The 2026 Winter Olympics will prove momentous for the NHL’s greatest talents, who will return to the famous competition after a 12-year hiatus.

That should only bolster the U.S. men’s chances of winning a gold medal and ending a 46-year drought. The Americans have plenty of gifted talents at their disposal, spearheaded by former Hart Trophy winners Auston Matthews and Connor Hellebuyck.

The United States made a splash at the junior levels, landing back-to-back World Juniors titles in 2023 and 2024. Perhaps that success can translate to the U.S. men’s national team, who are one year removed from a defeat to Canada in the Four Nations Face-Off final. The Americans did pick up an IIHF World Championship title in 2025, potentially suggesting that an Olympic boon could be on the horizon.

Here’s a look at the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey roster ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics.

MORE: Projecting Canada’s Olympic hockey team for 2026

USA Olympic hockey roster

Here’s a look at Team USA’s 23-man roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

PositionPlayerTeamForwardMatt BoldyMinnesota WildForwardKyle ConnerWinnipeg JetsForwardJack EichelVegas Golden KnightsForwardJake GuentzelTampa Bay LightningForwardJack HughesNew Jersey DevilsForwardClayton KellerMammothForwardDylan LarkinDetroit Red WingsForwardAuston MatthewsToronto Maple LeafsForwardJ.T. MillerNew York RangersForwardBrock NelsonColorado AvalancheForwardTage ThompsonBuffalo SabresForwardBrady TkachukOttawa SenatorsForwardMatthew TkachukFlorida PanthersForwardVincent TrocheckNew York RangersDefensemanBrock FaberMinnesota WildDefensemanNoah HanifinVegas Golden KnightsDefensemanQuinn HughesMinnesota WildDefensemanSeth JonesFlorida PanthersDefensemanCharlie McAvoyBoston BruinsDefensemanJake SandersonOttawa SenatorsDefensemanJaccob SlavinCarolina HurricanesDefensemanZach WeresnskiColumbus Blue JacketsGoalieConnor HellebuyckWinnipeg JetsGoalieJake OettingerDallas StarsGoalieJeremy SwaymanBoston BruinsWhen are 2026 Winter Olympics?Dates: Feb. 6.-Feb. 22Location: Milan, Italy; Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy

The 2026 Winter Olympics will be played from Feb. 6-Feb. 22. The spectacle will be held in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, a ski resort located in northern Italy.

Milan and Cortina beat out Stockholm and Are to land the opportunity to host. Italy played host to the Winter Olympics 20 years ago, although it was held in Turin.

The cities are located 250 miles apart, with events set to take place across both locations. Given the distance between venues, athletes will be housed in three different Olympic villages.

Competitions will be scattered across 14 different venues grouped within four clusters. They are as follows:

Milan cluster: The larger host city will be home to hockey, figure skating and short track speed skating events.Valtellina cluster: Pista Stelvio in Bormio will host men’s alpine skiing and the newly added ski mountaineering competition, while Livigno will host snowboarding and freestyle skiing events.Val di Fiemme cluster: Baselga di Pine will host speed skating, Predazzo is home to ski jumping and Nordic combined, and Tesero will host cross-country skiing and Nordic combined.Cortina cluster: A remnant from the 1956 Games, the Cortina sliding center is slated to host bobsled, luge and skeleton, while Cortina’s 1956 Olympic Stadium will be home to curling. Women’s alpine skiing will be held at the Tofane, and Antholz will host the biathlon. USA Olympic hockey history

The United States’ men’s national ice hockey team has long proven to be among the world’s best. It has two Olympic gold medals to its name, winning in the 1960 and 1980  Winter Games.

The Americans have boasted some of the sport’s finest talents over the years, from Hall of Famers like Brett Hull and Pat LaFontaine to contemporary standouts like Patrick Kane and Joe Pavelski. Still, it’s been tough sledding for the United States over the years, especially when compared to other ice hockey superpowers like Russia, Sweden and, most notably, Canada.

The United States hasn’t lifted gold since 1980. It has finished close a few times, none more noteworthy than in 2010 when the Americans were felled by Canada and its star, Sidney Crosby, whose overtime game-winner delivered gold to the Canadians in the most-watched game since that 1980 Olympic final.

With NHL players back in the Olympics, there is optimism that the Americans can once again finish atop the podium in 2026. Only time will tell if that will come to pass.

YearFinish/medalHost1920SilverBelgium1924SilverFrance1932SilverUnited States1936BronzeGermany1948DQSwitzerland1952SilverNorway1956SilverItaly1960GoldUnited States19645thAustria19686thFrance1972SilverJapan19765thAustria1980GoldUnited States19847thYugoslavia19887thCanada19924thFrance19948thNorway19986thJapan2002SilverUnited States20068thItaly2010SilverCanada20144thRussia20187thSouth Korea20225thChina