Report: Boeser, Demko, Hutson added to USA Men’s Olympic preliminary roster
A few excellent players might be in the running to represent their country this February.
According to Frank Seravalli, USA Hockey has added forward Brock Boeser, defenseman Lane Hutson and goaltender Thatcher Demko to its preliminary roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics.
#GoHabsGo Lane Hutson, #Canucks Thatcher Demko and Brock Boeser were listed among the skaters on @usahockey's expanded preliminary 2026 Olympic roster submission.
Those three did not attend the 🇺🇸 Olympic orientation camp in August.
The three players were left off the United States’ initial list of 44 players who were invited to the national team’s orientation camp in Plymouth, Mich., back in August.
Hutson was arguably the most obvious player omitted from the “training camp,” as his stock to make the national team rose after his incredible rookie season. In 2024-25, the Montreal Canadiens blueliner is coming off one of the best seasons by a rookie defender in league history. In 82 games, Hutson posted six goals and an incredible 60 assists for 66 points, becoming just the fifth freshman rearguard in NHL history to post 50 helpers in a season.
The campaign ended with Hutson winning the Calder Trophy as the league’s rookie of the year. It hasn’t been that long since the Holland, Mich. native donned the red, white and blue. He helped the U.S. win gold at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship. On top of that, Hutson has won bronze at the 2023 World Juniors and silver at the 2022 IIHF Under-18 Men’s World Championship.
Demko is coming off a bumpy 2024-25 season, but he has demonstrated in the past that he can be a key contributor to a team’s success. The Vancouver Canucks backstop went 10-8-3 with the Canucks last year, posting a 2.90 goals-against average, a .889 save percentage and one shutout, numbers that were far from his performance during the 2023-24 season, when he was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy.
Demko has been on the roster for Team USA at two IIHF Men’s World Championships, two World Junior and the 2013 U-18s, which he helped his country take home the silver medal.
The sharpshooting Boeser put up 25 goals and 50 assists in 75 games for the Canucks last season, a little off his 40-goal pace from the year before. Unlike the other two, the Minnesota native’s international resume isn’t as extensive. He won bronze with Team USA at the 2014 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and 2016 World Juniors.