USA Men's Olympic Hockey Team 2014 Announced: See Full Roster To Compete For Gold In Sochi

Following Toronto’s victory over Detroit in the NHL Winter Classic, Team USA announced the 25 names that will make up the men’s hockey team competing in Sochi at the Winter Olympics. The 2014 team will feature 13 past Olympians, a stark contrast to the 2010 team which had only three players with Olympic experience. Members of Team USA that have competed in past winter games include Ryan Miller of the Buffalo Sabres. Miller was also the MVP of the 2010 Olympic hockey tournament.

Conn Smythe Trophy winner and Chicago Blackhawk Patrick Kane, who currently stands as number two in the in the NHL scoring race with 23-30-53, will also be bringing past Olympic experience to the 2014 games. Members of Team USA are made up of a wide variety of players from the NHL. The New York Rangers, L.A Kings, Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes, Anaheim Ducks, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, Minnesota Wild, San Jose Sharks, Colorado Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets, Toronto Maple Leafs, Montreal Canadians, Vancouver Canucks and Chicago Blackhawks all have players heading to Sochi.

The New York Rangers have three players heading to Russia next month. Ryan McDonagh (D), Ryan Callahan (F), and Derek Stephan (F) will trade in the Broadway Blue for the Red, White and Blue of Team USA. Jimmy Howard will be USA’s third goalie following Jonathan Quick and Ryan Miller who will compete for starting keeper duties. Noticeably absent from this year’s roster are Bobby Ryan and Jack Johnson. Ryan was probably the most surprising name not to make cut this year. In 2010 his efforts helped the U.S. to win the silver medal.

During a press conference Team USA General Manger David Poile said, “We did not pick the 25 best players. We picked the 25 players we thought gave us a chance to win the gold medal.” Poile continued saying, “We went through a very through process to get to today and could not be happier with the team we’ve selected. We’re fortunate to have probably the deepest talent pool we’ve ever had in our country and that made for some very difficult decisions. In the end, however, we’re confidant we’ve selected a group of players that puts us in the best position to have success in Sochi.”

The full roster for Team USA includes, Forwards: David Backes, Dustin Brown, Ryan Callahan, Patrick Kane, Phil Kesler, T.J. Oshie, Max Pacioretty, Zach Parise, Joe Pavelski, Paul Stastny, Derek Stephan, James van Riemsdyk and Blake Wheeler. Defensemen include John Carlson, Justin Faulk, Cam Fowler, Paul Martin, Ryan McDonagh, Brooks Orpik, Kevin Shattenkirk and Ryan Sutter. Teams that do not have players heading to Sochi include the New York Islanders, the New Jersey Devils, Ottawa Senators, Phoenix Coyotes and the Boston Bruins. Also announced at the NHL Winter Classic was the full roster for the women’s U.S. Olympic Hockey team.