Brian Gionta, James Wisniewski, and World Juniors legend Troy Terry lead Team USA’s men’s hockey roster for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang. The team was revealed Monday afternoon during intermission of the Winter Classic between the Buffalo Sabres and New York Rangers.
The Olympic tournament is going to be a lot different this year with the lack of involvement of the NHL, which refused to stop its season to send players to the event for the first time since 1994. As a result, national teams have needed to turn elsewhere, including colleges and European leagues, to fill out their rosters.
Gionta will be team captain for the Americans after ending his NHL career at the end of last season. A 15-year NHL veteran with the Sabres, Devils, and Canadiens, he’ll be the most familiar face to fans at home on Team USA.
Here’s the full roster, via USA Hockey, along with the teams and leagues they’re currently playing for this season.
Forwards
Mark Arcobello, SC Bern (NLA)
Chris Bourque, Hershey (AHL)
Bobby Butler, Milwaukee (AHL)
Ryan Donato, Harvard University (NCAA)
Brian Gionta, n/a
Jordan Greenway, Boston University (NCAA)
Chad Kolarik, Adler Mannheim (DEL)
Broc Little, HC Davos (NLA)
John McCarthy, San Jose (AHL)
Brian O’Neill, Jokerit (KHL)
Garrett Roe, EV Zug (NLA)
Jim Slater, Fribourg-Gotteron (NLA)
Ryan Stoa, Spartak Moskva (KHL)
Troy Terry, University of Denver (NCAA)
Defensemen
Chad Billins, Linkoping HC (SHL)
Jonathon Blum, Admiral Vladivostok (KHL)
Will Borgen, St. Cloud State University (NCAA)
Matt Gilroy, Jokerit (KHL)
Ryan Gunderson, Brynas IF (SHL)
Bobby Sanguinetti, HC Lugano (NLA)
Noah Welch, Vaxjo Lakers (SHL)
James Wisniewski, EC Kassel Huskies (DEL2)
Goalies
Ryan Zapolski, Jokerit (KHL)
There will be two more goaltenders added to the roster “later in January,” according to USA Hockey.
The Americans open the Olympics in Group B, which also features Slovakia, Slovenia, and the Olympic Athletes from Russia squad. The OAR team could be the heavy favorite in the tournament, but the KHL hasn’t announced whether it will send players yet and the IIHF said it will determine the status of the OAR hockey teams by Jan. 27. It’s generally expected that they will send a team to Pyeongchang.
The Americans open the group stage on Feb. 14 against Slovenia. The team will also play Slovakia on Feb. 16 and OAR on Feb. 17. At the end of group play, the 12 teams are seeded based on the results, with the top four teams receiving a bye into the quarterfinals. The gold medal game is set for Feb. 25, just one day before the NHL trade deadline. It’ll be a busy time in the hockey world.