On Tuesday, USA Hockey released its list of 44 players who have been invited to the Olympic Orientation Camp for the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano Cortina. Included in the group of 44 players were Utah Mammoth forwards Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley.
After a successful 2024-25 season with Utah and capturing gold at the World Championship for the first time in 92 years, it’s no surprise that Keller and Cooley are going to Michigan to be a part of the Olympic Orientation Camp as Team USA looks to win its first Olympic gold medal since 1980.
Coming off a career-high 90-point season, there’s no surprise that Keller is on the orientation camp list. He was 11th in the NHL in points last season and was third among Americans. It was good enough to give him a spot on NHL Network’s top-20 wings, where he was ranked at 15, making him the fifth-highest American on the list. In May, Keller captained Team USA to gold at the World Championship. He had 10 points in 10 games. On top of that, the Missouri native was named captain of Utah ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Keller was not a part of the 4 Nations Face-Off roster for Team USA last season, which caused a bit of confusion and uproar from fans, especially with players like Vincent Trocheck, Chris Kreider, and Brock Nelson making the team ahead of him. After those three players combined for one goal in the entire tournament and the entire team struggled on offense at times throughout the tournament, Team USA general manager Bill Guerin might change up his roster heading into a much more anticipated Olympic tournament. It is worth noting that every player on the second-place American team has been invited to the camp.
For Keller, a spot in the lineup might be easy to get, considering his past couple of seasons as one of the best American forwards in the NHL and his strong World Championship as captain for Team USA. If he has another strong start in this upcoming season, he absolutely should be on the final roster and in the lineup for the tournament thanks to his explosive offense and strong showing as captain for both the Mammoth and Team USA.
In his second season in the league, Cooley put up remarkable numbers with Utah. He had 65 points in 75 games, with 25 of those points being goals. He was also part of the gold medal-winning Team USA group, scoring 12 points in 10 games on a line with Keller.
It’s not surprising that Team USA invited a younger player like Cooley. After all, Team Canada invited Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard to their camp. Having younger guys like Cooley, who has been a part of international tournaments, is great for their development and could be useful for Team USA, which was criticized for going in a more experienced and older route when deciding their 4 Nations Face-Off roster.
For Cooley, however, it’ll be a bit tougher getting into the lineup. He’ll have to beat out those aforementioned older players who have played in the NHL way longer than he has. It’s a long shot, but if he has an unbelievable start to the season, maybe he could sneak his way into a game or two in Italy. His strong two-way play and his speed should at least secure him a spot on the roster.
Per the USA Hockey press release, the orientation will be a two-day gathering, which will be mainly a team-building event. There will be no formal on-ice activity or public component. Orientation will be held in Plymouth, Michigan, on Aug 26-27.
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