Trio of NHL players – Utah Mammoth Captain Clayton Keller, Buffalo Sabers forward Tage Thompson and Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones will make their Olympic debuts with Team USA at the February Winter Games, ESPN reported Wednesday.
The Olympic lists were due to be submitted by Wednesday. USA Hockey plans to announce its roster Friday morning on NBC's “Today” show. This is the first time in 12 years that NHL players will take part in the Olympic Games.
The tournament starts in Milan, Italy on February 11th. The US plans to move against Latvia on February 12, Denmark on February 14 and Germany on February 15.
The aforementioned trio joins six players previously named to Team USA – 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, as well as defensemen Quinn Hughes of the Minnesota Wild and Charlie McAvoy of the Boston Bruins.
With the exception of Hughes, who was injured at the time, these players were part of the 4 Nations Face-Off team that lost to Canada in the tournament final last February in Boston.
Led by New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan, Team USA is seeking its first Olympic gold medal since the 1980 Miracle on Ice team won gold in Lake Placid, New York.
“We're expected to go to Milan and win a gold medal,” Eichel said in September at an Olympic orientation camp in the United States. “I think anything else would be disappointing.”
Keller, 27, is no stranger to Team USA. He was captain at the World Cup last May when the U.S. won their first gold medal at this event since 1933..
Keller, a St. Louis native who was drafted seventh overall by the Arizona Coyotes in 2016, scored a career-best 90 points last season and is currently tied for the Mammoth team's scoring lead with 33 points (12 goals, 21 assists) in 40 games. Keller's 10th NHL season has already been filled with emotion after his father Brian unexpectedly passed away in November.
Thompson, 28, was drafted 26th overall by the St. Louis Blues in 2016 and is having another successful season with the Sabers, who acquired the Phoenix native in a 2018 trade that sent forward Ryan O'Reilly to the Blues.
Thompson leads the Sabers in scoring with 34 points (18 goals, 16 assists) in 38 games this season, his ninth-most in the NHL. He scored an overtime goal for Switzerland to help lead Team USA to a 1-0 victory in the gold medal game at the World Championships in May.
Jones, 31, the son of former NBA player Popeye Jones, is in his 13th NHL season and earned his first Stanley Cup ring with the Panthers in June.
A native of Arlington, Texas, Jones has 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) in 39 games this season. He was selected fourth overall in the 2013 draft by the Nashville Predators and also played for the Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks.
