On Friday morning, USA Hockey finally announced its team for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano and Cortina, Italy, and Carolina Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin has been named to the 25-man roster.
Slavin to Milan for USA Hockey
It’s no surprise that Jaccob Slavin made the roster, especially after his showing at the 4-Nations Face-Off last February. Playing alongside Brock Faber of the Minnesota Wild, the two were a solid pairing at shutting down the best players on Team Canada, Sweden, and Finland. Now, it’s time to take that duo to the Olympic Stage.
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Slavin will be joining Faber, along with former Hurricane Noah Hanifin, Quinn Hughes, Seth Jones, Charlie McAvoy, Jake Sanderson, and Zach Werenski on the USA blue line in Italy. USA Hockey General Manager Bill Guerin called Slavin to give him the news and told him not to “step on any Legos”, as Slavin was building some with his kids when he got the call.
Slavin has only played five NHL games this season – the first two and three in December – with a minus-2 rating. He missed 35 games with a lower-body injury and was recently placed on injured reserve again with an upper-body injury. He will hopefully be ready to go for the Olympic Games in February, and then return to the Hurricanes once he, Sebastian Aho (Finland), Frederik Andersen, and Nikolaj Ehlers (Denmark) return from the Games.
Slavin has 55 goals and 299 points through 750 career NHL games, and holds the franchise records among defensemen in points, assists (244), and shorthanded points (18). He is also tied for the lead with four shorthanded goals and three overtime goals. He is on pace to become the best defenseman in franchise history.
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The Hurricanes will be hoping he returns mid-January to help the team before the Olympic Games, which run from Feb. 11-22. Their penalty kill is ranked 18th in the NHL (79.6%), a big drop from ranking in the top three in recent seasons. Carolina also ranks 19th in the NHL (120) in goals allowed, and 19th in goals against per game (3.00). The team needs Slavin back, although there is no timetable for his return – he is listed as week-to-week.
Even at 80% Slavin will be a big boost for Team USA.
