COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Attention Olympic fans, Wednesday marks exactly six months until the start of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Milan and the alpine town of Cortina in Italy will host the games.
The Olympics will run from February 6 through the 22 in 2026 with the Paralympics following in March.
Teams and individual athletes who will represent Team USA are already preparing for the winter games. Lacing up the skates, and grabbing the goalie pads, the organization USA Hockey is gearing up for 2026 Winter Olympics.
“Hopefully bring home gold medals for all of us,” said Pat Kelleher, Executive Director of USA Hockey.
Going for gold, Kelleher said hockey fans can expect to see the best of the best.
“Our best men, our best women, our best pair of sled players to represent USA Hockey,” said Kelleher.
For the Olympics, USA Hockey is divided into three professional teams; mens, womens and a sled hockey Paralympic team. Kelleher said preparations are already happening on and off the ice.
“Our sled team has already been together this summer. Our women's program is just getting started. They're in Lake Placid right now getting ready to go, and we'll have an orientation camp for our men's program later this summer as well,” said Kelleher.
So far, only six players have been selected for the men's Olympic hockey team. Their names and NHL teams are listed below:
- Forward Jack Eichel, Vegas Golden Knights
- Forward Auston Matthews, Toronto Maple Leafs
- Forward Brady Tkachuk, Ottawa Senators
- Forward Matthew Tkachuk, Florida Panthers
- Defensemen Quinn Hughes, Vancouver Canucks
- Defenseman Charlie McAvoy, Boston Bruins
Additionally, four players from the Colorado Avalanche will be playing in the Olympics. Their names and countries are listed below:
- Nathan MacKinnon, Team Canada
- Cale Makar, Team Canada
- Martin Nečas, Team Czechia
- Gabriel Landeskog, Team Sweden
“The players, the caliber that we have, NHL superstars, Stanley Cup winners, major award winner(s), incredible players that have all come through our programs as youth players and now get to be in the highest level to be part of our Olympic team. It's very exciting for the organization, and certainly most exciting for those six players,” said Kelleher.
Kelleher said they will scout players in the NHL this fall, and the rest of the U.S. men's roster is expected to be announced by early January. Scouts and coaches will also search for the best women and sled hockey players.
"They will compete throughout the fall and the early winter in some other games and rivalry series and rivalry games against Canada. And then we'll pick a group that we think will be the best team to go represent us and win a gold medal,” said Kelleher.
While teams are getting ready for competition, the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum in Colorado Springs is also making plans.
A spokesperson for the museum said they will have daily events throughout the games, including the following:
- live coverage
- meet and greets with former winter Olympic athletes
- specialty tours
They even hinted at upgrades coming to the Winter Olympic sections inside the museum, saying new artifacts and never before seen memorabilia will be on display leading up to the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.
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