{"id":262938,"date":"2025-10-31T13:38:08","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T13:38:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/262938\/"},"modified":"2025-10-31T13:38:08","modified_gmt":"2025-10-31T13:38:08","slug":"u-s-olympic-bubble-watch-what-hot-starts-for-keller-knies-caufield-others-mean-for-the-roster","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/262938\/","title":{"rendered":"U.S. Olympic bubble watch: What hot starts for Keller, Knies, Caufield, others mean for the roster"},"content":{"rendered":"

ST. PAUL, Minn. \u2014 Judging by how several American NHLers have started the season, Bill Guerin and his staff will have difficult decisions to make later this year when choosing the roster for the Winter Olympics in Milan.<\/p>\n

Cole Caufield is tied for the league lead with nine goals. Logan Cooley and Shane Pinto have eight apiece. Clayton Keller, who captained the United States to its first World Championship gold medal in May, has 12 points, and Tage Thompson, who scored the \u201cGolden Goal\u201d in overtime, has nine. Matthew Knies has 14 points. Frank Nazar, a huge part of a surprising Chicago Blackhawks team out of the gate, has followed a tremendous World Championship with 11 points in his first 11 games.<\/p>\n

Alex Tuch also has double-digit points, and Jason Robertson had a strong game at a recent contest scouted by U.S. director of player personnel Chris Kelleher.<\/p>\n

Not one of those players made the 4 Nations Face-Off roster last February. And that\u2019s just the forwards.<\/p>\n

But this is what Guerin hoped when he invited 44 players to the national team\u2019s orientation camp in August in Plymouth, Michigan, and when he added 13 more names to the team\u2019s expanded list this month.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a good thing,\u201d said Guerin, the general manager for the U.S. men\u2019s team as well as the Minnesota Wild. \u201cExactly what we wanted. I like seeing guys do this. It is great for USA Hockey, and it\u2019s great for our process. We want hard decisions. We\u2019re still just trying to build the best team possible. So where everybody fits in that is important, too.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need goal scoring. We need power-play guys. We also need penalty killers. We need guys that can check. If we learned anything from the 4 Nations, it was like, I don\u2019t want to say mistake-free hockey, but the checking, there was no room. That\u2019s why you saw the shots weren\u2019t very high. The scoring wasn\u2019t very high. It\u2019s because everybody could check. Everybody was responsible like that.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo it\u2019s not just goal scoring and offense. We will have plenty of that. You\u2019ve got to be able to do the other stuff, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Canada, too, will have tough decisions to make. Macklin Celebrini, Nick Suzuki, Mark Scheifele, Tom Wilson and Logan Thompson are all making strong cases.<\/p>\n

The good news is that teams can bring 25 players \u2014 likely breaking down into 14 forwards, eight defensemen and three goalies. That\u2019s one\u00a0more forward and one more defenseman than could be brought to 4 Nations.<\/p>\n

For the U.S., the likely shoo-ins up front are captain Auston Matthews, Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Jack Eichel, Jack Hughes, J.T. Miller, Jake Guentzel, Dylan Larkin, Matt Boldy and Kyle Connor.<\/p>\n

The Tkachuk brothers are both out with injuries, but Guerin expects they will be back in the Florida Panthers\u2019 (Matthew) and Ottawa Senators\u2019 (Brady) lineup in advance of the Olympics. Connor didn\u2019t have a great 4 Nations and was scratched in the title game, but it\u2019s unlikely the Americans keep the elite goal scorer from the Olympics.<\/p>\n

That leaves four open spots, with 4 Nations participants Chris Kreider, Brock Nelson and Vincent Trocheck likely on the bubble.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m just trying to focus on the now and helping my team win,\u201d Keller told The Athletic recently. \u201cIf I play well and help my team win, hopefully that\u2019ll help me make the Olympic roster. But it\u2019s not something I\u2019m stressed over or anything like that. I\u2019m focused on right now and each and every day. This year you\u2019re playing every other day, which is nice. And if I play well and prove worthy enough to make the Olympics, it\u2019ll be an honor and a lot of fun.\u201d<\/p>\n

On the blue line, Quinn Hughes, Zach Werenski, Charlie McAvoy, Jaccob Slavin, Jake Sanderson and Brock Faber are likely locks.<\/p>\n

That leaves two open spots, with 4 Nations participants Adam Fox, who seemed to be affected by the pace of international best-on-best, and Noah Hanifin on the bubble.<\/p>\n

Faber hasn\u2019t gotten off to a good start to the season for the Wild, but he has looked more like himself recently, and Guerin and coach Mike Sullivan have indicated they are eyeing a possible Slavin-Faber shutdown pair for the Olympics.<\/p>\n

Kelleher was actually in Tampa, Fla., last weekend, hoping to see Kreider and Hanifin back-to-back, but the Anaheim Ducks and Vegas Golden Knights players were out of their respective lineups because of injury.<\/p>\n

In goal, Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman are still the frontrunners to be in Milan.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a closer look at the Olympic hopefuls who didn\u2019t make the 4 Nations:<\/p>\n

ForwardsTage Thompson, Buffalo Sabres<\/p>\n

One of the biggest 4 Nations snubs, literally and figuratively, it\u2019s hard to see him not being an Olympian. One reason why he was left off the 4 Nations was that he hadn\u2019t learned to win, playing for the Sabres, a perennial playoff outsider. But he had a solid World Championship, scored the winning goal to deliver the U.S. gold for the first time in 92 years and showed in the 1-0 final that he can check in tight games. The 6-foot-6 forward can play center and wing and kill penalties.<\/p>\n

Clayton Keller, Utah Mammoth<\/p>\n

Guerin values players who don\u2019t decline World Championship invitations, and Keller, too, was a huge part of the gold medal-winning team as captain. If Kreider doesn\u2019t make the team, Keller would be a perfect replacement. He\u2019d bring speed, offensive punch and one of the best shots from the right faceoff circle if he somehow squeezes onto one of the power-play units.<\/p>\n

\u201cI understand every country will have tough decisions to make, and it\u2019s easy to debate,\u201d Utah coach Andr\u00e9 Tourigny said. \u201cBut no doubt he should be on the radar.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Clayton Keller wore the \u201cC\u201d for the U.S. at the Hockey World Championship\u00a0\u2014\u00a0and helped bring home a historic gold. (Michael Campanella \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Logan Cooley, Utah Mammoth<\/p>\n

Guerin knows Cooley well from the Mammoth star\u2019s time playing for University of Minnesota, and he got to see him light the Wild up with a couple of goals on Saturday.<\/p>\n

Fresh off signing an eight-year, $80 million contract, Cooley looks like a star in the making. The question is whether his time is now or in the 2028 World Cup and 2030 Olympics. For instance, Jack Hughes has been one of the NHL\u2019s best players this season, arguably right there with Eichel. But he didn\u2019t have a good 4 Nations playing wing, so if the coaches decide to play him at center, where he could be better suited, that would affect Cooley\u2019s chances of making the team.<\/p>\n

But Cooley impressed during the World Championship.<\/p>\n

Cole Caufield, Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n

Off to a terrific start for the exciting Canadiens, Caufield is a lethal goal scorer coming down the wing. It could be difficult for him to crack the roster because the Americans have so many top-nine wingers and power-play guys, but he\u2019s sure making it a hard decision for the U.S. brass.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe need guys that can check and play penalty-kill roles and are able to play in those tight games, hopefully, as we advance,\u201d Guerin said, repeating the sentiment a few times when he spoke to The Athletic. That might not be a great sign for Caufield.<\/p>\n

Matthew Knies, Toronto Maple Leafs<\/p>\n

Like Cooley, Knies played 10 miles from the Wild\u2019s home arena at University of Minnesota, and Guerin saw him play often but said he had no clue how much he was built like a tank until he saw him at the orientation camp.<\/p>\n

Knies bring a power forward dimension that could be intriguing to the Americans. If he continues to play like he has to start the season, he could put himself in a really good position to make the team.<\/p>\n

Frank Nazar, Chicago Blackhawks<\/p>\n

The question, like with some of the other young forwards, is whether it\u2019s too early for Nazar to crack the lineup.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s gotten off to an awesome start for Chicago and led the Americans in the World Championship with six goals and 12 points. He\u2019s a blazer on the ice and could be a thorn in many teams\u2019 sides for years.<\/p>\n

Shane Pinto, Ottawa Senators<\/p>\n

Another player who averaged more than a point per game at the World Championship, Pinto\u2019s gotten off to a stellar start for the Sens and will surely be scouted frequently before the United States has to submit rosters Dec. 31.<\/p>\n

Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars<\/p>\n

It seems like it\u2019ll be hard for Robertson to crack the roster. Pace of play is a bit of a concern.<\/p>\n

But he\u2019s another player who has looked good in the early going, with nine points in 11 games. The Americans are watching him closely.<\/p>\n

Patrick Kane, Detroit Red Wings<\/p>\n

Kane was invited to U.S. orientation camp and would love to make one last Olympic team before the end of his Hall of Fame career. He doesn\u2019t want to be a charity addition, though. He wants to earn it. And the soon-to-be 37-year-old was doing what he could, with five points in his first five games this season. But he\u2019s been out of Detroit\u2019s lineup since with an injury. He\u2019ll have to play catch-up once he returns.<\/p>\n

Honorable mentions<\/p>\n

Alex Tuch, Conor Garland<\/p>\n

DefensemenSeth Jones, Florida Panthers<\/p>\n

Jones is the defenseman whose stock has risen most dramatically since the 4 Nations. Getting out of Chicago was key. Since being traded to the Panthers at the deadline, he has looked tremendous, and he was a huge part of Florida\u2019s second straight Stanley Cup championship. He\u2019d bring size, mobility and a player who can play in all situations.<\/p>\n

Lane Hutson, Montreal Canadiens<\/p>\n

Hutson\u2019s dad, Rob, publicly criticized Guerin for not inviting his son to the orientation camp. The Calder Trophy winner was put on the expanded roster and would no doubt bring some mobility, flash and offensive skill to the Olympic team.<\/p>\n

The issue is a lack of power-play role if Quinn Hughes is going to quarterback the first unit and Werenski the second. Now, if Fox doesn\u2019t make the team, that could swing the door open for another power-play guy.<\/p>\n

“You never know what happens in the future. My boys are also Canadian.”<\/p>\n

Lane Hutson’s father, Rob, on his son being snubbed from Team USA’s Olympic summer camp.<\/p>\n

Could you imagine\u2026? \ud83d\ude33\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6<\/p>\n

(via: YT\/Recrutes Habscast, @grantmccagg<\/a>) pic.twitter.com\/YHSU1ConcL<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 BarDown (@BarDown) September 5, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Jackson LaCombe, Anaheim Ducks<\/p>\n

LaCombe\u2019s stock is rising fast after he impressed at the World Championship and signed a $9 million per year extension with the Ducks. He\u2019s another player Guerin watched at University of Minnesota, too.<\/p>\n

Luke Hughes, New Jersey Devils<\/p>\n

The Americans love what Hughes could add. They wouldn\u2019t mind bringing a young defenseman who will be a big part of their future, and there\u2019d be the natural storyline of the three Hughes brothers being on the same Olympic roster.<\/p>\n

Honorable mentions<\/p>\n

Alex Vlasic, Ryan McDonagh, Brett Pesce<\/p>\n

GoaliesThatcher Demko, Vancouver Canucks<\/p>\n

Demko has gotten off to a solid start to this season and is healthy, so even though he wasn\u2019t invited to orientation camp, he was included on the expanded roster. While it\u2019s hard to imagine Hellebuyck, Oettinger and Swayman not being the three goalies, he\u2019s pushing.<\/p>\n

Honorable mention<\/p>\n

Joey Daccord<\/p>\n