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The 2026 Winter Olympics are just a couple months away, and NHL players will be participating for the first time since 2014. Team USA should have a great shot to end its 46-year gold medal drought as the talent pool has never been deeper for the Americans.

Team USA general manager Bill Guerin has some tough decisions ahead of him over the next month, but that's a very good problem to have. And some of the work has already been done.

Back in June, Team USA announced the first six members of its Olympic roster with Jack Eichel (Golden Knights), Auston Matthews (Maple Leafs), Brady Tkachuk (Senators), Matthew Tkachuk (Panthers), Quinn Hughes (Canucks) and Charlie McAvoy (Bruins) going to Italy. Which 19 players will be joining them?

Projecting Canada's 2026 Olympic hockey roster: Connor Bedard playing his way onto loaded team
Austin Nivison
Projecting Canada's 2026 Olympic hockey roster: Connor Bedard playing his way onto loaded team

That's the question I tried to answer by projecting Team USA's final Olympic roster, which will be unveiled in early January. It's a great time for American hockey, and Team USA will be able to field a squad capable of winning gold.

Here's how Team USA's Olympic roster decisions should shake out:

*denotes player already announced

Forwards

I have a sinking feeling that Guerin will overthink his forward group, snubbing more skilled players for size and tenacity. Those traits have their place in hockey -- no doubt -- but the the skill level in Italy will be off the charts. The Americans need to bring their 14 best forwards, and they will still have plenty of grit in the form of the Tkachuk brothers, Eichel and defensemen like Jaccob Slavin.

With the above list, I think they do that. Players like Cole Caufield and Alex DeBrincat don't offer much in the brawn department, but they make up for it with their ability to put the puck in the net. Those two have combined for 28 goals on the season, and I don't think their presence leaves the Americans lacking in the size and strength department.

That brings me to Jason Robertson, who was inexplicably left off the 4 Nations Face-Off roster. The 6-foot-3 winger is one of the best scorers in the NHL, totaling 168 goals since the start of the 2021-22 season. Only 12 other players have more in that span. If Robertson is left off the Olympic roster, Guerin will be doing his team a disservice.

The battle for the 14th and final forward spot was a tough one. I felt like J.T. Miller, Chris Kreider and Vincent Trocheck were in the mix. However, I think Tage Thompson has a higher ceiling (and he's one of the 12 players with more goals than Robertson since 2021-22).

Defense

The Americans didn't have Quinn Hughes for the 4 Nations Face-Off due to injury, so his presence alone represents a big upgrade. Beyond that, I do think Team USA has a nice blend of offensive skill and shutdown options on its blue line.

Lane Hutson falls on the skilled end of that spectrum, and I think the 2025 Calder Trophy winner deserves to make the trip to Italy. Again, there may be bigger and more defensively responsible players available, but the Olympics will be a battle of star power. Hutson has that in spades.

Jake Sanderson was an injury replacement at the 4 Nations, but he has earned a full-time spot on the Olympic roster. He's evolved into a great two-way defenseman, and he has some nice size at 6-foot-2. I know Adam Fox got some criticism for his play in the 4 Nations tournament, but there's no reason to leave him home for the Olympics. Since the start of last season, the New York Rangers have a plus-28 goal differential with him on the ice at five-on-five, per Natural Stat Trick.

Finally, a quick note on Seth Jones. If you told me at the start of last season that I would be projecting him on the Olympic team, I would have looked at you cross-eyed. Instead, Jones has been excellent since joining the Florida Panthers. His size and puck-moving ability make him a great fit for this blue line.

Goalies

Team USA's biggest advantage is in the net, where it boasts an embarrassment of riches. Several good goaltenders will be left off the roster with competition as stiff as it's ever been.

Let's start with the easy one. Three-time Vezina Trophy winner Connor Hellebuyck is the No. 1 goaltender for the Americans. If Team USA reaches the gold medal game, Hellebuyck will be in the crease.

From there, I feel like Jake Oettinger has done enough to maintain his spot on the roster from the 4 Nations Face-Off. He hasn't had the best start to the 2025-26 season, but goaltending is extremely volatile, and Oettinger has built up a great body of work in his young NHL career.

The third spot was the toughest, but Spencer Knight has played his way into the Olympics. With 12.7 goals saved above average and a .919 save percentage, Knight is a legitimate Vezina Trophy candidate on a Chicago Blackhawks team with some defensive holes. Give this man his flowers with an Olympic nod.