5 months ago
A trio of NHL players – Utah Mammoth skipper Clayton Keller, Buffalo Sabres guardant Tage Thompson and Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones – will make their Olympic debuts pinch Team USA astatine February’s Winter Games, ESPN reported connected Wednesday.
Olympic rosters had to beryllium submitted by Wednesday. USA Hockey plans to denote its roster Friday greeting connected NBC’s “Today.” This is nan first clip successful 12 years that NHL players will compete successful nan Olympics.
The tourney originates successful Milan, Italy, connected 11 February. The US are scheduled to reason Latvia connected 12 February, Denmark connected 14 February and Germany connected 15 February.
The aforementioned trio joins six players antecedently named to nan US squad – forwards Jack Eichel of nan Vegas Golden Knights, Auston Matthews of nan Toronto Maple Leafs, Brady Tkachuk of nan Ottawa Senators and Matthew Tkachuk of nan Panthers and defensemen Quinn Hughes of nan Minnesota Wild and Charlie McAvoy of nan Boston Bruins.
Except for Hughes, who was injured astatine nan time, those players were portion of nan 4 Nations Face-Off squad that lost to Canada successful nan tourney final past February successful Boston.
Under caput coach Mike Sullivan of nan New York Rangers, Team USA seeks their first Olympic golden badge since nan 1980 “Miracle connected Ice” squad won golden successful Lake Placid, New York.
“The anticipation is to spell to Milan and triumph nan golden medal,” Eichel said astatine nan US Olympic predisposition campy successful September. “I deliberation thing short of that, it would beryllium disappointing.“
Keller, 27, is nary alien to Team USA. He served arsenic skipper astatine nan world championships past May erstwhile nan Americans earned their first golden badge astatine nan arena since 1933.
Keller, a St Louis area autochthonal who was nan No 7 wide prime of nan Arizona Coyotes successful 2016, posted a career-best 90 points past play and is presently tied for nan Mammoth’s squad scoring lead pinch 33 points (12 goals, 21 assists) successful 40 games. Keller’s 10th NHL play has already been filled pinch emotions aft his father, Bryan, died unexpectedly successful November.
Thompson, 28, was selected No 26 wide by nan St Louis Blues successful 2016 and is enjoying different beardown play pinch nan Sabres, who acquired nan Phoenix autochthonal successful nan 2018 waste and acquisition that sent guardant Ryan O’Reilly to nan Blues.
Thompson leads nan Sabres successful scoring pinch 34 points (18 goals, 16 assists) successful 38 games this season, his ninth successful nan NHL. He scored successful overtime against Switzerland to assistance Team USA to a 1-0 triumph successful nan gold-medal crippled astatine past May’s world championships.
Jones, 31, nan boy of erstwhile NBA subordinate Popeye Jones, is playing successful his 13th NHL play and earned his first Stanley Cup ringing pinch nan Panthers successful June.
An Arlington, Texas, native, Jones has posted 24 points (six goals, 18 assists) this play successful 39 games. He was nan No 4 wide prime of nan 2013 draught by nan Nashville Predators and has besides played for nan Columbus Blue Jackets and Chicago Blackhawks.
