Utah Mammoth captain Clayton Keller, Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson and Florida Panthers Stanley Cup-winning defenseman Seth Jones have been named to the U.S. men’s Olympic hockey team, sources told ESPN on Wednesday.
Federations had to submit their 25-player rosters by Wednesday. Team Canada announced its team in a press conference on Wednesday, while Team USA plans on announcing its men’s, women’s and paralympic hockey teams in a Friday morning appearance on the Today Show.
Team USA GM Bill Guerin, also GM of the Minnesota Wild, called players on Wednesday morning to let them know they made the team. The United States also called players who just missed the cut and may still be needed as an injury replacement; teams can replace players up until the tournament in Milan begins on Feb. 11.
Six players have already been named to the U.S. team: Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk, Brady Tkachuk, Charlie McAvoy, Quinn Hughes and Jack Eichel. Keller, Thompson and Jones are new additions from the Four Nations team, which lost to Canada in the championship game last February.
NHL players are participating in the Olympics for the first in 12 years, and it’s a golden opportunity to showcase how much hockey has grown in the United States. America has not won an Olympic gold medal in men’s hockey since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team, and the U.S. is not shying away from what’s at stake.
“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, a St. Louis area native, was the No. 7 pick of the Arizona Coyotes in 2016. The veteran is coming off a career-high 90 point season and is tied for the Utah team lead with 33 points through 40 games this season. It’s already been an emotional season for Keller, whose father Bryan unexpectedly died in November.
Keller, 27, captained Team USA at the World Championships this May, in which the U.S. men won its first gold medal at the event in 92 years. Thompson, 28, scored the overtime goal for Team USA in their 1-0 win over Switzerland for gold. Guerin and the U.S. management group have stressed the importance of attending the event as a commitment to the program.
“We’re doing things differently now, and the world championships are absolutely connected to this. If you’re saying no and you don’t have a legit excuse, it will hurt you,” Guerin said at Team USA Olympic orientation camp in September. “I am not afraid to say that we don’t look at that with the Olympics coming up. That’s the biggest stage.”
Thompson, a versatile 6-foot-6 forward, has 18 goals and 34 points in 38 games so far for the Buffalo Sabres, who are currently on a 9-game winning streak.
Jones, 31, was the No. 4 pick of the 2013 draft. He has played 899 games for Nashville, Columbus and Chicago before he was traded to the Panthers last season — then helped Florida to its second-straight Stanley Cup. The defenseman led all Panthers skaters in ice time (25:30) in the 23-game postseason run. Jones was raised in the Dallas area while his dad Popeye Jones played for the Mavericks.
The United States management group includes Florida Panthers GM Bill Zito, New York Rangers GM Chris Drury, New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald, Edmonton Oilers GM Stan Bowman and Wild assistant GM Chris Kelleher. The New York Rangers’ Mike Sullivan will coach the team, and also had input in the process. Longtime NHL coach and current ESPN analyst John Tortorella is on the coaching staff and scouted for the group this fall.
