United States Prepares for the 2026 Olympic Ice Hockey Games
The “4 Nations Face-Off” tournament last February was a resounding success, setting the stage for even more competitive 2026 Olympic Games in Milan. With the participation of NHL players for the first time in 12 years, United States coach Mike Sullivan declared that “the stakes have never been so high” for the 12-team tournament. Last week, the United States team met at an orientation camp in Plymouth, Michigan, where players and managers did not shy away from the pressure.With the United States seeking its first Olympic gold in men’s ice hockey since the “Miracle on Ice” of 1980, the talent pool is deeper than ever. General Manager Bill Guerin and his team have a series of difficult decisions ahead.The expectation is to go to Milan and win the gold medal. I think anything less than that would be disappointing.
Jack Eichel
Five months away, here’s what you need to know about how the United States team is being built.The guys who played in the “4 Nations” did a great job, but we have to go back to the drawing board and start again. Players need to be playing well. They need to be healthy. So it’s very difficult to say how much the roster is going to change. I don’t know. We’ll see over time, but having two extra spots is huge.
Bill Guerin
The Two-Day Camp
The two-day camp, approximately three weeks before NHL training camps opened, did not feature on-ice sessions nor were systems and strategies discussed. The focus was on building camaraderie and setting expectations. Guerin gathered the 44 players in a ballroom for a talk. The message, according to the players, was clear: Team USA performed well in the “4 Nations”, but fell short. The Olympics are a bigger stage, with more tradition. The 2026 Games are a golden opportunity to demonstrate the progress of the United States as a hockey nation.I think the message is that we can play any style. We can face any team, how they are built, and we feel confident that we can win.
Ryan McDonagh
The 23 players named to the “4 Nations” team were present, except for Matthew Tkachuk, as well as Jake Sanderson, Tage Thompson, and Pesce, who were later called up as replacements due to injuries/illnesses. Tkachuk suffered a groin injury and a sports hernia during the “4 Nations”, which kept him out of most of the final against Canada, and then the last 25 games of Florida’s regular season before returning for the playoffs. He underwent offseason surgery and is expected to miss the start of the NHL regular season.They had a good chat with us. Expectation is gold and nothing more, and I completely agree. Whoever is part of the team, the talent pool is insane.
Brett Pesce
This summer was important for Tkachuk: he got married in St. Louis and then underwent surgery. Guerin said he “was planning and expecting” Tkachuk to be ready for Milan. Tkachuk’s brother, Brady, was even more emphatic: “I think he has the full expectation not only to play, but to be at his best. Going back to the injuries he’s had and played with, he’ll just give you absolutely everything he has. I know that with his preparation and work ethic he’ll probably be in the best shape of his life after this surgery.”
The Camp Roster and the Surprises
The 44-player camp roster featured some notable omissions, but also some surprising additions: young players like Jackson LaCombe, Frank Nazar, Shane Pinto, and Alex Vlasic, all with little chance of making the team. What they have in common: they were on the roster in May for the world championships, which the U.S. men’s team won for the first time in 92 years. That commitment was rewarded.
Tage Thompson claims he believes he should have been on the “4 Nations” team. The Sabres star said Guerin called him long before the roster was announced to let him know he was out. “When I got the news, it was obviously a bummer,” Thompson said. “That was a big goal for me and I wanted to be on the team. To be honest with you, I felt like I would do a good job last year.” The 6-foot-7-inch forward says he adds an element that the US team craves: versatility. “In the early stages of my career, I was in a different role and played more of a fourth or third-line role, of checking and defense,” Thompson said. “As I’ve progressed in my career, I’ve been given opportunities to move up, with the ability to score and create plays. If that’s something they already have and don’t need, I also think that with my size and speed, I can play almost any role they need. PK, power play, you name it.” Thompson said he didn’t want to project it out loud, but acknowledged that he used the snub as motivation. After his call with Guerin, Thompson scored 33 goals and 54 points in his last 57 games. Thompson says he is putting extra emphasis on consistency and cleaning up his game a bit in the defensive zone. But the 27-year-old player remains confident.We are doing things differently now, and the world championships are absolutely connected to this. If you say no and don’t have a legitimate excuse, it will hurt you. I’m not afraid to say that we don’t see it with the Olympics around the corner. That’s the biggest stage. The world championships are huge. They may not be as popular in the United States, but in Europe, in Canada, they are, and it has to be important to us. We need to know what this is all about. We need to know that you want to help USA Hockey win.
Bill Guerin
You’re looking at the top 25 players in the country. So now it’s, what role are you going to play and who’s going to do their job the best? I think I can do any of those roles the best.
Tage Thompson
John Tortorella and the Coaching Staff
John Tortorella was a silent member of the coaching staff for the United States team at the “4 Nations”. Sullivan asked his former mentor to take on a different role. “I don’t want you to be the hammer,” Sullivan told Tortorella. “I will be the hammer. I want you to be the wise man. I want you to reveal yourself to the players and the other coaches, to show the John Tortorella that I know, that my wife knows, that my children know, that your children know. The side you don’t show the world very often.” While younger players loved having Tortorella around, Sullivan credited the former Flyers coach for being his sounding board; it was Tortorella who affirmed to Sullivan that they should put the Tkachuk brothers together on a line midway through the first game against Finland, which changed the complexity of the tournament. Since Tortorella is not on an NHL bench this fall, Guerin has entrusted Tortorella with another new role. The 67-year-old will travel on the road at the start of the NHL season to scout, with an added focus on the bubble players.The Intensity of International Play
Before the “4 Nations”, it had been a long time since NHL players competed in a best-on-best competition, and even the stars were surprised by the intensity.Quinn Hughes, who was watching from home while injured, observed: “I don’t want to say you couldn’t notice anyone, but I felt like everyone fit in because the guys were so good. I felt like nobody could really stand out or that you couldn’t really make your mark on the game too much. You could have had one or two chances and it’s either you take advantage of those opportunities or you don’t, but nobody was getting six, seven chances, which you might get in an NHL game.” Hughes was devastated to miss the “4 Nations” due to an injury.The game didn’t really translate to the NHL game; it was a different skill level, a different speed. When I got back to my NHL game, I first had to get the losing out of my system. Then I had to get back to my routine.
Connor Hellebuyck
It was a difficult season for the Vancouver captain, as he dealt with several different injuries.Obviously, I feel like I could have made a difference. I mean, there are still moments in the game where I feel like I could have taken advantage of some things, but you never know. The good thing is that, hopefully, I’ll have the opportunity in February again, so I’ll really put myself to the test there.
Quinn Hughes
I tore my oblique, then I came back a little too early and hurt my groin because my oblique was probably weak. And then I hurt my hand ligament at the end of December on a one-timer, and I’ve taken two million one-timers in my career, and for some reason that happened.
Quinn Hughes
He was able to play with a cast on his hand, which he said “actually worked great”. It was the oblique, Hughes said, that kept him out of the “4 Nations”. The good news heading into an important season, both for the Canucks and for Team USA, is that Hughes said he had a great summer, which he called a mental and physical reset.
Seth Jones and the Competition on Defense
The move from Chicago to Florida changed Seth Jones’ hockey life. When the “4 Nations” roster was unveiled in December, Jones was with the Blackhawks and it seemed like no one was talking about the 30-year-old as a notable omission. Fast forward a few months and Jones played more than any Panther (outside of goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky) in Florida’s dominant 23-game Stanley Cup run. Jones is now firmly back on the radar. He is careful when comparing his situation to the Blackhawks and the Panthers, but he believed he played “with more confidence” with Florida.With Hughes, Charlie McAvoy, Jaccob Slavin, and Zach Werenski basically locked into the top four spots, the final positions on the blue line are fierce. Adam Fox is coming off a down season, but the conversation at the U.S. camp was that the Rangers defenseman is poised for a major comeback. Sanderson, a rookie, earned a more regular role after being pushed to the “4 Nations” at 22.I’m comfortable with where I am; in a long playoff run you can show that you can play with that physicality, and in different situations during those 2 and a half months. Hopefully, they saw that.
Seth Jones
An intense season start is approaching. With dozens of players from various countries and NHL teams vying for bubble spots on Olympic rosters, there’s a common prediction among players: games during the first three months will have an extra boost.I’m not sure what my chances are. But I’m going to do everything I can to achieve it.
Seth Jones
The “4 Nations” marked the first time Brady and Matthew Tkachuk were teammates, outside of an All-Star game. “It was the little moments: going back to the hotel and going to each other’s rooms, hanging out, having dinner, I felt like we were inseparable for the two weeks. I felt like we were kids again,” said Brady. “It was very special in the locker room, looking across the room and seeing him and hearing what he has to say and his experience in the Stanley Cup of giving it to everyone.” Now, the Hughes brothers, who are good friends with the Tkachuks, have the opportunity to do the same. Quinn Hughes has already been named to the team; Jack and Luke hope to join him. Quinn and Jack were teammates on a World Juniors team. Jack and Luke are teammates in New Jersey. But Quinn has never played with Luke, who is 23 years old.Obviously, it’s going to be interesting to play for your team, your personal team, and then, in the back of your mind, you’re also playing for this, right? Usually, you have the first 20 games after training camp, everyone is adapting to their system. I think you’re going to see a lot more guys looking faster at the beginning of this season, because they’re fighting for something.
Seth Jones
The Hughes siblings enjoyed being together at camp last week and were together… a lot.It’s something we’ve always dreamed of, playing together and using the shield. For the three of us to do that together would be a great honor. So it will happen someday. I think it will happen someday.
Luke Hughes
It’s like three brothers, they bicker back and forth. And then you add Quinn, he’s the older brother. I feel like he’s kind of a mediator. They’re always joking around with each other; it’s fun.
Brett Pesce
