U.S. hockey names first 6 gamers for ’26 Olympics

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The U.S. named Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, Auston Matthews, Jack Eichel, Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy as its first six gamers for the 2026 Olympics, warding off goaltenders at the preliminary roster unveiled Monday.

Some collection of Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, Jeremy Swayman and Thatcher Demko determine to make the crew when complete rosters are submitted in early January.

“Our goalies played well for us, great seasons: Connor just got the Vezina and Hart, which is incredible,” U.S. common supervisor Bill Guerin mentioned on a video name with newshounds. “It was just kind of the thing we talked that about before we did it for 4 Nations: Do we add a goalie, do we not add a goalie? I felt it was best we stay consistent and just let the goalies play it out during the season.”

All 12 groups that certified — with France changing Russia on account of the International Olympic Committee’s ban on that nation for crew sports activities over the conflict in Ukraine — introduced the beginning in their teams set to participate in Milan. This event marks the go back of NHL participation and what must be the primary Olympics for Canada’s Connor McDavid and lots of different best gamers who’ve no longer but gotten that chance.

“Incredibly honored to represent my country at the biggest sporting event in the world,” McDavid mentioned after he and the Edmonton Oilers practiced all the way through the Stanley Cup Final. “You think of the Canadian players that can be named to that team and to be selected again, it means a lot.”

McDavid would were there had the NHL no longer pulled out of the 2022 Beijing Games on account of pandemic-related scheduling problems. Along with McDavid, Canada picked Sidney Crosby, Nathan MacKinnon, Cale Makar, Brayden Point and Sam Reinhart, the latter of whom could also be within the ultimate with the protecting champion Florida Panthers.

“When you’re growing up when you’re watching as a kid, it’s Stanley Cup Finals and it’s Team Canada,” Reinhart mentioned. “Those are the two things that you dream about playing for. To have that opportunity is pretty exciting.”

Three different Panthers gamers — Aleksander Barkov for Finland, Nico Sturm for Germany and Uvis Balinskis for Latvia — are penciled in for Milan. Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl headlines the checklist for Germany, which reached the overall in 2018 when the NHL skipped the Olympics.

“There’s not a lot of elite centermen in the league: I think Leon is in that category, Sasha [Barkov is] in that class,” Sturm mentioned. “Big left-handed centermen that you can model your game after. He’s definitely somebody that I look up to a lot and try to learn from.”

Obviously, a lot can trade over the following 8 months, from accidents to efficiency, and this procedure with the IOC and International Ice Hockey Federation follows what the U.S., Canada, Sweden and Finland did in naming six preliminary gamers closing summer time for the 4 Nations Face-Off that used to be an enormous luck in February.

“I understand it from a marketing perspective to get things up and running,” Canada GM Doug Armstrong mentioned. “We probably had a wide berth of players we could have named, but it is what it is. I think it’s consistent with the 4 Nations and the event before, so we’re OK doing. As I said to someone: ‘I think the easy part’s behind us, these six. Now it gets interesting as we fill out that roster.'”

Sweden selected forwards Gabriel Landeskog, Lucas Raymond, William Nylander and Adrian Kempe and defensemen Victor Hedman and Rasmus Dahlin. Finland picked Barkov, fellow skaters Mikko Rantanen, Sebastian Aho, Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell and goaltender Juuse Saros.

This is Barkov’s 2nd Olympics after being in Sochi in 2014. That used to be as a tender, part-time participant.

“That was my dream as a kid to be there, and I got to experience that for a little bit for two games,” Barkov mentioned. “Now, to be named again is a huge honor. I’m really, really happy and honored and thankful for that opportunity.”

Much of the response to the roster liberate on social media needed to do with Russia no longer collaborating. That approach all-time main purpose scorer Alex Ovechkin, MVP finalist Nikita Kucherov and two-time Cup-winning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy won’t get the danger to visit Milan.

“It’s disappointing that they’re not in this event, but it’s certainly nothing that the participants in the event can control,” Armstrong mentioned. “You have to play the teams that are on your schedule, and unfortunately this time around the Russians won’t be there.”