Team USA defenseman Jaccob Slavin (David Kirouac-Imagn Images)

Hurricanes’ Jaccob Slavin Invited to USA Olympic Orientation Camp

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers | By Zach Martin | Last updated Aug 19, 2025 9:28 PM ET

The news has been mostly slow over the last few weeks in the hockey world. However, as we draw closer to the 2025-26 season, promotional schedules are being released, and now Olympic Orientation Camp invitations are being sent out. As part of it, the Team USA Olympic invite list has been released, and there is one name in particular that stands out, especially for Carolina Hurricanes fans. There was no doubt that defenseman Jaccob Slavin would be on the 44-player invite camp list. What does it mean for Slavin, and why does it matter to be part of the plans for Team USA next February in Italy?

Let’s Go to Hockey Camp

On Tuesday afternoon (Aug. 19), USA Hockey revealed its 44-player Men’s Olympic Orientation Camp invite list. Out of the 44 players, 16 of them were defensemen, ranging from Massachusetts to Colorado to Montana. One of the names that stood out right away for Hurricanes fans was Erie, Colorado’s Slavin. After showing out in the 4 Nations Face-off for Team USA, it only made sense that the 29-year-old would be part of the orientation camp roster. He joins fellow Hurricanes players Seth Jarvis, Frederik Andersen, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Sebastian Aho to be part of their nations’ Olympic roster in some capacity.

Slavin did not tally a point during the 4 Nations Face-off; however, he was a plus-3 during the four games Team USA played in the tournament. Alongside partner Brock Faber, the two were the biggest shutdown pair for Team USA during the 4 Nations. It got to the point where Slavin was getting his overdue flowers from around the hockey world. Hurricanes fans know how amazing he is on a nightly basis. After only having eight penalty minutes in 95 games between the regular season and the playoffs, he is considered one of the best defensive defensemen in the NHL. It just took the 4 Nations for everyone else to catch up.

Under head coach Rod Brind’Amour’s system, Slavin is a number one defenseman who always has the most critical assignments against other teams’ best players. Even on the penalty kill, he is on PK1 for penalty kill coach Tim Gleason, who relies on him to use his elite defensive IQ to be a brick wall. His IQ is on another level, where he lets his game do the talking for him. On a nightly basis, he uses his stick at the right time to break up passes or even intercept them going across the ice. Furthermore, he knows when to throw a hit at the right time and make it clean in the process. His best ability is his availability on the ice for the Hurricanes. That translated to Team USA during the 4 Nations, where he was relied upon to shut down the best players for Canada, Sweden, and Finland.

It’s a foregone conclusion that Slavin will be on the Olympic roster. There is no reason not to have him, especially after the showing he put on at the 4 Nations, where he shut down the best of the best game in and game out.