Team USA Olympic men’s hockey roster revealed at 2018 Winter Classic
Here’s the team that will try to win gold in Pyeongchang.
Brian Gionta, James Wisniewski, and World Juniors legend Troy Terry lead Team USA’s men’s hockey roster for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. The team was revealed Monday afternoon during intermission of the Winter Classic between the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers.
The Olympic tournament is going to be a lot different this year with the lack of involvement of the NHL, which refused to stop its season to send players to the event for the first time since 1994. As a result, national teams have needed to turn elsewhere, including colleges and European leagues, to fill out their rosters.
Gionta will be team captain for the Americans after ending his NHL career at the end of last season. A 15-year NHL veteran with the Sabres, Devils, and Canadiens, he’ll be the most familiar face to fans at home on Team USA.
Here’s the full roster, via USA Hockey.
Forwards
Mark Arcobello
Chris Bourque
Bobby Butler
Ryan Donato
Brian Gionta
Jordan Greenway
Chad Kolarik
Broc Little
John McCarthy
Brian O’Neill
Garrett Roe
Jim Slater
Ryan Stoa
Troy Terry
Defensemen
Chad Billins
Jonathan Blum
Will Borgen
Matt Gilroy
Ryan Gunderson
Bobby Sanguinetti
Noah Welch
James Wisniewski
Goalies
Ryan Zapolski
Team USA opens the Olympics in Group B, which also features Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Olympic Athletes from Russia squad. The OAR team could be the heavy favorite in the tournament, but the KHL hasn’t announced whether it will send players yet and the IIHF said it will determine the status of the OAR hockey teams by Jan. 27. It’s generally expected that they will send a team to Pyeongchang.
The Americans open the group stage on Feb. 14 against Slovenia. The team will also play Slovakia on Feb. 16 and OAR on Feb. 17. At the end of group play, the 12 teams are seeded based on the results, with the top four teams receiving a bye into the quarterfinals. The gold medal game is set for Feb. 25, just one day before the NHL trade deadline. It’ll be a busy time in the hockey world.