The 12 countries participating in men’s hockey at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 are naming the first six players to their preliminary rosters Monday.
The men’s tournament will start with preliminary games Feb. 11, with the gold medal game scheduled for Feb. 22.
The remainder of the rosters will be announced later this year.
This is the first time NHL players will participate in the Olympics since 2014.
Here are the first six players on the Team USA preliminary roster (listed in alphabetical order):
Jack Eichel, F
Eichel had a career-high 94 points (28 goals, 66 assists) in 77 games for the Vegas Golden Knights this season and has averaged nearly a point per game in his career (608 points in 616 games). He led the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 22 games in 2023 to help Vegas win its first championship. The 28-year-old center from North Chelmsford, Massachusetts, has played in three World Championships for the United States, winning bronze in 2015, and won silver at the 2013 Under-18 World Junior Championship. Eichel also had four assists in four games for the United States, which finished second at the 4 Nations Face-Off earlier this season.
Quinn Hughes, D
Hughes has been one of the best defensemen in the NHL since entering the League in 2019. He won the Norris Trophy as the best defenseman last season when he had 92 points (17 goals, 75 assists) in 82 games and still had 76 points (16 goals, 60 assists) this season despite being limited to 68 games for the Vancouver Canucks. The 25-year-old from Orlando, Florida, has 409 points (59 goals, 350 assists) in 433 games. Hughes won gold at the 2017 Under-18 World Championship, bronze at the 2018 World Juniors and 2018 Worlds, and silver at the 2019 World Juniors. He was selected for the 4 Nations Face-Off, but an injury prevented him from playing.
The No. 1 pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs at the 2016 NHL Draft, Matthews leads the NHL in goals since entering the League that fall with 401 in 629 games. He has scored at least 30 goals in each of his nine NHL seasons, including at least 40 six times and 60 twice. The 27-year-old center, who grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, had 78 points (33 goals, 45 assists) in 67 games this season. He’s won the Calder as rookie of the year (2017), Hart (2022), Ted Lindsay (2022) and Rocket Richard Trophy as leading goal-scorer three times (2021, 2022, 2024). Matthews won gold at the 2014 and 2015 Under-18 World Juniors and bronze at the 2016 World Juniors. He also played for the United States at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off.
McAvoy has been consistent on each side of the ice throughout his eight NHL seasons with the Boston Bruins. He had 23 points (seven goals, 16 assists) in 63 games this season and has 300 points (60 goals, 240 assists) in 504 games. The 27-year-old from Long Beach, New York, played for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and the World Juniors twice (2016 bronze; 2017 gold) and the World Championships twice (2017; 2018 bronze).
The Ottawa Senators captain has 404 points (191 goals, 213 assists) in 512 games to go along with 1,759 hits since entering the NHL in the 2018-19 season, second behind only Radko Gudas (1,829). The 25-year-old had 55 points (29 goals, 26 assists) in 72 games this season and had four goals in six games in his first experience in the playoffs. On the international stage, Tkachuk, who hails from Scottsdale, Arizona, won gold at the 2017 Under-18 Worlds, bronze at the 2018 World Juniors and had three goals in four games for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
In his three seasons with the Florida Panthers, Tkachuk has helped them to the Stanley Cup Final in each, including winning the Cup last season when he had 22 points (six goals, 16 assists) in 24 postseason games, tying for the team lead. The 27-year-old had 57 points (22 goals, 35 assists) in 52 regular-season games this season and has 636 points (240 goals, 396 assists) in 642 games in nine NHL seasons for the Panthers and Calgary Flames. Tkachuk, from Scottsdale, Arizona, won gold at the 2015 Under-18 Worlds, and bronze at the 2016 World Juniors, where he had 11 points (four goals, seven assists) in seven games. He also served as an alternate captain at the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he had three points in three games in a second-place finish for the U.S.
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