United States announces first players for the 2026 Olympic Games
The United States has announced its first six players who will represent the country at the 2026 Olympic Games. The initial selection, announced this Monday, includes prominent NHL players, leaving out the goalies in this first phase.- Matthew Tkachuk
- Brady Tkachuk
- Auston Matthews
- Jack Eichel
- Quinn Hughes
- Charlie McAvoy
The tournament will mark the return of NHL participation in the Olympic Games, an event that promises to be historic with the presence of figures like Connor McDavid, from Canada, and other elite players who have not yet had the opportunity to compete on this stage. Canada has also announced its first selections, including Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Brayden Point, and Sam Reinhart.“Our goalies played well for us, great seasons: Connor just got the Vezina and the Hart, which is incredible,” commented US general manager Bill Guerin.
Bill Guerin
In addition, other players like Aleksander Barkov (Finland), Nico Sturm (Germany), and Uvis Balinskis (Latvia) are also ready to participate in Milan. A lot can change in the next eight months, from injuries to performance, and this process follows the model that the United States, Canada, Sweden, and Finland used to name six initial players last summer for the 4 Nations Face-Off, which was a great success in February. Sweden selected Gabriel Landeskog, Lucas Raymond, William Nylander and Adrian Kempe, and defensemen Victor Hedman and Rasmus Dahlin. Finland chose Barkov, Mikko Rantanen, Sebastian Aho, Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell, in addition to goaltender Juuse Saros. This will be Barkov’s second Olympic appearance, after his presence in Sochi 2014.“When you grow up, when you watch as a kid, it’s the Stanley Cup finals and it’s Team Canada,” Reinhart said. “Those are the two things you dream of playing. Having that opportunity is pretty exciting.”
Sam Reinhart
The absence of Russia is a recurring theme. This means that Alex Ovechkin, Nikita Kucherov, and Andrei Vasilevskiy will not be able to compete in Milan.“That was my childhood dream, to be there, and I was able to experience it for a little while in two games,” Barkov said. “Now, to be named again is a great honor. I am very, very happy and honored and grateful for that opportunity.”
Aleksander Barkov
“It’s disappointing that they are not at this event, but it’s certainly not something the participants in the event can control,” Armstrong said. “You have to play against the teams that are on your schedule and, unfortunately, this time the Russians won’t be there.”
Doug Armstrong
