If you’re a believer in momentum, then things are looking good for the United States with only weeks to go ahead of the Milano Cortina Winter Olympics.

Last February, Team USA gave Canada everything it could handle at the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off, winning the round-robin game between the two before ultimately falling in overtime of the championship game, 3-2, on a goal by Connor McDavid.

It followed up on that impressive showing later in the spring at the IIHF World Championship in Sweden and Denmark. With a 1-0 overtime win over Switzerland on a goal by Tage Thompson of the Buffalo Sabres, the Stars and Stripes claimed their first title since 1960 to position themselves as, perhaps, the favourite heading into Italy. Team USA finds itself in Group C alongside Germany, Latvia and Denmark.

Now seeking its first title in best-on-best hockey since the inaugural World Cup of Hockey in 1996, the United States finds itself with depth almost everywhere on the ice and with the most talented group of players at the avail of general manager Bill Guerin – a member of that 1996 team – in the program’s history. That level of talent, of course, means that difficult decisions had to be made to get a roster down to 25 members and, naturally, some of those calls will raise eyebrows. It’s impossible to put together a team from a talent pool this deep without being second-guessed.

So did Guerin get it right? Let’s take a look at some of the biggest names who aren’t headed to Italy next month as part of the United States effort to claim its first Olympic gold in 46 years.

Adam Fox Forgotten from 4 Nations

The rosters at the 4 Nations Face-Off were 23 players deep, so conceivably, Guerin could have taken the existing group that finished as runners-up and tacked two more players onto it to make up the 25 allowed at the Olympics. But that’s not what he did. While a vast majority of those players have been retained, not all of them were.

With the additions of Florida Panthers defenceman Seth Jones and forwards Thompson and the Utah Mammoth’s Clayton Keller (Minnesota Wild defenceman Quinn Hughes is also new from the 4 Nations team, but he was originally on that roster until withdrawing due to injury), there was no room for New York Rangers blueliner Adam Fox and veteran forward Chris Kreider of the Anaheim Ducks.

The Norris Trophy winner in 2021, the absence of Fox is the more jarring of the two. Still one of the league’s best defencemen, what makes Fox’s snub even more surprising is that Team USA’s head coach is his Rangers bench boss, Mike Sullivan, and his former head coach (and current assistant), David Quinn, is also on the coaching staff. Surely those were voices heavily advocating for the New Jersey-born Fox, but he will not be going to Europe next month.

Kreider’s omission is more understandable. Yes, he’s a still a consistent goal scorer, but he is 34 at this point and would have been the oldest player on the roster. Just as you won’t hear too many people clamouring for 37-year-old Patrick Kane, you’re unlikely to have much second thought given to Kreider’s absence.

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Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson (21) scores against Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby (35) and defenceman Jake McCabe (22) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero) Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson (21) scores against Toronto Maple Leafs goaltender Dennis Hildeby (35) and defenceman Jake McCabe (22) during the first period of an NHL hockey game Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero) (Lm Otero) No room for Robertson

With the likes of Thompson, Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights, Detroit Red Wings captain Dylan Larkin and others, generating offence shouldn’t be a challenge for Sullivan’s group. Still, the makeup of the forward group has given some pause with one glaring omission in particular. Absent from the roster is Dallas Stars winger Jason Robertson.

The 26-year-old Robertson wasn’t on the 4 Nations team, so perhaps, you could have divined from the tea leaves that he was unlikely to go to Italy, but the logic behind his snub doesn’t appear to be airtight. Robertson’s 48 points lead all American-born players this season. A native of the Los Angeles area, Robertson has averaged 38 goals over his four full NHL seasons coming into the current campaign and has led all American players in scoring over the past three seasons. This is not a case of a player playing above or below expectations heading into a major tournament. This is who Jason Robertson has always been and Guerin and co. just don’t seem to be interested.

Preferred ahead of Robertson are a pair of grittier veterans in Rangers forward Vincent Trocheck and Brock Nelson of the Colorado Avalanche. At 32 and 34, respectively, the duo are two of the oldest players on the squad and didn’t exactly stand out as inspired choices at the 4 Nations Face-Off last year. While it’s obvious what aspects of their game were desired by the Team USA braintrust, it remains to be seen if passing on what Robertson what brings to the table to get them was the wise choice.

Though Robertson is the most glaring omission from the forward corps, he’s not the only name who was passed over. There was no room for Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield, who is on pace to break his career-best mark of 37 goals last season. Like Caufield, Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat is producing again this season like he did last year when he had 39 goals. Leafs forward Matthew Knies had a career-high 29 goals last season and has baked-in chemistry with Matthews to go along with his formidable size and sandpaper. With 36 goals last season, Alex Tuch has been central to the Sabres’ sensational turnaround in recent weeks, but he didn’t receive a phone call, either.

Lane Hutson (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) (Ethan Miller/Getty Images) Hutson stays home

Like with Robertson, Habs blueliner Lane Hutson’s absence from the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off team told us more than we, perhaps, realized at the time. His 66 points in all 82 games last season earned the 21-year-old Hutson the Calder Trophy nod as the NHL’s rookie of the year. This season, his 40 points in 40 games are tied with Zach Werenski of the Columbus Blue Jackets for most by an American rearguard and they’re five behind the Avs’ Cale Makar among all defencemen.

Still, Hutson’s game has deficiencies at the defensive end. While his possession numbers improved over last season and into this current campaign, there are more defensively responsible players at Guerin’s disposal and, if the likes of Hughes and Werenski will be given priority to quarterback the power-play, then the decision to pass on Hutson is understand, even if not universally agreed upon by observers.