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Jason Robertson, Dallas Stars (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)

3 Snubs From the Team USA’s Olympic Roster

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Spencer Lazary | Last updated Jan 4, 2026 8:35 AM ET

This past week, more Olympic rosters were announced for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. We saw Team USA, Sweden, and Finland all reveal their 25-man rosters. The day started with the United States of America and then Team Canada’s roster reveal, and there was a ton of backlash based on who was named and who was left off.

As I mentioned in my article about snubs left off Team Canada’s Olympic roster titled: 4 Snubs From the Team Canada’s Olympic Roster, typically when it comes to best-on-best tournaments, there are always going to be questions regarding a lineup. This time is really no different, as there has been a lot of pushback from fans regarding the roster decisions. So, let’s take a look at a few of the biggest, most notable snubs from Team USA’s Olympic roster.

Jason Robertson – Forward

The first snub is by far the biggest one, and that is Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars. Statistically, he was the best American forward to be left off the team, which is interesting considering he has just as many goals as Vincent Trocheck has points so far this season. But somehow, it makes sense to keep him off the roster. Especially in a best-on-best tournament, where it happens over such a short period of time, you need players who can put the puck in the net. However, it seems that Team USA opted to select players who are good in different areas rather than just the best forwards available.

He currently has 24 goals and 24 assists for 48 points in 41 games. That puts him in a three-way tie with Matt Boldy and Kyle Connor for the most points this season among American-born forwards. Unfortunately for Robertson, he will most likely be sitting at home, or on a beach somewhere, watching his country attempt to win gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Cole Caufield – Forward

The next snub from Team USA is Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield, who has been lights out this season. Yet, he is also going to be watching his country compete. This was an opportunity for him to show the NHL just how good he could be alongside his fellow countrymen in a best-on-best tournament. He has proven to be one of the best pure goal scorers in the NHL and has become a huge part of the Canadiens’ resurgence this season.

He has scored 20 goals and added 20 assists for 40 points, which puts him seventh among American-born forwards. He sits just eight points behind the aforementioned Robertson and Boldy, who lead the pack. Based on his red-hot start, he definitely should have earned a look at making the roster, and while we truly will never know if he did or not, the hope is that he will earn a chance to be on the reserve list in case of an injury.

Adam Fox – Defense

Lastly, another shocking snub was New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox. At one point in his career, he was considered to be on the same playing field as Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar. He even won the Norris Trophy in 2020-21. Now, just a handful of years later, he is somehow not considered to be one of the eight best American-born defensemen. Yes, he has dealt with an injury this season, but Team USA’s head coach is Mike Sullivan, who is also Fox’s head coach in New York. So should he have fought more? Is Fox really worse than both Seth Jones and Noah Hanifin? Well, it appears that the Americans went with players to fill specific roles rather than the best available.

New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox (Robert Edwards-Imagn Images)

So far, through 29 games with the Rangers, he has scored four goals and added 24 assists for 28 points. If we base that on defensemen who made the team, he would be fourth in points among American-born defensemen. It will be interesting to find out if he is on USA’s reserve list and what issues him being left off by his own coach could cause for him down the road.

The list of potential snubs stretches far beyond just the three listed above. There was also Toronto Maple Leafs forward Matthew Knies or Detroit Red Wings forward Alex DeBrincat, who could have been named over Brock Nelson or Trocheck. There is also Lane Hutson from the Canadiens, and not seeing his name as part of the eight-man defensive core is surprising.

Outside of that, there was some pushback because of the decision to take Trocheck, Nelson, Seth Jones, or even J.T. Miller to some extent. However, like general manager Bill Guerin said, “But we have to make a team. I’ve said before, like, if we’re doing it like that, then you don’t need a general manager. You don’t need a coach. Like, just do it by stats.” Which just goes to show that those who put the team together don’t truly care about stats, but rather team fit.