MILAN — The USA men’s hockey team takes the ice for the first time at the 2026 Winter Olympics today and faces Latvia at Milano Santagiulia Arena.
The Americans come to the tournament with high expectations and a roster loaded with NHLers at every position. With Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman, there’s no team that can match the goaltending depth. The talent up front includes Auston Matthews and brothers Brady and Matthew Tkachuk, and on the back end, Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy.
‘We’re in the red, white and blue and competing and representing the best country in the world,’ Matthew Tkachuk said. ‘ It’s an unbelievable honor. We’re very excited to start playing.’
This is the first preliminary game for the Americans. They play Denmark on Saturday and Germany on Sunday. If the Americans win their group, they’ll get a bye into the next round.
Hellebuyck, the Americans’ No. 1 man at last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, gets the start against Latvia.
In other preliminary action on Thursday, Switzerland shut out France 4-0 and Canada blanked Czechia 5-0.
Watch Winter Olympics on Peacock
Where to watch USA men’s hockey vs. Latvia
USA Network is broadcasting the game, and Peacock is streaming it live.
What time is USA men’s hockey vs. Latvia today?
Puck drop is at 3:10 p.m. ET.
When is the Olympic men’s hockey tournament?
The tournament started Feb. 11 with two games. The USA opens play Feb. 12 against Latvia. All teams will play three games during the round robin, which runs through Feb. 15. The top four teams get byes to the quarterfinals.
Playoff qualification games are on Feb. 17 for teams ranked fifth through 12th, quarterfinals are Feb. 18 and semifinals are Feb. 20.
The bronze medal game is Feb. 21 and the gold medal game is Sunday, Feb. 22.
How long is NHL Olympic break?
The NHL will take a break from Feb. 6-24 for the 2026 Winter Olympics. No trades can take place during the Olympic break.
Why are there no fights in Olympic hockey?
International Ice Hockey Federation prohibits fighting, and it could lead to an ejection and a suspension.
‘Fighting is not part of international ice hockey’s DNA,’ the organization states in Rule 46 of the IIHF rulebook.
‘Players who willingly, participate in a ‘brawl/fight’ so-called ‘willing combatants,’ shall be penalized accordingly by the referee(s) and may be ejected from the game,’ the rulebook says. ‘Further supplementary discipline may be imposed.’
USA men’s hockey roster for 2026 Olympics
Forwards: Matt Boldy (Minnesota Wild), Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets), Jack Eichel (Vegas Golden Knights), Jake Guentzel (Tampa Bay) Lightning, Jack Hughes (New Jersey Devils), Clayton Keller (Utah Mammoth), Dylan Larkin (Detroit Red Wings), J.T. Miller (New York Rangers), Brock Nelson (Colorado Avalanche), Tage Thompson (Buffalo Sabres), Brady Tkachuk (Ottawa Senators), Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers), Vincent Trocheck (New York Rangers)
Defensemen: Brock Faber (Minnesota Wild), Noah Hanifin (Vegas Golden Knights), Quinn Hughes (Minnesota Wild), Jackson LaCombe (Anaheim Ducks), Charlie McAvoy (Boston Bruins), Jake Sanderson (Ottawa Senators), Jaccob Slavin (Carolina Hurricanes), Zach Werenski (Columbus Blue Jackets)
Goalies: Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg Jets), Jake Oettinger (Dallas Stars), Jeremy Swayman (Boston Bruins)
Olympic hockey games today
All times Eastern.
Men’s preliminary games:
Switzerland 4, France 0
Canada 5, Czechia 0
3:10 p.m.: USA vs. Latvia
3:10 p.m.: Germany vs. Denmark
Women’s preliminary games:
Canada 5, Finland 0
How the Olympics men’s hockey tournament works
The 12 teams are divided into three groups. They are:
Group A: Canada, Switzerland, Czechia, France
Group B: Finland, Sweden, Slovakia, Italy
Group C: USA, Germany, Latvia, Denmark
Teams play one game each against the other three teams in their group. Countries get three points for a regulation win, two for an overtime win, one for an overtime/shootout loss and zero for a regulation loss.
After the preliminary round is complete, teams are seeded 1 through 12 under the following criteria:
Higher position in the group
Higher number of points
Better goal difference
Higher number of goals scored for
Better IIHF world ranking
The top four teams get a bye to quarterfinal. Teams 5-12 play in a qualifying round, with the winners going to the quarterfinals.