NHL
Did Clayton Keller and Tage Thompson make the cut for this Team USA roster projection? Bo Amstrup / AFP via Getty Images
One year removed from a heartbreaking overtime defeat at the 4 Nations Face-Off, Team USA will go to the 2026 Olympic Games looking for redemption.
The question is, who will they bring with them? On Friday’s episode of “The Athletic Hockey Show,” a panel featuring Max Bultman, Scott Wheeler, Corey Pronman and FloHockey’s Chris Peters built a Team USA depth chart for the 2026 Olympics featuring 15 forwards, eight defensemen and three goaltenders.
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Many of the names on the depth chart will be familiar from the 4 Nations. But with a crowded group of elite NHL scorers vying for limited spots, choosing the right names from that bunch — and the heavier players to surround them — could be the difference between winning and losing for what could be the most talented American team assembled.
Here’s how the debate went down, and some of the toughest decisions the group grappled with.
But there were other members of that team whose status was more in doubt for our panel: Chris Kreider, Brock Nelson, J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck.
Kreider is having a bounce-back year in Anaheim, with 13 goals and 19 points in 26 games, but received minimal consideration from the panel and was ultimately left off the depth chart.
Nelson was debated more heavily, but ultimately left off as well, after what they felt was an underwhelming showing at the 4 Nations. Pronman did make a case for Nelson, though, and he ended up being one of the final cuts.
Miller and Trocheck both ended up on the team, though not without hesitation. Trocheck made the cut because of his checking ability at a tournament where the ability to defend will be key.
Miller, meanwhile, was one of the longest debates. Wheeler argued against his inclusion among the final 15, noting his slow start this season and that the Americans aren’t necessarily short on size. But Pronman pointed out that Miller still has plenty of skill in his game, and Peters noted the added benefit of being able to play him in more of a harder-nosed, grinding role down the lineup. Versatility was the key in Bultman’s vote for Miller as well, and so Miller made the cut despite his less-than-inspiring start.
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One of the toughest decisions Team USA GM Bill Guerin and his staff will grapple with is which talented scorers (out of a wide pool) they will take to Milan.
Jason Robertson led all Americans entering Thursday’s games with 36 points this season. Cole Caufield is above a point-per-game pace as well, tracking for 40 goals, and Alex DeBrincat is in similar territory. Clayton Keller is more of a setup man, but is near a point per game as well. And though quieter of late, Tage Thompson is having another strong season as a highly skilled scorer who’s 6-foot-6.
Thompson was a unanimous choice for our group, though we decided to play him on the wing. But after that, the panel was divided on how many other offense-first wingers to take — and who it should be.
Pronman, Peters and Wheeler all had Robertson on their individual depth charts when the exercise began. But Bultman argued against him because of questions on whether he could succeed in a bottom-six role, and none of the other hosts felt passionately enough about him to argue for him in the final debates. Keller won out in a head-to-head decision over Robertson because of his competitiveness as well as his ability to facilitate for other goal scorers on the roster.
The group initially planned to include Caufield as one of Team USA’s 15 forwards. But after reviewing their final choices, they were uncomfortable with the small stature of the forward depth, and ultimately left him off despite a fantastic start to the season. It was a tough cut that perhaps best exemplifies the decisions the USA brass is facing as the roster deadline nears.
Two young players rounded out the USA forward group: Logan Cooley and Matthew Knies.
Pronman was the only panelist who came in with Cooley on his individual depth chart, but he swayed the others toward Cooley because of his competitiveness and ability to get inside and win battles, despite being on the smaller side. With the ability to play center also a factor, he made the final 15.
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With the smaller Trocheck, Cooley and Keller all winning spots at the roster’s fringes, Bultman advocated for Knies as a heavy body well-suited to a bottom-six role who’s having a big year. Nelson was also discussed in a similar capacity. Wheeler wasn’t excited about either Knies or Nelson for the roster, but preferred Knies between the two, and Knies — who played for Team USA at the 2022 Olympics while at the University of Minnesota — won out in the end.
As with the forwards, most of the blue line was locked in with returnees the panel felt good about, with Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy, Zach Werenski, Jaccob Slavin, Jake Sanderson and Brock Faber all on all four individual depth charts.
Fox will be a hot debate point, and Pronman omitted Fox from his individual depth chart for Luke Hughes, arguing that it would be hard for Team USA to maximize Fox without power-play time. Presumably, Quinn Hughes and Werenski would be higher on the Americans’ pecking order for that role, and Pronman noted that using two defensemen on one power-play unit would also bump off an elite forward.
Still, Pronman was outvoted, and Fox ultimately made it into the consensus top eight on defense after being on three of the four hosts’ lists.
The final spot came down to Noah Hanifin — a returnee (and fairly strong performer) from Team USA last winter — and Seth Jones, whose profile has been elevated since being traded to the Florida Panthers last spring.
Jones’ play during the Panthers’ Stanley Cup run was a key part of Bultman’s argument for Jones, along with the idea of potentially being able to reunite him with his former Columbus Blue Jackets defense partner Werenski if needed.
Wheeler preferred Hanifin to Jones, but the group ultimately went with Jones, giving the team four left shots and four right shots. Notably, however, the panel also decided to play Sanderson on the right side in order to elevate him in the lineup rather than play him behind Hughes, Werenski and Slavin.
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With Connor Hellebuyck a unanimous choice at the top and Jake Oettinger nearly unanimous (sans Wheeler) as well, the only real goaltending debate was who would be the Americans’ No. 3: 4 Nations returnee Jeremy Swayman or rising star Spencer Knight, both of whom have had excellent seasons.
Wheeler and Pronman had Knight on their rosters, with Pronman particularly arguing for Knight. He felt Knight had played like one of the best goalies in the league to begin the season. Peters countered with Swayman’s 25-save shutout in the World Championship gold medal game, and in the end, the group was content with Swayman’s inclusion, especially since Wheeler had both Swayman and Knight on his roster over Oettinger.
Goaltending looks like a clear position of strength for the U.S. coming into the tournament.
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