US Olympic Hockey Team 2018: Men's Roster, Jerseys and Predictions

The NHL opted out of sending its players to the Olympics, and that means the overall quality of the hockey in the Pyeongchang Games is not going to be up to the level of the hockey played in 2010 in Vancouver, Canada, or 2014 in Sochi, Russia.

But there's still bound to be excitement, drama and a chance for new heroes to emerge. The U.S. team is largely made up of athletes playing in European professional leagues, collegiate players and minor leaguers.

One of those players is 20-year-old Jordan Greenway, a 6'6", 227-pound forward from Boston University. He will be the first African American to play for the U.S. Olympic hockey team.

"I'm the first African American to play hockey for the United States at the Olympics, but hopefully I'm the first of many," Greenway said, per Maria Perez of Newsweek. "Hopefully these kids go out, try something different, play hockey, and hopefully I see a lot more playing in the near future."

In addition to the social significance of Greenway's presence, he brings size, strength, power and the ability to play a physical game. He has scored 22 goals and recorded 52 assists during his college career with the Terriers.

Here's a look at the full U.S. roster. As for what the players will wear on the ice, Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press shared an image of Team USA's jerseys for the Olympics:

The most accomplished player on the roster is forward Brian Gionta, who played 15 seasons in the NHL with the New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens and Buffalo Sabres.

Gionta is known for his speed and quickness. The 5'7", 179-pound right wing has the ability find open spaces on the ice and get rid of his shot quickly. As a result, Gionta can score and set up his teammates. He should serve as one of the team leaders.

The tournament is likely to be wide open. The Olympic Athletes from Russia have the most accomplished players, but they are not guaranteed to win.

United States coach Tony Granato believes the talented Russians still have to come together and play well as a team.

"This Olympics is wide open for a lot of reasons," Granato said, per Stephen Whyno of the Associated Press (h/t Baltimore Sun). He elaborated:

"Russia's got the most talented players in the world. They're going to have the team that steps on the ice with the most talented players. Does that make them the best team for two weeks? No. We all know that. We all know how sports works. All you're looking for is an opportunity to make the most and be the best that you can be for that period of time."

Predictions

The United States will play hard and show plenty of emotion throughout the tournament, but this does not appear to be a year in which the Americans will bring home a medal.

Instead, Sweden looks like a gold medal-winning team, Canada has the inside track on the silver and the Olympic Athletes from Russia will take the bronze.

It would take several key breaks, and that means a couple of excellent bounces of the puck, for the United States to hit the medal stand.