Team USA Names First Six for Next Winter Olympic Games

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For the first time since 2014, the National Hockey League will allow its players to take part in the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy next February. On Monday, Team USA general manager Bill Guerrin named the first six players who will wear Red, White & Blue in those games. Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes, and Charlie McAvoy were announced.

All six will be making their first appearance on the grandest of stages. They were teenagers the last time the NHL was involved in the Olympics. Guerrin pointed to their “high competitive level” as a reason for their selection. These six players were all on the roster for the 4-Nation Face-Off Tournament that took place last February. A tournament that the Americans finished second in.

Team USA has not won gold in Olympic hockey since that magical run in Lake Placid, NY, back in 1980. Guerrin himself is a three-time member of Team USA: 1998, 2002, 2006. He won a silver medal in 2002. He knows firsthand what the task at hand is and is ready for the challenge ahead.

That challenge got a little brighter over the spring. For the first time since 1933, Team USA won the IIHF World Championship, giving the program some momentum as the selection process continues through the summer months. An orientation camp is set for Plymouth, Michigan, in late August. The rest of the team will be announced in early January of 2026.

Team USA is in Group C along with Germany, Latvia, and Denmark. Their schedule for the preliminary stage is set. On Thursday, Feb.12, they will face Latvia. On Saturday the 14th, they meet Denmark. Their final preliminary game is on the 15th vs Germany. The playoff round is set for the 17th, and the medal round starts on the 18th.