A trio of NHL players — Utah Mammoth captain Clayton Keller, Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson and Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones — will make their Olympic debuts with Team USA at February’s Winter Games, ESPN reported on Wednesday.
Olympic rosters had to be submitted by Wednesday. USA Hockey plans to announce its roster Friday morning on NBC’s “Today.” This is the first time in 12 years that NHL players will compete in the Olympics.
The tournament begins in Milan, Italy, on Feb. 11. The U.S. is scheduled to oppose Latvia on Feb. 12, Denmark on Feb. 14 and Germany on Feb. 15.
The aforementioned trio joins six players previously named to the U.S. team — forwards Jack Eichel of the Vegas Golden Knights, Auston Matthews of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators and Matthew Tkachuk of the Panthers and defensemen Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild and Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins.
Except for Hughes, who was injured at the time, those players were part of the 4 Nations Face-Off team that lost to Canada in the tournament final last February in Boston.
Under head coach Mike Sullivan of the New York Rangers, Team USA seeks its first Olympic gold medal since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team won gold in Lake Placid, N.Y.
“The expectation is to go to Milan and win the gold medal,” Eichel said at the U.S. Olympic orientation camp in September. “I think anything short of that, it would be disappointing.”
Keller, 27, is no stranger to Team USA. He served as captain at the World Championships last May when the Americans earned their first gold medal at the event since 1933.
Keller, a St. Louis area native who was the No. 7 overall pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2016, posted a career-best 90 points last season and is currently tied for the Mammoth’s team scoring lead with 33 points (12 goals, 21 assists) in 40 games. Keller’s 10th NHL season has already been filled with emotions after his father, Bryan, died unexpectedly in November.
Thompson, 28, was selected No. 26 overall by the St. Louis Blues in 2016 and is enjoying another strong season with the Sabres, who acquired the Phoenix native in the 2018 trade that sent forward Ryan O’Reilly to the Blues.
Thompson leads the Sabres in scoring with 34 points (18 goals, 16 assists) in 38 games this season, his ninth in the NHL. He scored in overtime against Switzerland to lift Team USA to a 1-0 win in the gold-medal game at last May’s World Championships.
Jones, 31, the son of former NBA player Popeye Jones, is playing in his 13th NHL season and earned his first Stanley Cup ring with the Panthers in June.
An Arlington, Texas, native, Jones has posted 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) this season in 39 games. He was the No. 4 overall pick of the 2013 draft by the Nashville Predators and has also played for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks.
–Field Level Media
