Exciting Roster Additions for Team USA

Ahead of the highly-anticipated official roster reveal by USA Hockey on Friday, reports indicate that Clayton Keller, Tage Thompson, and Seth Jones will be key players on the U.S. squad for the 2026 Olympics in Milan Cortina. According to ESPN's Emily Kaplan, these three talented athletes will join the likes of Jack Eichel, Quinn Hughes, Auston Matthews, Charlie McAvoy, and the Tkachuk brothers, Brady and Matthew, who were the original six players acknowledged in Team USA's preliminary roster announced back in June.

In contrast, New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox will not be on the roster, as reported by Kaplan. This noteworthy development comes as the hockey world eagerly awaits the complete rosters for both the U.S. men's and women's hockey teams, in addition to the Paralympic sled team, all of which will be unveiled during Friday's episode of TODAY on NBC.

Intense Preparation Ahead

With Wednesday marking the deadline for federations to submit their 25-player rosters, Canada took the opportunity to announce its full squad in a press conference, featuring 19 players returning from the successful 2025 4 Nations Face-Off championship team. Notably, Keller, Thompson, and Jones are newcomers to the American roster from the 4 Nations Face-Off event held in February, where Keller and Thompson also showcased their skills at the IIHF Men's World Championship in May, contributing to Team USA's first gold medal victory since 1933.

As USA Hockey assembles a lineup with hopes of improving upon their performance from the last Olympic Games, it is important to note that Team USA had a strong group stage in 2022 with a perfect 3-0 record and an impressive plus-11 goal differential. However, their journey was cut short when they were defeated by Slovakia in a shootout during the quarterfinals. Looking back, America has not progressed beyond the quarterfinals since the 2014 Olympics, with their most recent medal achievement being a silver in 2010 after a tough final against Canada.

The men's hockey tournament at the 2026 Olympics is set to commence on February 11, culminating in the gold medal game scheduled for February 22, creating an exciting atmosphere for hockey fans around the globe.