Team USA will be one of the favorites heading into the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy. They have a lot of elite talent, including Auston Matthews, the Hughes brothers, and the Tkachuk brothers. Here are my predictions for the team USA hockey roster at the next Olympics. NOTE: I will be updating this article as the tournament draws near. Players will move up and down this roster depending on how they are playing.
Gunner’s Projected Roster For Team USA At The Next Olympics
Forward Lines
| Line 1: | Matthew Tkachuk (A) | Auston Matthews (A) | Brady Tkachuk (C) |
When putting together this team, you have to pencil in Auston Matthews as the first line center. He is the best goal scorer in the NHL and in the prime of his career.
Some fans might argue against this but I am going to put the Tkachuk brothers together on the same line. They will be a nightmare to play against and would create a lot of space for Matthews. Plus, it will be entertaining as hell to see what the brothers will get up to together on the ice.
If it doesn’t work out, you can slide Brady to another line and change things up but this is what I would start off with if I was Team USA.
| Line 2: | Jason Robertson | Jack Hughes | Clayton Keller |
If Auston Matthews wasn’t on this team, Jack Hughes would be the number one center. Hughes will serve as a great second line center for this team, giving them some fantastic depth. Team USA will come close to matching Team Canada, who will likely have Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon as their 1-2 punch down the middle.
Make sure to also check out my predictions for the Team Canada hockey roster at the next Olympics.
Jason Robertson will be on this team. He is a great goal scorer and could be a nice fit alongside Hughes. I could see them teaming up for a bunch of goals.
I am going to put Clayton Keller on the wing to finish off this elite line. I feel like he could fit nicely alongside Hughes and Robertson.
| Line 3: | Kyle Connor | Jack Eichel | Cole Caufield |
I think that both Kyle Connor and Jack Eichel will be on this team. Both guys can shift up and down the lineup if needed. I am going to put them together on the third line here.
I am going to include Cole Caufield on the wing. By the time this tournament is happening, Caufield should be at the top of his game and he has too much talent to be left off.
| Line 4: | J.T. Miller | Dylan Larkin | Vincent Trocheck |
Dylan Larkin will likely be on this team and I think that he would be great as the fourth line center. I also think that J.T Miller will make it. He can play center or the wing, and can help kill penalties.
Vincent Trocheck is a question mark but I have him in right now. Trocheck will be a penalty kill option and that gives him the edge over some of the names that I have in the extras. You could probably replace him with any of the extras and it would be fine. USA has a lot of great talent.
| On The Bubble: | Tage Thompson |
| Jake Guentzel | |
| Alex DeBrincat | |
| Matt Boldy | |
| Brock Boeser |
Team USA is very deep and all four of these guys could easily make this team.
Defense Pairs
| Pair 1: | Quinn Hughes (A) | Brock Faber |
Quinn Hughes is a lock for this team as he is one of the best defenseman in the world. You can likely pencil him in as the #1 defenseman and top Power Player quarterback.
I think that he will be paired with Brock Faber. Faber is only going to get better with age and I think that he could be a great partner for Hughes.
| Pair 2: | Zach Werenski | Charlie McAvoy |
Charlie McAvoy is a lock for this team. He is a fantastic two-way defenseman and one of the best in the world.
Zach Werenski seems like he will be on this team. I am going to pair him with McAvoy as I think that they would be a strong pairing at both ends of the ice. Since Quinn Hughes is more of an offensive guy, they would probably use Werenski and McAvoy as the shut-down pair against the top line of the opposing team. They are both solid two-way players, who can chip in offensively.
| Pair 3: | Jaccob Slavin | Adam Fox |
Adam Fox feels like a lock for this team. I also think that Jaccob Slavin is a lock.
I think that their games compliment each other well, with Fox being more offensive and Slavin being more defensively responsible. They could make for a strong pairing. I have them as the third pairing but they could easily be the first. That is how stacked USA’s defense core is.
| On The Bubble: | Noah Hanifin |
| Brady Skjei | |
| Luke Hughes |
I love all six guys on their defense core. It will be a massive challenge for any of these bubble guys to make their way into the lineup. It will require an injury or someone really dropping off in quality.
Goalies
Team USA is absolutely stacked in net. Any of the guys below could easily be the starter. They will have a tough decision on who to leave out from the team. Here is my current ranking:
| Starter: | Jeremy Swayman |
| Backup: | Thatcher Demko |
| Third String: | Jake Oettinger |
We also can’t forget about Connor Hellebuyck, who is another fantastic option.
As a Canadian, any of the four guys mentioned would be a better choice than what we currently have.
Powerplay Units
| Unit 1: | Brady Tkachuk | ||
| Jack Hughes | Matthew Tkachuk | Auston Matthews | |
| Quinn Hughes | |||
| Unit 2: | Jason Robertson | ||
| Cole Caufield | Jack Eichel | Kyle Connor | |
| Adam Fox |
Penalty Kill Units
| Unit 1: | Dylan Larkin | Vincent Trocheck |
| Jaccob Slavin | Brock Faber | |
| Unit 2: | Jack Eichel | J.T. Miller |
| Zach Werenski | Charlie McAvoy |
Who do you think will be on the team? Make sure to let us know your picks in the comment section below.