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Beniers, Sanderson headline USA's 2022 men's Olympic hockey roster

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Team USA revealed its men's Olympic hockey squad Thursday for the upcoming 2022 Winter Games in Beijing.

With NHL players no longer attending the international competition due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the United States' lineup is a mix of prospects and journeymen. Sixteen of the 25 players are 23 years old or younger, while six of the remaining nine are 30 or over.

Here's the full 25-man roster:

Forwards

Player Age Current Team NHL rights
Nick Abruzzese 22 Harvard (NCAA) TOR
Ken Agostino 29 Torpedo (KHL) None
Matty Beniers 19 Michigan (NCAA) SEA
Brendan Brisson 20 Michigan (NCAA) VGK
Noah Cates 22 Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA) PHI
Sean Farrell 20 Harvard (NCAA) MTL
Sam Hentges 22 St. Cloud State (NCAA) MIN
Matthew Knies 19 Minnesota (NCAA) TOR
Marc McLaughlin 22 Boston College (NCAA) None
Ben Meyers 23 Minnesota (NCAA) None
Andy Miele 33 Torpedo (KHL) None
Brian O'Neill 33 Jokerit (KHL) None
Nick Shore 29 Novosibirsk (KHL) None
Nathan Smith 23 Minnesota State (NCAA) WPG

Beniers, drafted second overall in 2021, and Brisson, selected 29th overall in 2020, are the most highly touted forwards on the team. Knies, a second-rounder in 2021, has impressed in his freshman year at Minnesota and is a name to watch.

Shore is the most experienced ex-NHLer of the group, having played in 299 career games with the Los Angeles Kings, Ottawa Senators, Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Winnipeg Jets.

Defensemen

Player Age Current Team NHL rights
Brian Cooper 28 IK Oskarshamn (SHL) None
Brock Faber 19 Minnesota (NCAA) LA
Drew Helleson 20 Boston College (NCAA) COL
Steven Kampfer 33 Ak Bars Kazan (KHL) None
Aaron Ness 31 Providence (AHL) None
Nick Perbix 23 St. Cloud State (NCAA) TB
Jake Sanderson 19 North Dakota (NCAA) OTT
David Warsofsky 31 Ingolstadt (DEL) None

Despite their age, Faber and Sanderson could log heavy minutes for this blue line. Sanderson, the No. 5 pick in 2020, won a world junior gold with the U.S. in 2021 and was the captain for this year's team before the tournament was canceled. Faber, a second-rounder in 2020, was also a returning member of Team USA's world junior squad.

Kampfer (231 NHL games) is the most seasoned member of the blue line and will be counted on for experience.

Goalies

Player Age Current Team NHL rights
Drew Commesso 19 Boston University (NCAA) CHI
Strauss Mann 23 Skelleftea (SHL) None
Pat Nagle 34 Lehigh Valley (AHL) None

It's hard to project who might get the call between the pipes to open the tournament, but Mann has posted a .930 save percentage in Sweden this year following a stellar NCAA career at Michigan.

The last time NHL players attended the Olympics was in the 2014 Sochi Games, where the United States took fourth place after falling to Finland in the bronze-medal game. Team USA failed to reach the podium again in 2018.

The United States' men's team hasn't captured a medal since winning silver during the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver.

Team USA will hit the ice for the first time at the Olympics in a preliminary-round clash against China on Feb. 10.

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