2026 Olympics: Meet the NHL players allowed to compete for Team USA for the first time in 12 years

The 25-year-old defenseman from Minnesota was only 13 when the league last let players in the Olympics! He now plays for the Anaheim Ducks after signing an eight-year contract in October 2025, calling it “an exciting day for my family and I am grateful to the organization for their belief in me”.

He was named to Team USA’s roster as an injury replacement to Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones.

Charlie, 28, plays for the Boston Bruins and was drafted 14th by the team in 2016. He made his debut during the team’s 2017 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and was named Alternate Captain in 2023.

He has competed for Team USA in the 2018 World Championship, and the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.Charlie married his longtime girlfriend, Kiley, in August 2023, after they met at Boston University; Kiley is the daughter of the New York Rangers’ head coach Mike Sullivan. Charlie and Kiley welcomed their first child on January 26, 2025.

The Bruins have also sent Jeremy, their 27-year-old goalkeeper from Alaska. A fourth-round pick in 2017 after three years at college, Jeremy signed an eight-year, $66 million contract with the Bruins in 2024, and the same year he played in the NHL All-Star Game.

He began dating his girlfriend Alessandra Iacoboni in 2022, and he later proposed. In December 2025 they shared the new that they are expecting their first child.

Buffalo Sabres’ forward Tage Thompson signed a seven-year, $50 million contract in 2022 with the New York team but he has pedigree; his father is Brent Thompson, a retired defenseman who played 121 NHL games from 1991-97 for the Los Angeles Kings, Winnipeg Jets and Phoenix Coyotes.

Tage, 28, was drafted by the St Louis Blues and was acquired by the Sabres the following year. He is married to his wife Rachel, whom he met when he was 19, and they are parents to three children.

Jaccob, a defenceman for the Carolina Hurricanes is a two-time winner of the Lady Byng Trophy presented annually to the NHL player who presented the best sportsmanship and ability throughout the year. The 31-year-old from Colorado and his wife are parents to two children, an adopted daughter from Africa, and a biological  son, born in 2022.“

“Man oh man. Adoption is, by far, the most amazing, difficult, beautiful, exhausting, emotional, exciting, incredible journey that we have ever embarked on. But it all led us to THIS. It all led us to HER. God’s plans were SO MUCH BETTER than anything that we could have dreamt of,” Jaccob told fans in 2019 when the adoption was approved.

Brock Nelson, a forward for the Avalanche, was drafted in 2010 by the Islander. The 34-year-old was traded to the Colorado Avalanche in March 2025 and they signed a three-year deal three months later.

He met his now wife Karley Sylvester in high school where she was named Ms. Hockey, an award given to the best female senior high school hockey player in the state of Minnesota. They are now parents to four children.

Michigan-born 28-year-old Zach Werenski has become one of the top defensemen in the NHL after being drafted by the team in 2016. 

In 2021, he signed a new six-year contract with the team and has been considered the face of the franchise. In 2025, he was named a finalist for the Norris Trophy. 

He married his longtime girlfriend, Odette Peters, on July 26, 2025, and on February 3, 2026 – seven days before he flew to Italy – they announced they were expecting a baby boy.

Dallas Stars’ goalkeeper Jake is considered one of the most elite in the league, and signed an eight-year, $66 million contract extension in 2024.

Jake married his girlfriend Kennedi on 2024 in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, and in November 2025, they welcomed a baby boy named Rhodes.

Dylan is a forward for the Detroit Red Wings, where he was drafted in 2015 and scored in his first game at the age of 19. He signed an eight-year contract with the team in 2023. 

That same year, he married his girlfriend, Mackenzie, and in 2025 they welcomed a baby girl, Lennyn.

Florida Panthers’ Matthew comes from hockey royalty – his father is Hall of Famer Keith Tkachuk, who played 18 seasons in the NHL, and his brother is Brady Tkachuk, the number four pick in the 2018 NHL Draft. Matthew was drafted sixth in the 2016 draft by the Calgary Flames, and in 2022 he was traded to the Florida Panthers.

Two years later, he became a Stanley Cup champion for the first time when Florida defeated the Edmonton Oilers in Game 7 of the Championship.

Matthew proposed to his girlfriend Ellie Connell in April 2024, and they tied the knot the next year.

Matt Boldy, a 24-year-old from Minnesota was drafted by the Wild in 2018, and after the end of his three-year contract signed a brand new seven-year, $49 million contract.

23-year-old Brock Faber was named a finalist for the 2024 Calder Trophy, given to the NHL rookie of the year, and that same year signed an eight-year, $68 million contract with the Minnesota Wild after he had been traded from the Kings.

Quinn, 26, was drafted seventh overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the 2018 NHL draft and was nominated for the Calder Memorial Trophy that same year. He won the James Norris Memorial Trophy in 2024 as the NHL’s best defenseman.

He was traded to the Wild in 2025.

Both of his younger brothers, Jack and Luke, also play hockey for the New Jersey Devils.

Jack will join his older brother Quinn in Italy after being named to the Team USA roster.

Jack is one of the Devil’s alternate captains after being drafted in 2019 by the team.

Jonathan Tanner is a forward and captain for the New York Rangers, where he was drafted 15th in 2011. Over his 15-year career, he has also played for the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Vancouver Canucks, and was traded back in January 2025. 

The next season, J.T. was named Captain.

He is married to wife Natalie, and together they have two daughters and a son.

Vincent was signed by the Rangers as a free agent in 2022 after playing for the Panthers and the Hurricanes, signing a seven-year, $39 million contract. He and his wife, Hillary, have two children, and are known for hosting annual dinners for his team at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“I just think it’s good to have everybody together and have a big home-cooked meal,” he said in 2025. “Especially when you’re on the road for a little bit, it’s nice to have a home-cooked meal, and it just brings everybody together.”

The Ottawa Senators have sent Jake Sanderson to Italy, a defenseman who was selected by the Senators in the first round, fifth overall, of the 2020 NHL entry draft. 

The 23-year-old signed an eight-year, $64.4-million contract extension with the team in 2023, and was named to the United States roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off as an injury replacement for then-Vancouver Canucks defenseman Quinn Hughes.

Jake is a forward for the Tampa Bay Lightning after being drafted in the third round (No. 77) of the 2013 NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He played for the team for several years, as well as helping them to get to the Stanley Cup Playoffs that same year, where he became the first Penguins rookie to score three goals in a playoff game.

He was traded to the Hurricanes in 2024 and a year later was traded to the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he signed a seven-year, $63 million contract.

Jake married Natalie Johnson, on July 30, 2021 and they have welcomed one son.

Brady is the younger brother of Matthew, who will also be in Italy for Team USA.  Brady was picked fourth by the Senators in 2018 and scored two goals in his second NHL game that year.

Brady and Matthew both host the Wingmen Podcast which mixes “NHL stardom with brotherly rivalry”.

 In 2023, he married his longtime girlfriend Emma Farinacci, and they welcomed his first child, a son, on September 16, 2024, with Brady now sharing the same birthday as his son.

Toronto Maple Leafs’ player Auston has been named captain of Team USA. He succeeded John Tavares to become the 26th captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2024 – the first United States-born player to be captain in the franchise in 107 years.

Widely considered as one of the best players in the world, he was the first player in modern NHL history to score four goals in his NHL debut for the Leafs in 2016.

Utah Mammoth’s Clayton was selected by the Arizona Coyotes in the first round (No. 7) of the 2016 NHL Draft, and scored his first NHL goal to open the 2017-18 season against the Anaheim Ducks when he was 19.

He signed an eight-year contract in 2019 but in 2023 the franchise was suspended and all assets including players were transferred to the expansion Utah Mammoth, where Clayton was named the team’s first-ever captain.

Vegas Golden Knights’  Jack Eichel was selected second overall in the 2015 NHL entry draft by the Buffalo Sabres, and in 2021 was traded to the Knights. In 2023, he helped the team win the Stanley Cup.

Jack met his wife Erin in 2015, and they tied the knot in California in early August 2025.

Noah was the fifth pick in the first round by Carolina in 2015 but was traded to the Calgary Flames in 2018. He signed an eight-year, $58.8 million contract in 2024 with the Golden Knights. 

He married his wife Monique in August 2024.

Drafted seventeenth in the 2015 NHL Draft, Kyle now plays for the Winnipeg Jets, and in 2022 won the Lady Byng Trophy, awarded annually to the NHL player voted to best “combine sportsmanship, gentlemanly conduct and ability”.

Kyle married his girlfriend Ally in 2024, and the two welcomed their first child in March 2025.

Connor was selected by the Jets in the fifth round of the 2012 NHL draft. Now considered one of the best goaltenders in the NHL, he is a Hart Memorial Trophy winner, three-time Vezina Trophy winner as the best goaltender in the league, and two-time William M. Jennings Trophy winner for allowing the fewest goals against.

He and his wife Andrea have two children together, and in 2023, he authored two children’s books about mental health.