2028 World Cup of Hockey: Early Team USA roster projections
With Kyle Morton and Anthony Trudeau
It wasn’t long ago that the exercise of constructing best-on-best rosters was pure fantasy, as we went 11 years between seeing NHLers compete for undisputed international hockey supremacy. Today? We’re spoiled. We had the 4 Nations Face-Off in 2025 and the Olympics in 2026, and we’ll get a World Cup in 2028 before another Olympic tournament in 2030.
We no longer have to operate in the theoretical; we’ve seen the world’s most elite men’s hockey nations clash. We know which players flourished and which didn’t. When we project rosters going forward, we do so making educated guesses this time around.
This summer at Daily Faceoff, we’ll kick tires on what the elite World Cup rosters might look like. The eight participating nations aren’t confirmed, but we know what the top half dozen countries will be at least.
A few rules to know for this exercise:
1. Just as the 4 Nations did, we’ll use NHL-sized rosters rather than the Olympic-sized ones in these projections. That means 20 skaters and three goalies rather than the 22 and three that teams brought to Milan this winter – until or unless the NHL confirms a roster-size change.
2. The tournament is 19 months away, and teams will likely be finalized around 17 months from now, so we’ll do a fair amount of age-based projection here, whether that means the ascension and best-on-best debuts of certain youngsters or the aging out of some players from 2026 Olympic squads.
We began with Canada last week. Next, we look at the defending Olympic gold medallists, Team USA. Canada didn’t tweak too much of its roster between the 4 Nations win and the Milan Winter Games; will the Americans follow suit and reward their winning squad by bringing most of it back?
FORWARDS (13) – Matt Larkin’s picks
| Brady Tkachuk | Jack Eichel | Matthew Tkachuk |
| Cutter Gauthier | Auston Matthews | Matt Boldy |
| Jack Hughes | Dylan Larkin | Cole Caufield |
| Jake Guentzel | Logan Cooley | Tage Thompson |
| Matthew Knies |
The Americans made a real point of establishing a division between their scorers and checkers for Milan, lugging along veterans well into their 30s such as Vincent Trocheck, J.T. Miller and Brock Nelson. But those three players will be 34, 34 and 36 in February 2028, and I suspect they will have aged out of their service. Team USA just has too many elite forwards ready for their opportunities. A regular snub in Caufield is a 50-goal scorer now; Gauthier topped 40 as a sophomore. Cooley is one of the league’s most promising young playmakers. While I haven’t disturbed the top half of Team USA’s forward group much, especially not the Tkachuk-Eichel-Tkachuk line, the 2028 team weaves in some new blood.
Biggest flex: If Cooley isn’t a big enough stretch for you: Knies over Olympian and World Championship captain Clayton Keller or Olympian Kyle Connor? We know the U.S. values variety in its player archetypes, and Knies’ size, speed and brute strength make him an intriguing fit for a checking role.
Toughest cut: Jason Robertson absolutely should be on this team, probably in the top six. I suspect Connor will still be an elite player two years from now as well. But Robertson seems to be blacklisted by the U.S. brass at this point, and Connor is by the coaching staff, making the Olympic team but press-boxed. If both these players are treated this way right now, in their primes, two more years won’t help their standing with the Stars and Stripes.
Also considered: Jackson Blake, Kyle Connor, Alex DeBrincat, Josh Doan, Clayton Keller, Ryan Leonard, J.T. Miller, Brock Nelson, Shane Pinto, Jason Robertson, Will Smith, Vincent Trocheck, Alex Tuch
FORWARDS (13) – Kyle Morton’s picks
| Jake Guentzel | Auston Matthews | Matthew Tkachuk |
| Matthew Boldy | Jack Eichel | Josh Doan |
| Brady Tkachuk | Jack Hughes | Cole Caufield |
| Jason Robertson | Dylan Larkin | Tage Thompson |
| Matthew Knies |
2028 falls at a very strange point in the window the Americans have to continue to surpass Canada. Vincent Trocheck, J.T. Miller and Brock Nelson were foundational to the identity of Bill Guerin’s squad that captured Team USA’s first Olympic gold since 1980 as defensively responsible role players, but all three will either be over or about to turn 35 in February 2028. The draw to run it back will be strong for Guerin, but in my mind, there’s a very compelling path forward up front that sees the top two lines, centered by Matthews and Eichel, stacked with as much defensive talent and hockey IQ as possible to allow for a more skill-centric bottom six.
The 2016 No. 1 pick and 2015 No. 2 selection are so capable defensively that they will have to be called upon to limit the likes of Connor McDavid, Macklin Celebrini and Nathan MacKinnon in a showdown with Canada. The Olympics provided proof of concept for this, as Matthews was essentially deployed as a full-on matchup center, just as he was in with the Toronto Maple Leafs last season under Craig Berube.
Biggest Flex: Doan is my most adventurous pick here, and it’s one I both personally believe in and could really envision Guerin going with. If Miller and Trocheck are out, options are limited among younger American forwards who possess considerable defensive upside and the sort of character traits the brass clearly prioritizes. In his first year in Buffalo, Doan was obviously a real driver of the cultural and attitudinal shift that helped the Sabres snap their league-long postseason drought. The bloodlines don’t hurt, either.
Toughest Cut: I hate, hate, the idea of Logan Cooley and Cutter Gauthier not being on this team, but this group still has quite a lot of depth at this point, and given the state of the American pipeline, their time is absolutely coming. It does not sit particularly well projecting Guerin to leave all three of the aforementioned veterans at home, but this group still has plenty of physicality and attitude. Also, it’s time that Caufield and Robertson, who finished second and fourth in the NHL in goals last season, respectively, get their shot, right? Right…?
Also considered: Jackson Blake, Kyle Connor, Logan Cooley, Alex DeBrincat, Cutter Gauthier, Clayton Keller, J.T. Miller, Brock Nelson, Nick Schmaltz, Will Smith, Jimmy Snuggerud, Troy Terry, Vincent Trocheck, Alex Tuch
FORWARDS (13) – Anthony Trudeau’s picks
| Brady Tkachuk | Jack Eichel | Matthew Tkachuk |
| Jake Guentzel | Auston Matthews | Matthew Boldy |
| Jason Robertson | Logan Cooley | Jack Hughes |
| Matthew Knies | Dylan Larkin | Tage Thompson |
| Shane Pinto |
Though Matthews and Matthew Tkachuk have arguably already played their best hockey, the relative youth of the American core means the big changes ahead of the World Cup should be in the bottom six. Bill Guerin’s obvious preference for souped-up role players in those spots probably won’t change now that he has a gold medal to show for the strategy. The grizzled vets who filled out the bottom of the lineup at the last two major internationals, Brock Nelson, J.T. Miller, and Vincent Trocheck, are out due to both age and performance factors. Dynamic Utah Mammoth pivot Logan Cooley, brawny Leafs’ winger Knies and the Ottawa Senators’ Shane Pinto, the fifth runner-up for the 2026 Selke Trophy, replace the well-worn trio in their respective roles as hard-working sniper, hard-hitting power forward, and defensive specialist.
Biggest Flex: Though the Team USA brass seems to regard him as a one-way scorer, Jason Robertson is a consistently dominant three-zone player. ‘Robo’ is bigger and stronger than fellow frequent snub Cole Caufield and plays the left side, where the Americans are notably thin and could have a vacancy given Kyle Connor’s international woes. It shouldn’t matter that Robertson isn’t from Minnesota or Massachusetts or that he didn’t cut his teeth with the USNTDP. It should matter that not one American has scored more points than he has in the past four seasons. Can we stop goofing off here?
Toughest Cut: With so few Olympians missing, this process wasn’t as agonizing as sorting out, say, a Canadian contingent. The cuts from Milan (Connor, Miller, Nelson, Trocheck, and Clayton Keller) weren’t the strongest selections to begin with. Caufield is unlucky to lose out to Tage Thompson as the resident right-shot one-time threat. Fellow diminutive righty Alex DeBrincat is unluckier still that his name never seems to pop up in Team USA conversations. DeBrincat, 28, has three 40-goal seasons under his belt, fills a need on the left wing, and battles as hard as any star forward in the sport. It still feels like ‘The Cat’ is waiting for Jake Guentzel, who will turn 34 in 2028 but has the smarts to age gracefully, to fall off.
Also considered: Jackson Blake, Cole Caufield, Kyle Connor, Josh Doan, Cutter Gauthier, Clayton Keller, Ryan Leonard, Frank Nazar, Will Smith, Alex Tuch
DEFENSEMEN (7) – Matt Larkin’s picks
| Quinn Hughes | Brock Faber |
| Jake Sanderson | Charlie McAvoy |
| Lane Hutson | Zach Werenski |
| Jaccob Slavin |
The American blueline was the envy of the 2026 Milan tourney and will shine again at the 2028 World Cup. While Hughes finished the Olympics with McAvoy, he’ll have another year under his belt as Faber’s partner with the Minnesota Wild – two if Hughes signs an extension for 2027-28 and beyond, so the chemistry will be too strong to break up by then. Sanderson and McAvoy can be the top shutdown pair – and while the lazy argument might suggest Hutson and Hughes are redundant as waterbug offensive defensemen, the truth is Hutson is excellent defensively and deserves to make the team.
Biggest flex: Slavin will be 34 for the 2028 World Cup, so it’s a stretch to include him, but it’s comforting to have him around just in case the Americans need some pure shutdown skills and penalty-killing acumen.
Toughest cut: Jackson LaCombe has done nothing wrong here, and he may overtake Slavin in my next projection, but I simply didn’t have room for him. The World Cup team takes two fewer skaters than the Olympic one, don’t forget, and I predict Hutson leapfrogs LaCombe by 2028.
Also considered: Jackson LaCombe, Adam Fox, Noah Hanifin, Seth Jones, K’Andre Miller, Luke Hughes, Mattias Samuelsson
DEFENSEMEN (7) – Kyle Morton’s picks
| Quinn Hughes | Brock Faber |
| Zach Werenski | Charlie McAvoy |
| Lane Hutson | Jaccob Slavin |
| Jake Sanderson |
This one feels fairly straightforward. As much of an advantage as the Canadians have with their forwards, the Americans are ahead by just about as much with their defensive unit. There’s Norris Trophy-winning upside littered throughout this group. Assuming Hughes remains with the Wild beyond his current contract, he will have years of familiarity with Faber by the time this tournament rolls around. The second pairing similarly combines an elite offensive weapon with a defensive force, and pairing Hutson as a dynamic newcomer with Slavin as a veteran defensive conscience makes all the sense in the world.
Biggest Flex: By definition, it has to be Hutson, who is undeniably good enough to be on this team but could still be kept off it due to concerns of redundancy with Hughes and Werenski. However, considering where Hutson already is now as a producer, play-driver and underrated defender combined with the time he has to build out his game even further, he should be here. The Canadian Olympic team showed the perils of not having enough elite puck-moving ability at the highest level of competition, and the guarantee of having one of Hughes, Werenski and Hutson on the ice at all times is quite literally unbeatable from that standpoint.
Toughest Cut: The constraint to seven and addition of Hutson means two Olympians are on the outs, and between Jackson LaCombe and Noah Hanifin, the emerging star out of Anaheim was the more difficult leave here. There’s also Adam Fox, who was snubbed from the Olympic team in a discourse-driving decision that worked out in the end. The New York Rangers’ Norris Trophy winner is the real answer here by straight-up quality, but since Guerin’s decision was validated earlier this year in Milan, he’s probably not in the picture at all barring an injury to Hughes.
Also Considered: Adam Fox, Noah Hanifin, Jackson LaCombe, Sam Malinski, K’Andre Miller, Mattias Samuelsson
DEFENSEMEN (7) – Anthony Trudeau’s picks
| Quinn Hughes | Charlie McAvoy |
| Jake Sanderson | Zach Werenski |
| Jaccob Slavin | Brock Faber |
| Lane Hutson |
What’s the sense in pretending Guerin won’t pick his defensive favorites once more in 2028? As long as ’GMBG’ has moved on from his infatuation with Noah Hanifin, it’s not as though it’d be some major reach to bring back the bulk of his Olympic blueline. The weakest player of the bunch I’ve projected to return, Faber, is one of the best No. 2 defenders in the NHL and has tons of rapport with both Quinn Hughes and Slavin. Norris winners Hughes and Zach Werenski will still be two of the sport’s elite puck transporters in a year and a half. If Slavin is no longer the premier shutdown option on the planet by then, when he will be pushing 35, it might only be because the criminally underrated Jake Sanderson has eclipsed him.
Biggest Flex: Would Guerin and Sullivan really welcome a pint-sized analytic darling like Hutson to the national team? They haven’t exactly been progressive thus far; you get the feeling they’d ice six Charlie McAvoys behind 12 Brady Tkachuks if it were possible. Still, Hutson’s ability to play both sides of the ice with aplomb and his power-play utility should at the very least make him a vastly overqualified safety blanket in case of an injury. With the way his career trajectory has gone so far, you wouldn’t be too surprised to see him put some extra pressure on the Team USA brass with a Norris podium in 2026-27.
Toughest Cut: Rangers’ star Adam Fox is no worse than the third-most effective American blueliner in the NHL. That’s unlikely to change too much by the time of the World Cup, when Fox will be celebrating his 30th birthday. Still, Fox is slight, slow, and wouldn’t get time on the man advantage over Hughes or Werenski. His elite hockey brain doesn’t pop on tape the way McAvoy’s bone-jarring hits do, and Fox admittedly got lost in the pace of the 4 Nations a few times. Even if Fox’s scapegoating for the Americans’ championship loss to Team Canada at that tournament was a bit overblown, it will still represent an easy out for an American braintrust that’s going to struggle to get its bevy of elite defenders down to a group of seven or even eight.
Also considered: Adam Fox, Luke Hughes, Seth Jones, Jackson LaCombe
GOALIES (3) – Matt Larkin’s picks
| Connor Hellebuyck |
| Jeremy Swayman |
| Jake Oettinger |
Hellebuyck gave a performance for the ages at the 2026 Winter Games, so he’s locked in. Swayman still feels safe coming off an excellent season with the Boston Bruins. Oettinger has more to prove with the Dallas Stars. He was supposed to be winning Vezina Trophies by now, but he regressed this past season. If he doesn’t recapture his All-Star form, USA could turn to younger candidates like Spencer Knight and Dustin Wolf for the 2028 World Cup.
Biggest flex: None? Unless you think it’s a flex to have Oettinger on the team. But he’s still just 27, which is young in goalie years, and his underlying numbers in 2025-26 were still actually above average.
Toughest cut: I was pretty tempted to show Spencer Knight some love. He’s been excellent weathering storms on bad Chicago Blackhawks teams, so what could he do with an elite defense in front of him at the World Cup?
Also considered: Spencer Knight, Dustin Wolf, John Gibson
GOALIES (3) – Kyle Morton’s picks
| Connor Hellebuyck |
| Jeremy Swayman |
| Dustin Wolf |
Much like the defense, the crease is another huge separator for the U.S. over their Canadian rivals. While Canada’s defense has some saving grace in Cale Makar and Matthew Schaefer, there’s no Hellebuyck walking through that door north of the border. Hellebuyck will still be under the age of 35 for the World Cup, and given his absolute heroics in the gold medal game at the Olympics, he has more than earned another go as the No. 1. After a year that saw him post a .908 SV% and carry the Bruins to the playoffs, Swayman is in excellent shape as well.
Biggest Flex: It’s the late-round draft pick turned heralded prospect for a Western Conference Canadian team who put together a massive breakout season prior to the age of 25 before following it up with a less excellent, but still solid, season in his first year after signing a huge contract extension. While that may sound like Connor Hellebuyck’s story, it’s also Dustin Wolf’s. While the Calgary Flames have not put Wolf in as advantageous a situation as Hellebuyck found himself in in 2017-18 with the Winnipeg Jets, the California native looks like the future of American goaltending, and he should get his first big national team nod here.
Toughest Cut: This is of course Jake Oettinger, the only one of the gold medal-winning trio not here. It was the Bruins’ backstop who got the non-Hellebuyck action in Milan, while Oettinger did not take the ice at all. Is it an overthink to read that as the American brass not being enamored with the 2017 first-round pick? Maybe, but either way, Oettinger has not put together a truly excellent NHL season since 2022-23. If that doesn’t change this year, Wolf should get the call.
Also considered: Joey Daccord, Spencer Knight, Jake Oettinger
GOALIES (3) – Anthony Trudeau’s picks
| Connor Hellebuyck |
| Jeremy Swayman |
| Jake Oettinger |
Borrrring. Alas, it would take something extraordinary to break up the goaltending battery that Team USA has taken to its previous two best-on-best outings. Swayman is 27 and just received Hart Trophy votes for dragging Boston into the postseason, even if his Olympic cameo could have gone better. Oettinger, also 27, hasn’t hit the highs he would have expected by now, but has nonetheless settled in as a workhorse who wins 35 games a season like clockwork. Hellebuyck won the Vezina Trophy in 2024, the Hart and Vezina Trophies in 2025, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his Olympic heroics in 2026. By 2028, perhaps he’ll already be a canonized saint.
Biggest Flex: Hellebuyck will be 35 in two years. As the countless fans of the many teams who want the Winnipeg goalie’s services but are reluctant to pay the market rate for them will be happy to remind you, he just labored through the worst season of his brilliant career. I still penciled him in as the starter with total confidence. I’m banking on a bounceback from ‘Bucky,’ who still posted NHL-average numbers behind a listless Jets outfit in 2025-26. Even if he really has become mortal, a goalie’s reputation long outlives his effectiveness. Hellebuyck became dictator perpetuo in the American goal the moment he made that save. You know the one.
Toughest Cut: Dustin Wolf and Spencer Knight are both exciting young netminders who have already shown an ability to cope with a starter’s workload, but the Western teams in front of them are, frankly, very bad. Those teams, the Flames and Blackhawks, respectively, might well continue to stink right until February of 2028 (or whenever rosters are announced). If they do, it would really drag down Wolf and Knight’s raw numbers and already slim chances of shaking up Team USA’s well-established crease.
Also considered: Joey Daccord, Thatcher Demko, Spencer Knight, Dustin Wolf
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