Auston Matthews to captain Team USA men’s hockey at Milan-Cortina 2026

Auston Matthews has been named captain of the United States men’s hockey team for the 2026 Winter Olympics, with Matthew Tkachuk and Charlie McAvoy serving as alternate captains. The team assembled in Italy and took the ice for its first practice as the tournament week begins.

Leadership group set for Olympic push

Matthews, 28, adds the Olympic “C” to his duties as captain at the NHL level and reprises the leadership role he held at the 4 Nations Face-Off last winter. He is joined by alternates Tkachuk and McAvoy, who round out a leadership trio that has shared international success across multiple age groups.

“Auston, Charlie and Matthew did a great job in leading our team a year ago at Four Nations and it’s great to have them back in those roles for the Olympics,” U.S. general manager Bill Guerin said in a statement. “They all bring different leadership traits to the table and I know all three are excited, as is our whole team, about representing our country as part of Team USA.”

Matthews and the alternates have a shared track record on the international stage, including gold at the 2015 Under-18 Men’s World Championship and bronze at the 2016 World Junior Championship. The continuity of leadership is designed to steady a roster headlined by a core of NHL stars aiming to end a decades-long gold-medal drought.

First skate in Milan offers early line clues

With the full group on the ground in Italy, Team USA held its initial practice session Sunday. The staff kept formal line combinations under wraps, but drills offered a few hints. Jack Eichel appeared to center a unit with the Tkachuk brothers, while Matthews was flanked by Matt Boldy and Jake Guentzel on another top line during rush work. Final decisions on combinations will come closer to puck drop.

The team is emphasizing a tight-knit environment this week. Players indicated they plan to stay in the Olympic village to embrace the full experience and build chemistry. The approach echoes the collaborative tone set by the leadership group and bench boss Mike Sullivan as the squad transitions from travel to game tempo.

Matthews’ journey underscores growth of U.S. hockey

Raised in Arizona by a California-born father and Mexican-American mother, Matthews represents a new chapter in the American game. He developed through the U.S. National Team Development Program before vaulting to the top of the NHL draft and becoming one of the league’s premier scorers. His production—427 goals in 680 career NHL games—ranks second among active American-born players, trailing only Patrick Kane’s 500 in 1,345 games. Matthews and Kane are among a select group of only eight Americans ever chosen first overall.

His path highlights the sport’s expanding footprint in the United States, with talent now emerging from nontraditional markets and feeding into a national program that has stacked medals at the junior and under-18 levels. The Olympic captaincy is both a personal milestone and a symbol of that broader rise.

NHL stars return to Olympic ice

This tournament marks the first time since 2014 that active NHL players will compete at the Olympics, restoring a best-on-best stage that has been absent for more than a decade. For the United States, the assignment is clear: chase the nation’s first men’s hockey gold since the 1980 Miracle on Ice. The roster blends prime-age elite forwards and top-pairing defenders with a goaltending group expected to be pivotal in medal-round scenarios.

Matthews framed the opportunity in emotional terms after the first skate. “It’s crazy to think about now we’re here, and you get this opportunity, and it’s just very special,” he said. “You’re always extremely honored to represent your country and wear the Team USA jersey, but obviously it means that much more when you’re doing it at a setting like the Olympics.”

What’s next: opener set after tune-up sessions

Team USA will continue practices and meetings in Milan before opening group play on Thursday, Feb. 12, at 3:10 p.m. ET against Latvia at Milano Santagulia Arena. The staff will finalize lines and special teams during the next sessions, with an emphasis on quick puck movement, forecheck pressure, and disciplined coverage in transition—hallmarks that surfaced during early drills.

Last winter’s runner-up finish at the 4 Nations Face-Off offered a recent yardstick for the group’s ceiling. With Matthews wearing the “C” and a deep supporting cast around him, the Americans enter the Olympic tournament with heightened expectations, a clear identity, and a leadership core intent on turning years of promise into a podium-topping result.

Sources consulted: ESPN, NHL.com, USA Hockey team