Off The Crossbar

While the 2026 Winter Olympics are still months away, United States-born NHL stars are making their cases for making the roster with impressive starts to the 2025-26 campaign. The USA put together an impressive group early on in 2025 in preparation for the 4 Nations Faceoff and it paid off despite their OT loss to Canada in the final. game of the tournament, giving the selection committee quite a lot to think about heading into Olympics delineation in just a few months. 

Dylan Larkin 

The Red Wings captain already has quite a bit of Team USA experience under his belt, most recently being selected for the 4 Nations roster; even though most expect him to make the Olympic team regardless, his performance since Opening Week has only strengthened his case as selection looms. The Waterford, Michigan native has five goals in six games played this far, tying him for the third-most across the League since play began. Furthermore, his 11 points are both top-five in the NHL and team leading, proving that he can produce at a high rate at any given point in time. He’s been a huge reason as to why the Red Wings have gotten off to a 5-1 start through six games and if he can keep this up, his play combined with his leadership makes him a near-lock for the roster come selection time.  

Cole Caufield 

Caufield narrowly missed out on making the 4 Nations Face-Off roster back in February, and has clearly been a man on a mission ever since. He has experience playing for the Americans at a number of levels (most recently the 2024 World Championship) and his play to open the most recent NHL campaign has put his name back in the radar; the Wisconsin product leads the Canadiens in goals with five and total points with eight. In addition to his numbers, his ability to come up clutch for the Canadiens have put them in great spots to open the season, most recently against the Kraken when he tallied 2-0–2, including a goal in OT that saw him tie Howie Morenz and Max Pacioretty (10) for the most in franchise history. There’s a lot of upside to his game that could be of use to Team USA in Olympic competition, and his play is certainly forcing the hand of the deliberation committee as selection looms. 

Shane Pinto 

Pinto might be a longshot for the Olympic roster given the talent that the Americans have at their disposal, but that hasn’t stopped him from throwing his hat in the ring. The Ottawa Senators center has seemingly found another gear early this season, forcing people to pay attention to him. With captain Brady Tkachuk out for quite some time, the Sens are going to be looking for someone to fill that void on the scoresheet; so far, it’s been Pinto’s burden to bear. The New York native’s seven goals in six games played this season gives him sole possession of the most across the League and although this pace might not be feasible for him to keep up, any time he gets on the scoresheet is only further pushing his narrative for inclusion. He has some Team USA experience under his belt seeing as he was part of the 2025 IIHF Men’s World Championship team, but he has the opportunity of a lifetime in front of him if he can play his way onto the team headed for Milano-Cortina. 

Matt Boldy 

Boldy has put together quite the career for the Minnesota Wild, tallying 106-147—253 in 291 GP) since his debut in 2021-22, a statline that caught the eye of Team USA and led to his inclusion on the 4 Nations Face-Off roster. The Massachusetts native was one of 44 players included on the USA Men’s Olympic Orientation Camp, a step in the right direction for the left winger who has played at a high level for the Americans before. He’s producing on the scoresheet at a great pact to open the 2025-26 NHL campaign with four goals and five assists in six games played, which is tied for the team lead in points with Kirill Kaprizov. His performance so far this season and his play during 4 Nations (1-2–3 in 4 GP) showcases his ability to get on the scoresheet when it matters, an asset that the United States could use heading into Olympic competition.