2026 Olympics: Early Team USA roster projections
With Anthony Trudeau
This month, we kicked off our early 2026 Milano Cortina Olympic roster projections at Daily Faceoff. Our roster structures will mimic those of the Olympic squads: 22 skaters, three goaltenders. The national teams must submit their finalized editions by Dec. 31, 2025.
We began by breaking down the undisputed best-on-best champs, Canada. Next up, we review the top challenger, a team that came within a goal of global supremacy at the 2010 Olympics and the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off: USA.
Once again, the Yankees will ice a team that looks like the favorite on paper. Can they finish the job? Assisting me this week as the guest picker: an American, naturally, my colleague Anthony Trudeau.
FORWARDS (14) – Matt Larkin’s picks
| Brady Tkachuk | Jack Eichel | Matthew Tkachuk |
| Matthew Knies | Auston Matthews | Jack Hughes |
| Kyle Connor | Tage Thompson | Cole Caufield |
| Jake Guentzel | Dylan Larkin | Matt Boldy |
| Clayton Keller | Vincent Trocheck |
I relied a lot on Canada’s winning 4 Nations lineup to create my mock Olympic roster, and while the Americans didn’t win the 4 Nations, they were awfully close and offered plenty of strengths worth replicating. For one, we aren’t touching the freight train line of the Tkachuks between Jack Eichel. Larkin and Guentzel were also really effective at the 4 Nations and needed to remain aboard. I pushed out some of the veterans, most notably J.T. Miller and Chris Kreider, to add a bit more dynamism and skill. Picking Tage Thompson, a matchup nightmare with his huge frame and one-timer, was a must.
Biggest flex: Knies goes from off the team to my second line? Hear me out. I’m not being a Toronto Maple Leafs homer. If Knies makes USA, it makes sense to play him with his usual linemate Matthews, and Hughes’ playmaking on the right side can duplicate what Mitch Marner brought in Toronto. That’s an extremely balanced trio.
Toughest cut: Did I really do Jason Robertson dirty again? I was so close to including him, but I needed a backup center who can play a checking role if needed. Trocheck is the more versatile piece.
Also considered: Jason Robertson, Brock Nelson, J.T. Miller, Alex Tuch, Logan Cooley, Chris Kreider, Brock Boeser
FORWARDS (14) – Anthony Trudeau’s picks
| Tage Thompson | Auston Matthews | Jake Guentzel |
| Brady Tkachuk | Jack Eichel | Matthew Tkachuk |
| Matthew Boldy | Dylan Larkin | Clayton Keller |
| Jason Robertson | J.T. Miller | Alex Tuch |
| Matthew Knies | Jack Hughes |
Sabres’ sniper Thompson’s 6’6 frame, blast of a one-timer, and tournament-winning goal at the World Championship make it an easy decision to correct his omission from the Four Nations. He and clutch scorer Guentzel give coach Mike Sullivan an excuse to split up Matthews and the Tkachuks, who reunite with 4 Nations linemate Eichel. Boldy and Detroit Red Wings captain Larkin impressed at that tournament and earned their spot on a third line with Utah Mammoth captain Keller. Jack Hughes and Keller are both nifty creators, but Keller has the early edge for a lineup spot after wearing the ‘C’ during a dominant performance at the Worlds. Bill Guerin and Chris Drury tried to fill their fourth line with suped-up matchup guys at the 4 Nations, but went about it all wrong. They try the same strategy here, but with two-way power forward Miller at the 4C and a pair of brawny, responsible snipers on his flanks. The extra man is Knies, a banger with soft hands who can fill in for either Tkachuk in case of injury.
Biggest Flex: Tuch is the sort of player who can serve as an identity guy at best-on-best. Tuch is a 220-lb behemoth who blocked more than 100 shots last season and led the league in shorties. He’ll be the name our readers key in on when they ask why Caufield’s sitting at home in this projection, but that’s only because Tuch plays in sleepy Buffalo; he scored just one goal fewer (36) than Caufield last year and has far more down-lineup utility.
Toughest Cut: Nine players have put the puck in the net more than Connor over the past five seasons, and just one of them, Matthews, is American. That and Connor’s dynamic performance in the 2025 playoffs (5 G, 17 P in 13 GP) should be enough to punch his ticket, but Sullivan soured on him quickly in February and scratched him for the final. Connor has gotten better on defense, but there aren’t enough sheltered minutes at the Olympics to take a one-way player who won’t line up in the top six.
Also considered: Kyle Connor, Cole Caufield, Vincent Trocheck, Matty Beniers, Brock Nelson, Conor Garland
DEFENSEMEN (8) – Matt Larkin’s picks
| Quinn Hughes | Charlie McAvoy |
| Zach Werenski | Jake Sanderson |
| Jaccob Slavin | Brock Faber |
| Lane Hutson | Adam Fox |
The Americans were an overtime goal away at the 4 Nations despite not having their best blueliner, Quinn Hughes, for the entire tourney. With him slotting in, plus McAvoy healthy after being forced out partway through the 4 Nations, the American blueline is formidable. Slavin and Faber return as the shutdown pair, while this group oozes skating ability, albeit it lacks a bit of snarl aside from McAvoy.
Biggest flex: I have five lefties and three righties. I’m betting on the talent here and have Sanderson playing his off side. He’s such a breathtaking skater that he could become the biggest difference maker for the Americans in this tournament. Seriously. If you watched him with the Ottawa Senators in the playoffs last year against Toronto, his impact on the play seemed to increase with each game.
Toughest cut: I wavered quite a bit between Hutson and Noah Hanifin for a backup role. Hanifin brings a much bigger frame and more versatility, but if anything happens to Quinn Hughes (again), Hutson can slide seamlessly in to replicate the scintillating puck talent.
Also considered: Luke Hughes, Jackson LaCombe, John Carlson, Noah Hanifin, Seth Jones
DEFENSEMEN (8) – Anthony Trudeau’s picks
| Quinn Hughes | Charlie McAvoy |
| Jaccob Slavin | Brock Faber |
| Jake Sanderson | Zach Werenski |
| Noah Hanifin | Seth Jones |
Quinn Hughes continues to push career rival Cale Makar for the title of “best in the world” but missed the entire Four Nations with an injury. McAvoy, meanwhile, crafted a virtuoso performance against Canada in the round robin before a scary medical gaffe crocked him for the final. Hughes’ skill and McAvoy’s ferocity are a perfect match and could yield dominant results. Slavin and Faber made defensive hockey fun to watch with a brilliant turn as America’s second pair at the 4 Nations. Running the unit back is a no-brainer. Hughes is going to take a bite out of Zach Werenski’s power play time, but Werenski was also excellent at even strength on his off right side opposite speedy youngster Jake Sanderson. Seth Jones, the righty on the bench, has at times undersold his tremendous physical gifts, but his performance in the playoffs for the triumphant Florida Panthers was a reminder of how steady Jones is when he’s locked in.
Biggest Flex: If I penciled in Jones over Adam Fox six months ago, I’d be writing on Substack for free by now. Fox has a Norris and is one of the best passers in the sport, but his lack of footspeed and slight frame got him in trouble time and again at the 4 Nations. Will Team USA GM Bill Guerin want to put Sullivan in a position to staple his best player on the New York Rangers to the bench in big games? Guerin will play the villain and help Sully avoid a Martin St. Louis situation.
Toughest Cut: Cutting Lane Hutson isn’t as difficult as it should be with Hughes and Werenski around. Anaheim Duck Jackson LaCombe, however, probably deserves to be here after taking a massive leap in his second season and leading the victorious Americans in rating (11) at the World Championship. He’s better than Noah Hanifin, but tenure and familiarity (Hanifin played every game at the 4 Nations) tend to matter during roster selection.
Also considered: Jackson LaCombe, Adam Fox, John Carlson, Alex Vlasic, Lane Hutson
GOALTENDERS (3) – Matt Larkin’s picks
| Jake Oettinger |
| Connor Hellebuyck |
| Dustin Wolf |
Yep. I did the thing. We’ve seen enough of Connor Hellebuyck in high-stakes hockey, from recent playoff series to the 4 Nations, to worry the yips could return, as dominant of a goaltender as he is. So we give the first crack at the No. 1 job to Oettinger. If he falters, you can pivot back to Hellebuyck in a lower-pressure role coming in as the savior.
Biggest flex: A year ago, the No. 3 job was between Thatcher Demko and Jeremy Swayman. But Wolf outplayed them both over the past calendar year and has game-stealing ability. He gets my nod for now.
Toughest cut: Too much recency bias against Swayman after one bad year? It’s possible he changes my mind with a strong start to 2025-26 since he won’t be delayed getting to training camp because of contract negotiations. He could easily push ahead of Wolf between now and December.
Also considered: Jeremy Swayman, Thatcher Demko, Anthony Stolarz, Joey Daccord
GOALTENDERS (3) – Anthony Trudeau’s picks
| Connor Hellebuyck |
| Jake Oettinger |
| Jeremy Swayman |
Goaltending is the U.S.’ major advantage on the field, especially as Russia remains barred from competition. Hellebuyck was the NHL’s deserving MVP last season and would have won the same award at the 4 Nations if not for Jordan Binnington’s OT heroics. Hellebuyck has the cage until he loses it. Oettinger, an established dominator who is still improving, will serve as his primary backup. Bruins’ backstop Swayman showered off a rough season in Boston with World Championship gold and is a luxury third goalie.
Biggest Flex: Is starting the Hart Trophy winner really controversial? Hellebuyck is the best backstop in the world, and the rest of the field is disappearing in his rearview. Playoff woes have led to questions over his big-game ability, but they shouldn’t overshadow a glowing international CV.
Toughest Cut: Dustin Wolf adjusted to the NHL with ease during a stellar rookie campaign; he ended up on some Hart ballots and was the Calder Trophy runner-up. In a bubble, he’d push hard for Swayman’s spot. Still, Swayman just went 7-0 at the World Championship. Rocking the boat in goal is taboo, even when it comes to third-stringers.
Also considered: Dustin Wolf, Joey Daccord, Anthony Stolarz, John Gibson
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