Which Colleges Have Players on Team USA, Olympic Hockey Rosters: Puck Drop

The rosters for the 2026 U.S. Olympic men’s and women's hockey teams were announced on Friday morning as NHL players will participate in the Winter Games tournament for the first time since 2014.

Not surprisingly, both rosters included a lot of players with collegiate experience. On the mens' side, 10 different programs are represented, with eight on the women's side. More figure to be in the mix as some team rosters have not been announced yet.

As expected, the men's team is very similar to the one that participated in the 4 Nations Face-Off last February, with 21 returning players, while four players helped Team USA win gold at the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championship. Only two players have Olympics experience, defensemen Brock Faber (Minnesota) and Jake Sanderson (North Dakota), who competed for Team USA in the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022.

The 2026 team includes 19 players with college-level experience, and 18 players out of the National Team Development Program. Some had done both, like former Boston University forward Brady Tkachuk.

“We’re excited about our team and congratulate everyone named today,” said Bill Guerin, general manager of the U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team and also the general manager and president of hockey operations for the Minnesota Wild. “It was incredibly difficult for our management group to get to the final roster and that’s a credit to so many in our country, including all those at the grassroots level who help make our sport so strong. There’s nothing like the Olympics and I know our players and staff will represent our country well and work hard to achieve our ultimate goal.”

The men's hockey tournament at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will begin Feb. 11, with the gold medal game set for Feb. 22. Team USA, which is in Group C, will open against Latvia on Feb. 12, then subsequently play Denmark on Feb. 14 and Germany on Feb. 15, with the quarterfinals set for Feb. 18.

College Hockey Programs Represented at 2026 Olympics

Team USA
Boston College: Matt Boldy F; Noah Hanifin, D;
Boston University: Jack Eichel, F; Clayton Keller, F; Charlie McAvoy, D; Jake Oettinger, G; Brady Tkachuk, F
Colorado College: Jaccob Slavin, D
Connecticut: Tage Thompson , F
UMass Lowell: Connor Hellebuyck, G
Maine: Jeremy Swayman, G
Michigan: Kyle Connor, F: Quinn Hughes, D; Dylan Larkin, F; Zach Werenski, D
Minnesota: Brock Faber, D;
North Dakota: Brock Nelson, F; Jake Sanderson, D
Omaha: Jake Guentzel, F

Team Canada
Alaska (Fairbanks): Colton Parayko, D
Boston University: Macklin Celebrini, F
Massachusetts: Cale Makar, D
Quinnipiac: Devon Toews, D

Team Finland
Minnesota: Erik Haula, F

WOMEN
Team USA
Boston College: Megan Keller, D; Alex Carpenter, F
Clarkson: Haley Winn, D;
Cornell: Rory Guilday, D
Minnesota: Lee Stecklein D; Kelly Pannek, F; Grace Zumwinkle, F; Taylor Heise, F; Abbey Murphy, F
Northeastern: Hayley Scamurra, F; Kendall Coyne Schofield, F; Aerin Frankel, F; Gwyneth Philips, G
Ohio State: Cayla Barnes D (also Boston College); Hannah Bilka, F (also Boston College);
Penn State: Tessa Janecke, F; Joy Dunne, F
Wisconsin: Hilary Knight, F; Caroline Harvey D; Kristen Simms, F; Laila Edwards, D; Britta Curl-Salemme, F; Ava McNaughton, G

When Bill Guerin calls, you answer...eventually 📞

The 25 players selected to the 2026 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team rang in the New Year with the call of a lifetime! 🇺🇸 #MilanoCortina2026 pic.twitter.com/EXRI13it42
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) January 2, 2026

Olympic dreams realized. 🇺🇸
The 23 members of the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team got the call and are headed to Milan!#MilanoCortina2026 | @Honda pic.twitter.com/jO9WbK26uW
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) January 2, 2026

U.S. Takes Tough Loss, Eliminated from World Juniors

Although Michigan State's Ryker Lee gave the U.S. Junior National Team a clutch goal with its goalie pulled and 1:33 remaining on the clock, to send the game into overtime, Finland scored during the 3-on-3 play to eliminate the two-time reigning champions from the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in St. Paul, Minn.

Boston College forward James Hagens, who made the pass from behind the net to Lee out front, and the team's leading scorer Will Zellers of North Dakota keyed the tying goal. They and Brodie Ziemer (Minnesota) were named Team USA’s three best players of the tournament.

The U.S. might have played its best overall game of the tournament. But Arttu Valila, who did not have a point in his team's first four games, beat goaltender Nick Kempf (Notre Dame) with a shot from the right faceoff circle at 2:11. The U.S. outshot Finland 31-25.

Arttu Valila secures the win in OT for Finland‼️#WorldJuniors #IIHF pic.twitter.com/SzxVQ1BocB
— IIHF (@IIHFHockey) January 3, 2026

“It was an honor to coach this group,” U.S. coach Bob Motzko (Minnesota) said. “They played a great game tonight and came up just short. Give Finland credit. It’s an empty feeling right now, but our guys gave it all they had.”

Puck Drop: Saturday, January 3, 2026

• After giving up a goal 69 seconds in, No. 10 Quinnipiac rattled off nine unanswered goals including five in the third period to rout No. 18 Harvard 9-1 at M&T Bank Arena. Ethan Wyttenbach and Victor Czerneckianair both had a pair of goals, Antonin Verreault had a goal and three assists, and Tyler Borgula also had three assists. The Bobcats outshot the Crimson 40-17.

• Boston University defenseman Cole Hutson returned to the U.S. lineup for the World Junior quarterfinal against Finland. He missed two games after taking a puck to the back of the head. He scored the first goal of the game and had an assist to become Team USA’s all-time defense scoring leader at the World Juniors. "I thought we made good plays for a lot of the game," he said after the overtime loss. "But the little bounces that they got, a lot of their Grade-A chances came from our mistakes."

• Denver left wing Brendan McMorrow suffered a broken finger while blocking a shot against Finland. Minnesota Duluth standout Max Plante, a midseason frontrunner for the Hobey Baker Award, missed his second game after suffering an injury in the 6-5 win over Slovakia. However, the U.S. team hoped he would be able to play in the semifinals had it advanced.

• In the other quarterfinals at the 2026 World Junior Championship, Canada cranked out a 5-0 lead in the first period en rout to a 7-1 win against Slovakia. Seven different players scored and 14 registered a point, while Jack Ivankovic (Michigan) made 22 saves. It'll next oplay Czechia, which eliminated Switzerland 6-2. It'll be a rematch of their Boxing Day 7-5 shootout won by Canada. Rivals Sweden and Finland will play in the other Sunday semifinal. Top-seeded Sweden defeated Latvia 6-3.

A classy move by the Swiss team 🙏🇨🇭 #WorldJuniors pic.twitter.com/FPMYywFKqc
— BarDown (@BarDown) January 2, 2026

Friday's College Hockey Scores

MEN
Cactus Cup (at Acrisure Arena, Palm Springs, Calif.)
UMass Lowell 3, No. 14 Minnesota State 1
St. Cloud State 6, Yale 2

Desert Hockey Classic (at Mullett Arena, Tempe, Ariz.)
Air Force 8, Michigan Tech 2
Arizona State 7, Alaska-Anchorage 2

AHA
Holy Cross 2, Bentley 2 (SO)

CCHA
St. Thomas 5, Ferris State 3

ECAC
Princeton 5, No. 9 Dartmouth 4
No. 10 Quinnipiac 9, No. 18 Harvard 1

Non-Conference
Bowling Green 2, Ohio State 2 (SO)
No. 17 Cornell 6, Omaha 4
No. 15 Maine 5, No. 6 Denver 2
No. 7 Western Michigan 4, Notre Dame 0
No. 16 Providence 5, Alaska 2
Stonehill 6, St. Lawrence 2
Army 5, No. 12 Northeastern 2
No. 4 North Dakota 2, Mercyhurst 0
Augustana 3, Colorado College 2
Lindenwood 5, Canisius 2

Exhibition
Massachusetts 7, Simon Fraser 0
Minnesota 3, Bemidji State 3

WOMEN
Friday, January 2
2026 Friendship Series (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
Harvard 3, No. 5 Minnesota Duluth 2
Boston University 2, No. 8 Quinnipiac 2 (SO)

AHA
Mercyhurst at Lindenwood, 4 p.m. CT
Syracuse 3, Delaware 1

ECAC
Brown 4, Rensselaer 3 (OT)
No. 15 Yale 6, Union 3

Hockey East
No. 6 UConn 4, Providence 1

Non-Conference
No. 9 Princeton 8, Stonehill 1
No. 3 Minnesota 4, Sacred Heart 0
No. 11 Clarkson 15, Saint Michael's 0
No. 2 Ohio State 5, No. 4 Penn State 1
Vermont 1, Dartmouth 0

Games between ranked opponents are bolded. All times are local to where the game is being played.

College Hockey Schedule

MEN
Saturday's Games
Cactus Cup (at Acrisure Arena, Palm Springs, Calif.)
Third-place game: No. 14 Minnesota State vs. Yale, 3:30 p.m. PT
Championship: UMass Lowell vs. St. Cloud State, 7 p.m. PT

Desert Hockey Classic (at Mullett Arena, Tempe, Ariz.)
Third-place game: Michigan Tech vs. Alaska-Anchorage, 3 p.m. MST
Championship: Air Force vs. Arizona State, 7 p.m. MST

AHA
Sacred Heart at Robert Morris, 4 p.m. ET
Bentley at Holy Cross, 7 p.m. ET

CCHA
Northern Michigan at Lake Superior, 6:07 ET
Ferris State at St. Thomas, 6:07 CT

ECAC
No. 18 Harvard at Princeton, SNY 7 p.m. ET
No. 9 Dartmouth at No. 10 Quinnipiac, 7 p.m. ET

Non-Conference
No. 11 UConn at Long Island, 2 p.m. ET
Canisius at Lindenwood, 3:30 CT
Alaska at No. 16 Providence, 5 p.m. ET
Stonehill at St. Lawrence, 5 p.m. ET
Ohio State at Bowling Green, 6 p.m. ET
No. 15 Maine at No. 6 Denver, 6 p.m. MT
Clarkson at Niagara, 6 p.m. ET
RPI at Vermont, 6 p.m. ET
Notre Dame at No. 7 Western Michigan, 6 p.m. ET
Mercyhurst at No. 4 North Dakota, 6:07 CT
Colorado College at Augustana, 6:07 CT
Merrimack at Brown, 7 p.m. ET
Omaha at No. 17 Cornell, 7 p.m. ET
Colgate at New Hampshire, 7 p.m. ET
No. 8 Penn State at RIT, 7:05 ET

Exhibition
Simon Fraser at No. 19 Boston University, 5 p.m. ET
Royal Military at No. 20 Union, 5 p.m. ET

WOMEN
2026 Friendship Series (Belfast, Northern Ireland)
Third-place game: 8 Quinnipiac vs. No. 5 Minnesota Duluth, 10 a.m. ET
Championship: Harvard vs. Boston University, 2 p.m. ET

AHA
Mercyhurst at Lindenwood, 12 p.m. CT
Delaware at Syracuse, 3 p.m. ET

ECAC
Union at Brown, 3 p.m. ET
Rensselaer at No. 15 Yale, 3 p.m. ET

Hockey East
Providence at No. 6 UConn, 3 p.m. ET
Holy Cross at Maine, 6 p.m. ET

Non-Conference
No. 3 Minnesota at Sacred Heart, 1 p.m. ET
Saint Michael's at No. 11 Clarkson, 2 p.m. ET
Long Island at New Hampshire, 2 p.m. ET
No. 14 Colgate at Boston College, 2 p.m. ET
No. 4 Penn State at No. 2 Ohio State, 3 p.m. ET
Stonehill at No. 9 Princeton, 3 p.m. ET
Vermont at Dartmouth, 4 p.m. ET
Bemidji State at Merrimack, 7 p.m. ET

Exhibition
St. Thomas at No. 13 St. Cloud State, 2 p.m. CT

This Date in Hockey History

January 3, 1880: Hall of Fame arena builder Donat Raymond, who also won the Stanley Cup seven times, was born in Saint-Stanislas-de-Kostka, Quebec.

January 3, 1939: Hall of Fame left wing Bobby Hull was born in Point Anne, Ontario.

January 3, 1961: Harvard right wing Greg Brotz was born in Buffalo, N.Y.

January 3, 1962: Hall of Fame right wing Babe Dye died in Chicago. He was 63.

January 3, 1967: Maine center Bruce Major was born in Vernon, British Columbia.

January 3, 1975: The Atlanta Flames traded former Wisconsin right wing Dean Talafous and Dwight Bialowas to the Minnesota North Stars for Barry Gibbs.

January 3, 1981: Former Minnesota defenseman Reed Larson became the first Detroit defenseman since Red Kelly in 1954. It was his first NHL hat trick and Larson also had an assist, but the Red Wings lost at Pittsburgh 6-4.

January 3, 1988: North Dakota right wing Matt Frattin was born in Edmonton, Alberta.

January 3, 1969: Colgate defenseman Steve Poapst was born in Cornwall, Ontario.

January 3, 1978: Michigan State left wing Mike York was born in Waterford, Mich.

January 3, 1980: The Detroit Red Wings traded former Minnesota defenseman Dave Hanson, who played one of the Hanson brothers in the movie Slap Shot, to the Minnesota North Stars for future considerations.

January 3, 1988: The Harford Whalers acquired former Harvard defenseman Neil Sheehy, former Hartford center Carey Wilson and the rights to former Harvard left wing Lane MacDonald from the Calgary Flames in exchange for Shane Churla and Dana Murzyn.

January 3, 1991: Minnesota Duluth defenseman Dylan Olsen was born in Salt Lake City, Utah.

January 3, 1999: St. Cloud State center Ryan Poehling was born in Lakeville, Minn.

January 3, 2000: Boston College forward Patrick Giles was born in Chevy Chase, Md.

January 3, 2001: New York Islanders acquired former North Dakota and Ferris State left wing Jason Blake from the Los Angeles Kings in exchange for a future draft choice.

January 3, 2002: Michigan center Thomas Bordeleau was born in Houston.

January 3, 2003: Former St. Cloud State right wing Mark Parrish notched his fourth career hat trick and had an assist as the New York Islanders defeated visiting Boston 8-4.

January 3, 2004: Former Minnesota defenseman Ben Clymer and Ruslan Fedotenko combined to score goals 11 seconds apart in the third period to set a Tampa Bay record during a 6-1 victory over visiting Philadelphia. Fredrik Modin had three straight goals for his second career hat trick.

January 3, 2015: Former North Dakota right wing T.J. Oshie notched his second career hat trick and also an assist as S. Louis defeated San Jose 7-2.

January 3, 2018: Matthew Tkachuk, out of the U.S. National Development Team Program, notched his second NHL hat trick as the Florida Panthers defeated the Arizona Cardinals 5-3. Eric Staal had the other two goals.

January 3, 2018: Former Connecticut center Tage Thompson scored his 30th goal in just his 36th game, the third fastest in Buffalo Sabres history behind Alexander Mogilny (30 games), and Pat Lafontaine (31).

January 3, 2018: Auston Matthews, out of the U.S. National Development Team Program, recorded his 500th NHL points as the Maple Leafs got a 6-5 shootout win against the Blues.

January 3, 2019: Matthews scored his 30th goal in his 35th game of the season, the fastest in the NHL’s expansion era. He also became the third US-born player in NHL history to do so in 35 games or fewer

January 3, 2024: Jack Huges out of the U.S. National Development Team Program notched his 30th assist of the season in his 31st game and dethroned former North Dakota left winger Zach Parise (33 games) for the fastest player in franchise history to reach the mark. Former Minnesota center Aaron Broten is the only other player in Devils/Rockies/Scouts history to do so in 35 games. Nico Hischier scored a natural hat trick as New Jersey won at Washington 6-3.

Hockey Quote of the Day

"I don't train to look good in the mirror. I train to make improvements in my game."
Duncan Keith (Michigan State)

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We'll Leave You With This ...

Laila Edwards has been named to the U.S. Olympic women's hockey team, making her the first Black woman to ever represent USA Hockey at the Olympics 👏 pic.twitter.com/YwBwblHLBA
— THE SHIFT (@theshift_sports) January 2, 2026