USA Hockey named 44 players to attend an Olympic orientation camp next week, a two-day team-building event before the NHL season.
The Olympic roster of 25 players, which can include players not at the orientation camp, will be decided by Jan. 11.
NHL players are slated to participate in the Games for the first time since 2014.
The 44 players set for next week’s camp in Plymouth, Michigan, include five of the six players already named to the Olympic team: forwards Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews and Brady Tkachuk and defensemen Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy.
Matthew Tkachuk, who was also one of the first six named to the Olympic team in June, will miss the camp.
He tore an adductor muscle off the bone in February’s 4 Nations Face-Off, then missed the last 25 regular season games before returning for the Florida Panthers’ playoff run to repeat as Stanley Cup champions.
Every other member of the 23-player 4 Nations Face-Off roster will be at the camp, plus 12 players from the team that in May won the U.S.’ first standalone World Championship title since 1933.
Five players on the camp roster have Olympic experience: Brock Faber (2022), Patrick Kane (2010, 2014), Matthew Knies (2022), Ryan McDonagh (2014) and Jake Sanderson (2022).
Plus there’s Connor Hellebuyck, who this past season earned his third Vezina Trophy as the NHL’s top goaltender and first Hart Trophy as MVP. He is the first American goalie to win the Hart.
USA Hockey Olympic Men’s Orientation Camp Roster
Goaltenders: Joey Daccord, Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, Jeremy Swayman
Defensemen: Brock Faber, Adam Fox, Luke Hughes, Quinn Hughes, Noah Hanifin, Seth Jones, Jackson LaCombe, Charlie McAvoy, Ryan McDonagh, Brett Pesce, Neal Pionk, Jake Sanderson, Brady Skjei, Jaccob Slavin, Alex Vlasic, Zach Werenski
Forwards: Matt Boldy, Cole Caufield, Logan Cooley, Kyle Connor, Jack Eichel, Conor Garland, Jake Guentzel, Jack Hughes, Patrick Kane, Clayton Keller, Matthew Knies, Chris Kreider, Dylan Larkin, Auston Matthews, J.T. Miller, Frank Nazar, Brock Nelson, Shane Pinto, Jason Robertson, Bryan Rust, Tage Thompson, Brady Tkachuk, Vincent Trocheck, Alex Tuch
The U.S. women’s hockey program held a national festival with 76 college and professional players earlier this month in Lake Placid, New York.
The U.S. women’s Olympic roster will be 23 players, expected to be named in early winter.
