USA Hockey announced the players that will make up its 2014 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team. Five players call New York State home including Ryan Callahan of Rochester; Dustin Brown, Ithaca; Patrick Kane, Buffalo; Brooks Orpik, Amherst and Jim Howard, Syracuse.
The roster includes 13 Olympians, a stark contrast to four years ago when the silver medal-winning 2010 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team featured just three players with Olympic experience. Among those selected with an Olympic pedigree are goaltenders Ryan Miller (East Lansing, Mich./Buffalo Sabres), who was the MVP of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games hockey tournament and Patrick Kane (Buffalo, N.Y./Chicago Blackhawks), the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner who is currently second in the NHL scoring race with 23-30–53.
“We went through a very thorough process to get to today and could not be happier with the team we’ve selected,” said David Poile, general manager of the 2014 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team and also the GM and president of hockey operations for the NHL’s Nashville Predators. “We’re fortunate to have probably the deepest talent pool we’ve ever had in our country and that made for some very difficult decisions. In the end, however, we’re confident we’ve selected a group of players that puts us in the best position to have success in Sochi.”
“We appreciate the work done by David (Poile) and all those involved in putting this roster together,” said Dave Ogrean, executive director of USA Hockey. “We look forward to what will be a great Olympics in Sochi, where hockey will be at the center of attention.”
Along with Miller and Kane, eight other forwards, two defensemen and one additional goaltender with Olympic experience punctuate the roster, highlighted by defenseman Ryan Suter (Madison, Wis./Minnesota Wild), who is logging an NHL-best 29:40 of ice time per game and was a Norris Trophy finalist last season, and Jonathan Quick (Milford, Conn./L.A. Kings), who earned the 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy after helping the L.A. Kings to the Stanley Cup title.
The 25 players selected are, on average, 6-1, 203 pounds and 27 years old.
The selection of the U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team is subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee’s Game Preparation Division.
