Is it a good omen or a bad one? It probably depends on whether you’re an optimist or have a lingering debt to the international hockey gods.
When Team USA takes to the ice to begin its gold-medal quest at the 2026 Winter Games in Italy, the 25-man hockey roster will include 20 players who played college hockey for at least one season. So how many of them won a national championship?
Um, none.
Just three have played for the title, Jack Eichel as a freshman with Boston University in 2015, while Brock Faber and Jackson LaCombe first helped lead Minnesota to the Frozen Four in 2022, and to the championship game a year later.
Other Team USA players who experienced the Frozen Four include Quinn Hughes with Michigan in 2018, Brock Nelson at North Dakota in 2011, Connor Hellebuyck at (UMass Lowell in 2013), and Jake Guentzel with Omaha in 2015).
Well, maybe it’s only made them hungrier for Olympic glory, which has been pretty elusive over the years.
The last gold medal? 1980, the Miracle on Ice. Overall, the U.S. has won two gold medals (the other being 1960), eight silver medals and one bronze.
Four years ago? The U.S. placed fifth at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympic Games. Finland won the gold.
The most recent medal for the U.S. was at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, where host Canada edge the U.S in dramatic fasion. After Zach Parise scored with 25 seconds remaining to send the game into overtime, Sidney Crosby scored the game-winning goal off a pass from Jarome Iginla, seven minutes and forty seconds into the extra period.
The 2014 Games in Soshi, Russia, the last time National Hockey League players particip[ated, was also won by Canada. Sweden took silver and Finland the bronze. The U.S. won Group A over Russia (winning 3-2 in a shootout), Solovenia and Slovakia, but lost to Canada in the semifinals 1-0 (Carey Price topped Jonathan Quick), and then to Finland 5-0 in the bronze-medal game.
So maybe it’s a good thing that 23 players on Team USA are poised to make their Olympic debut.
As for the five non-collegiate players on the roster, four came out of the National Team Developmental Program: Jack Hughes, J.T. Miller, Matthew Tkachuk and team captain Auston Matthews. The other player’s Vincent Trocheck, who played in the Canadian juniors in the Ontario Hockey League. He was the first player from the Saginaw Spirit to have his jersey retired by the team.
Hockey Players in the 2026 Olympics by College
• Boston U. (6): Macklin Celebrini (Canada), Jack Eichel (USA), Clayton Keller (USA), Charlie McAvoy (USA), Jake Oettinger (USA), Brady Tkachuk (USA).
• Michigan (4): Kyle Connor (USA), Quinn Hughes (USA), Dylan Larkin (USA), Zach Werenski (USA).
• Clarkson (3): Haralds Egle (Latvia), Lukas Kaelble+ (Germany), Nico Sturm (Germany).
• Minnesota (3): Brock Faber (USA), Erik Haula (Finland), Jackson LaCombe (USA).
• Minnesota State (3): Teddy Blueger (Latvia), Marc Michaelis (Germany), Parker Tuomie (Germany).
• Boston College (2): Matt Boldy (USA), Noah Hanifin (USA).
• Lake Superior State (2): Louis Boudon (France), Lukas Kaelble+ (Germany).
• Massachusetts (2): Cale Makar (Canada), Dans Ločmelis (Latvia)
• Michigan State (2): Dustin Gazley (Italy), Wojciech Stachowiak (Germany).
• North Dakota (2): Brock Nelson (USA), Jake Sanderson (USA).
• Maine (2): Jeremy Swayman, Eduards Tralmaks (Latvia).
• Robert Morris (2): Justin Addamo+ (France), Daniel Mantenuto (Italy).
• St. Cloud State (2): Oliver Lauridsen (Denmark), Patrick Russell (Denmark)
• Alaska Fairbanks: Colton Parayko (Canada).
• American International: Janis Jaks (Latvia).
• Bowling Green: Ralfs Freibergs (Latvia).
• Colgate: Thomas Larkin (Italy).
• Colorado College: Jaccob Slavin (USA).
• Connecticut: Tage Thompson (USA).
• UMass Lowell: Connor Hellebuyck (USA).
• Merrimack: Stéphane Da Costa (France).
• Michigan Tech: Alex Petan (Italy).
• Minnesota Duluth: Adam Gajan* (Slovakia).
• Omaha: Jake Guentzel (USA).
• Plattsburgh State: Nick Jensen (Denmark).
• Providence: Nick Saracino (Italy).
• Quinnipiac: Devon Toews (Canada).
• Rensselaer: Justin Addamo+ (France).
• Western Michigan: Frederik Tiffels (Germany).
*active; +played at more than one college
College Players in the Olympics by Team (Nation)
United State (20)
Matt Boldy, F, Boston College
Kyle Connor, F, Michigan
Jack Eichel, F, Boston University
Brock Faber, D, Minnesota
Jake Guentzel, D, Omaha
Noah Hanifin, D, Boston College
Connor Hellebuyck, G, UMass-Lowell
Quinn Hughes, D, Michigan
Clayton Keller, C, Boston University
Jackson LaCombe, D, Minnesota
Dylan Larkin, F, Michigan
Charlie McAvoy, D, Boston University
Brock Nelson, F, North Dakota
Jake Oettinger, G, Boston University
Jake Sanderson, D, North Dakota
Jaccob Slavin, D, Colorado College
Jeremy Swayman, G, Maine
Tage Thompson, F, Connecticut
Brady Tkachuk, F, Boston University
Zach Werenski, D, Michigan
Germany (6)
Lukas Kälble, D, Lake Superior St./Clarkson
Marc Michaelis, F, Minnesota State
Wojciech Stachowiak, F, Michigan St.
Nico Sturm, D, Clarkson
Frederik Tiffels, F, Western Michigan
Parker Tuomie, F, Minnesota State
Lartvia (6)
Teddy Bluegers, F, Minnesota State
Haralds Egle, F, Clarkson
Ralfs Freibergs, D, Bowling Green
Jānis Jaks, D, American International
Dans Ločmelis, F, Massachusetts
Eduards Tralmaks, F, Maine
Italy (5)
Thomas Larkin, D, Colgate
Dustin Gazley, F, Michigan State
Daniel Mantenuto, F, Robert Morris
Alexander Petan, F, Michigan Tech
Nick Saracino, F, Providence
Canada (4)
Macklin Celebrini, F, Boston University
Cale Makar, D, Massachusetts
Colton Parayko, D, Alaska
Devon Toews, D, Quinnipiac
Denmark (3)
Nicholas B. Jensen, D, Plattsburg State
Oliver Lauridsen, D, St. Cloud State
Patrick Russell, F, St. Cloud State
France (3)
Justin Addamo, F, RPI/Robert Morris
Louis Boudon, F, Lake Superior State
Stephane Da Costa, F, Merrimack
Finland (1)
Erik Haula, F, Minnesota
Slovakia (1)
Adam Gajan, G, Minnesota Duluth*
How to Watch Olympics Hockey
Live streaming of Team USA will be available on Peacock and NBCOlympics.com. Live and tape-delayed coverage will be shown on a variety of channels including: NBC, NBC Olympics, CNBC, and USA Network. Team USA’s opener against Latvia will be live on USA Network.
Olympics Men’s Hockey Tournament Format
The twelve teams are split into three groups of four teams each. The preliminary round is round-robin in each group. The top team of each group and the best second-ranked team advance to the quarterfinals, while all other teams play a qualification round.
Group A: Canada, Switzerland, Czechia and France
Group B: Finland, Sweden, Slovakia and Italy
Group C: USA, Germany, Latvia and Denmark
Playoff Round Pairings:
First seed plays the winner between No. 8 and No. 9
Second seed plays the winner between No. 7 and No. 10
Third seed plays the winner between No. 6 and No. 11
Fourth seed plays the winner between No. 5 and No. 12
Olympics Men’s Hockey Tournament Schedule
Wednesday, Feb. 11
Group B
Slovakia vs. Finland, 10:40 a.m. ET
Sweden vs. Italy, 3:10 p.m.
Thursday, Feb. 12
Group A
Switzerland vs. France, 6:10 a.m.
Czechia vs. Canada, 10:40 a.m.
Group C
U.S. vs. Latvia, 3:10 p.m.
Germany vs. Denmark, 3:10 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 13
Group B
Finland vs Sweden, 6:10 a.m.
Italy vs. Slovakia, 6;10 a.m.
Group A
France vs. Czechia, 10:40 a.m.
Canada vs. Switzerland, 3:10 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 14
Group B
Sweden vs. Slovakia, 6:10 a.m.
Finland vs. Italy, 10:40 a.m.
Group C
Germany vs. Latvia, 6:10 a.m.
United State vs. Denmark, 3:10 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 15
Group A
Switzerland vs. Czechia, 6:10 a.m.
Canada vs. France, 10:40 a.m.
Group C
Denmark vs. Latvia, 1:10 p.m.
United States vs. Germany, 3:10 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 17
Qualification playoffs, 6:10 a.m., 6:10 a.m., 10:40 a.m. and 3:10 p.m.
Wednesday, Feb. 18
Quarterfinals, 6:10 a.m., 10:40 a.m., 12:10 p.m. and 3:10 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 20
Semifinals, 10:40 a.m. and 3:10 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 21
Bronze Medal Game, 2:40 p.m.
Sunday, February 22
Gold Medal game, 8:10 a.m.
Puck Drop: Wednesday, February 11, 2026
• Michigan has received a commitment from Ryerson Edgar, a highly-rated prospect with the Niagara IceDogs (PHL). The 17-year-old has 38 points in 47 games this season. He’s expected to return to the IceDogs for next season, and is eligible for the 2027 NHL Draft.
• Freshman Gavin McKenna was on the ice as Penn State returned to practice Tuesday. All indications are that he will play this weekend against Michigan. He’s still facing a misdemeanor assault charges from Jan. 31 incident.
• After squandering a three-goal lead, Oliver Salo scored 1:53 into overtime to give Bentley a 4-3 victory over Army, as it took an important step toward finishing atop Atlantic Hockey. Although second-place RIT also won, Bentley (16-8-5 overall, 14-3-4 AHA) has a five -point lead in the standings and two extra games on the schedule over the Tigers.
More From Beanpot …
• ‘It Wasn’t Only For Us’: Boston College Men’s Hockey Players Reflect on Beanpot Title
• Takeaways From Boston College Men’s Hockey’s Beanpot Win Over Boston University
• Moments From Boston College Beanpot Championship Victory Over BU: Photo Gallery
Men’s College Hockey Tuesday Scores
AHA
Bentley 4, Army 3 (OT)
RIT 2, Niagara 1
Women’s College Hockey Tuesday Scores
No Games Scheduled
Games between ranked opponents are bolded. All times are local to where the game is being played.
College Hockey Wednesday Schedule
No Games Scheduled
Olympics Hockey Update
• Former Boston College and Ohio State forward Hannah Bilka had a pair of goals as the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team defeated Canada 5-0. While everyone who played on either side had collegiate experience, the difference between the teams was on full display at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Canada had been criticized for its lack of younger talent as the entire roster was out of the PWHL. Meanwhile the active college players on Team USA had a huge game and combined to score three goals, by Carolina Harvey, Kristen Simms and Laila Edwards (all out of Wisconsin), while Abbey Murphy (Minnesota) had a jaw-dropping no-look pass for an assist (see below). The U.S. outshot Canada, 33-20, while Aerin Frankel recorded the first shutout against Canada in Olympics history. For more on the game check out SI.com.
No look, no worries 🤌 #WinterOlympics pic.twitter.com/xcbtoR2R8c
— USA Hockey (@usahockey) February 10, 2026
• Hilary Knight was credited with an assist on Caroline Harvey’s goal, tying her for the most career points (32) in U.S. Olympic Women’s Hockey history with Jenny Potter (Minnesota/UMD).
• The goal by Edwards was the first by a Black woman for Team USA in the Olympics.
• Canada was without team captain Marie-Philip Poulin, who per a release “suffered a lower-body injury during the first period of Canada’s 5-1 win over Czechia on Monday night and is listed as day-to-day.” Team officials said they are hopeful that the 34-year-old former Boston University standout known as “Captain Clutch” will be able to return before the tournament concludes. In her absence, Brianne Jenner (Corenll) wore the ‘C’ for Canada.
•Josefin Bouveng (Minnesota) had a goal and assist to help lead Sweden to a 4-0 victory and eliminate Japan from the women’s hocley tournament. Hanna Thuvik, Mira Hallin and Hanna Olsson also scored for Sweden, which dominated Group B with a 4-0 record and 18-2 edge in goals. Ohio State forward Hilda Svensson suffered a lower-body injury early in the game and did not return. Meanwhile, Laura Kluge (St. Cloud State) scored on a breakaway with 1:29 left in regulation to lead Germany’s 2-1 win over Italy.
• Although there’s one game yet to play in the preliminary round of the women’s tournament, Canada vs. Finland rescheduled for Thursday, the U.S. already knows it will face Italy in the quarterfinals. Here’s why: All five teams in Group A advanced, along with top three in Group B, which ended up being Sweden, Germany and Italy. By winning Group A, the U.S. will face the bottom team out of Group B, the surprise Italians. As long as it doesn’t lose in regulation to Finland, Canada will play Germany. Sweden plays the Group A third-place team (Czechia barring an upset), and Switzerland plays the fourth-place team. The teams are reseeded after the quarterfinals.
Women’s Olympic Hockey Tuesday Scores
Group A
United State 5, Canada 0
Finland 3, Switzerland 1
Group B
Sweden 4, Japan 0
Germany 2, Italy 1
Hockey Quote of the Day
“We used to get up at 4:30 or 5 in the morning, load Tony’s goal pads and everything on the toboggan and pull it right through town to the rink so we could practice before school. Usually, I did the shooting and Tony the goaltending. It’s like baseball; every kid wants to get up and take his swings, and every Canadian kid wants to shoot the puck. I was a year older, so I did the shooting. Maybe Tony didn’t like it, but he didn’t have much choice.”
Phil Esposito on his brother Tony
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We’ll Leave You With This …
Note to self: It was a good idea to add “Hardest shot” to the “Goalies contest”.#KHLAllStar pic.twitter.com/YSYE8CVo9a
— KHL (@khl_eng) February 9, 2026
