, Team USA Chases First Men’s Ice Hockey Gold Since 1980

Team USA (Image via NHL.com)

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It was February 22, 1980, when an amateur United States team was playing the four-time defending champions Soviet Union at the Enterprise Center in Lake Placid in the Men’s Ice Hockey final round of the Winter Olympics.

The Soviet Union was the favorite by a long stretch. They had humiliated the United States just a few months ahead of the Games. They had outscored their opponents 51-11 coming into the game. There was no hope that Uncle Sam’s young skaters would defeat the mighty Soviets.

With ten minutes remaining, the Americans took the lead 4-3, one they would keep for the next ten minutes to land one of the biggest results in sporting history. The Miracle on Ice, they called that match.

They went on to finish ahead of the Soviet Union in the final round and clinched the gold, the second and last time in history. 46 years have passed since. They have come close twice, in 2002 in Salt Lake City and in 2010 in Vancouver.

On both occasions, it was their neighbors to the north who defeated the Americans. The friendly Canadians, led by a strong performance by Joe Sakic, crushed the USA in the gold-medal match 5-2 in 2002. Eight years later, Sidney Crosby, assisted by Jarome Iginla, slapped a shot into the net in the seventh minute of overtime. The Americans’ hope of a gold medal died with that shot as the hosts reclaimed the title.

They are chasing glory again. The National Hockey League has been paused for the Winter Olympics, meaning everyone’s favorite boys will be in national colors. With this, the hopes are sky high. Not just for the States, but also for Canadians. The last time they won was in 2012, yes, the same time there were NHL players in the Winter Olympics.

Neither Canada nor the US made the final four in Beijing. In quarterfinals, a Slovakian team led by Juraj Slafkovsky knocked out the US, while Sweden knocked out Canada.

Men’s Ice Hockey at the 2026 Winter Olympics: Canada in Group A, USA in Group C

In Northern Italy, there will be 12 teams in the men’s Ice Hockey. The 12 teams are grouped into three groups of four. Canada was drawn in Group A. The hosts, Italy, along with three of the top four finishers in Beijing, are in Group B. The United States is in Group C with Germany, Latvia, and Czechia.

The United States are current world champions, having defeated Switzerland in the 2025 World Championship Final. The top-place finishers from each group, along with the best-ranked second-placed team, will directly go to the quarterfinals. The rest play a playoff round to determine the four teams that will join them in the QFs.

In addition to Canada and the United States, Sweden will also have a roster made up of full NHL players. Finland has just one representative who’s not from the NHL. Meanwhile, Italy doesn’t have a single representative from the league. There will be 146 players overall from the NHL across the 11 nations.

Who are all in the United States Men’s Ice Hockey Team at Winter Olympics 2026?

The United States men’s Ice Hockey team is composed of 25 players from different NHL franchises. Minnesota Wild have the highest representation on Team USA with three players. The New York Rangers, Vegas Golden Knights, Boston Bruins, Ottawa Senators, and Winnipeg Jets all have two representatives. There are half teams in the league without even one man on the team.

Quinn Hughes
Quinn Hughes (Image via NBC Sports)

Here’s the full list of forwards, defensemen, and goaltenders for Team USA.

Forwards: Matt Boldy (Wild), Kyle Connor (Jets), Jack Eichel (Golden Knights), Jake Guentzel (Lightning), Jack Hughes (Devils), Clayton Keller (Mammoth), Dylan Larkin (Red Wings), Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs), J.T. Miller (Rangers), Brock Nelson (Avalanche), Tage Thompson (Sabres), Brady Tkachuk (Senators), Matthew Tkachuk (Panthers), Vincent Trocheck (Rangers)

Defense: Brock Faber (Wild), Noah Hanifin (Golden Knights), Quinn Hughes (Wild), Jackson LaCombe (Ducks), Charlie McAvoy (Bruins), Jake Sanderson (Senators), Jaccob Slavin (Hurricanes), Zach Werenski (Blue Jackets)

Goaltenders: Connor Hellebuyck (Jets), Jake Oettinger (Stars), Jeremy Swayman (Bruins)

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