USA Olympic Hockey Team 2026 Top Players, Uniforms and Bracket Predictions
Ice hockey will be one of the crown jewels of the Milano Cortina 2026 Games, in no small part because NHL players will return to Olympic play for the first time since Sochi 2014.
On the men's side, an electrifying final matchup between Canada and the United States in the 4 Nations Face-Off could play out again on the Olympic stage, as both nations are favored to face off in the gold medal game.
For the women, we can also expect to see the U.S. and Canada in the gold medal game; after all, it's been that way at every Winter Olympics since 1998.
Here's everything you need to know about the U.S. men's and women's hockey teams ahead of the Milano Cortina Games, including rosters, players to watch and what the uniforms will look like.
Men's Hockey Roster
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Forwards (14)
Matt Boldy, Minnesota Wild
Kyle Connor, Winnipeg Jets
Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
Jack Hughes, New Jersey Devils
Jake Guentzel, Tampa Bay Lightning
Clayton Keller, Utah Mammoth
Dylan Larkin, Detroit Red Wings
Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
J.T. Miller, New York Rangers
Brock Nelson, Colorado Avalanche
Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
Tage Thompson, Buffalo Sabres
Vincent Trocheck, New York Rangers
The U.S. men's forwards are highlighted by the defending Stanley Cup champion Tkachuk brothers; Jack Eichel, who leads all Americans in points in the NHL (12th overall) and star Devils center Jack Hughes, who recently returned to action after suffering a freak finger injury. Don't be surprised to see Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Eichel and Brady Tkachuk on the United States' top line, all of whom played on a line together in the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Defensemen (8)
Brock Faber, Minnesota Wild
Noah Hanifin, Vegas Golden Knights
Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
Jackson LaCombe, Anaheim Ducks* (*injury replacement for Seth Jones, Florida Panthers)
Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins
Jake Sanderson, Ottawa Senators
Jaccob Slavin, Carolina Hurricanes
Zach Werenski, Columbus Blue Jackets
Joining his brother Jack in Milan will be Quinn Hughes, who will likely be slotted into the Olympic team's top defensive pairing along with Boston Bruins blueliner Charlie McAvoy. Hughes wasn't able to play in the 4 Nations Face-Off due to injury, so he will be champing a the bit to show what he can do for the U.S. on an international stage.
Goalies (3)
Connor Hellebuyck, Winnipeg Jets
Jake Oettinger, Dallas Stars
Jeremy Swayman, Boston Bruins
The U.S. has an embarrassment of riches at goalie; Team Canada would happily start Jake Oettinger or Jeremy Swayman over projected top netminder Jordan Binnington. But Hellebuyck got the nod in the 4 Nations tournament and will seemingly be tapped to start at the Olympics as well. The multiple-time Vezina winner has a goals against average of 2.70 and a save percentage of .902.
Women's Hockey Roster
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Forwards (13)
Hannah Bilka, Seattle Torrent
Alex Carpenter, Seattle Torrent
Britta Curl-Salemme, Minnesota Frost
Kendall Coyne Schofield, Minnesota Frost
Joy Dunne, Ohio State University
Taylor Heise, Minnesota Frost
Tessa Janecke, Penn State
Hilary Knight, Seattle Torrent
Abbey Murphy, University of Minnesota
Kelly Pannek, Minnesota Frost
Hayley Scamurra, Montréal Victoire
Kirsten Simms, University of Wisconsin
Grace Zumwinkle, Minnesota Frost
The U.S. women will be led by captain Hilary Knight, who is playing in her fifth Olympics and looking for her second gold medal. Now playing for the Seattle Torrent, Knight was the 2025 PWHL points leader. Kendall Coyne Schofield was also part of that gold-medal-winning team at the Pyeongchang 2018 Games; Milano Cortina 2026 marks her third Olympic appearance.
Defenders (7)
Cayla Barnes, Seattle Torrent
Laila Edwards, University of Wisconsin
Rory Guilday, Ottawa Charge
Caroline Harvey, University of Wisconsin
Megan Keller, Boston Fleet
Lee Stecklein, Minnesota Frost
Haley Winn, Boston Fleet
Making her Olympic debut is Laila Edwards, who plays for the defending NCAA champion Wisconsin Badgers. The 2024 IIHF Women's World Championship MVP, Edwards has spent most of her career playing forward but is utilizing her size on defense for the U.S. team.
Goaltenders (3)
Aerin Frankel, Boston Fleet
Ava McNaughton, University of Wisconsin
Gwyneth Philips, Ottawa Charge
Aerin Frankel is coming off a 2025 IIHF Women's World Championship gold medal win, where she received the Directorate Award for top goaltender.The two-time world champion will make her Olympic debut at the Milano Cortina Games.
Team USA Uniforms
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The jerseys that the men's and women's U.S. Olympic hockey teams, as well as the Paralympic sled hockey team, will wear at the Milano Cortina 2026 Games were unveiled on November 26.
The Nike-designed jersey, available in white and blue, is inspired by the iconic 1960 Olympics jersey, worn by the men's team that captured the first Olympic ice hockey gold.
It features bold diagonal USA lettering across the chest and a gold-accented USA Hockey crest. The words "land of the free, home of the brave are printed inside the collar.
Men's Bracket Predictions
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Bronze Medal Game: Sweden vs. Finland
Gold Medal Game: USA vs. Canada
Gold: Canada
Silver: USA
Bronze: Sweden
In many ways, we can expect the Olympics to be an encore performance of the 4 Nations Face-Off. Team Canada is favored to take home gold in Milan, just as it did at the 4 Nations. It's no wonder why Vegas is high on Canada; Connor McDavid, Nathan MacKinnon and Macklin Celebrini, the top three Hart Trophy contenders, will all wear the Maple Leaf in the Olympics. Then there's some guy named Sidney Crosby.
However, even if the U.S. can't quite match Canada in scoring, it has enough talent on defense and between the pipes to give Team Canada a legitimate run for its money.
Women's Bracket Predictions
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Bronze Medal Game: Czechia vs. Finland
Gold Medal Game: USA vs. Canada
Gold: USA
Silver: Canada
Bronze: Czechia
It's easy to assume that one of the United States and Canada will win gold for the women; since 1998, the two nations have combined to win every Olympic ice hockey gold medal.
The Americans fielded a team of veterans at Beijing 2022 and were bested by Canada. This time around, while Hilary Knight and Kendall Coyne Schofield return, they lead a young, fast team of up-and-coming stars; seven of them are still in college.
