Winnipeg Jets’ sniper Kyle Connor, defenseman Neal Pionk, and star goaltender Connor Hellebuyck have been selected to USA Hockey’s 44-player Olympic Orientation Camp roster ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in February.
It is the first time since 2014 NHL players are participating, hence also the first time the trio — who were not professional hockey players back then — will have the chance to play for their country in best-on-best play on the world’s biggest stage.
Kyle Connor
Connor was among the 24 forwards selected to the roster. Last season, the Shelby Township, Michigan product racked up 41 goals and 56 assists in 82 games for a team-high 97 points. 2024-25 was the 28-year-old’s seventh-career 30-plus goal season.
Connor represented the USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February but played a limited role on head coach Mike Sullivan’s squad, who is also head coach for the Olympics. He received bottom-six minutes and was controversially scratched for the Final in favour of Chris Kreider, who had 49 fewer points than Connor at the time. In the three round-robin games, Connor had one assist, a minus-1 rating, and averaged 12:27 in ice time.
Neal Pionk
Pionk was one of 16 defenseman selected to the roster. Last season, the Omaha, Nebraska-born and Hermantown, Minnesota-raised product had something of a renaissance contract-year campaign, scoring 10 goals and adding 29 assists for 39 points and a plus-21 rating in 69 games. He parlayed his strong performance into a six-year extension with a $7 million average annual value. However, he may be a longer shot to crack USA’s final roster than Connor and Hellebuyck.
The 30 year old previously represented the USA at the 2018 IIHF World Championship in Denmark, winning a bronze medal.
Connor Hellebuyck
Hellebuyck, the 2025 Hart Trophy winner and defending back-to-back Vezina Trophy winner, will likely be USA’s starter and is the biggest shoo-in among the four goaltenders.
Last season, the Commerce, Michigan product reached a new level of dominance and played a key role in helping the Jets capture the franchise’s first Presidents’ Trophy, posting a 47-12-3 record, 2.00 goals against average (GAA), .925 save percentage (SV%), eight shutouts, and 41.6 goals saved above expected.
A longtime workhorse, Hellebuyck has racked up 322 wins in 558-career starts for a 57.7 win rate and has posted a quality start 60 per cent of the time. He has stolen countless games for the Jets since making his NHL debut in 2015-16, especially in seasons past where the Jets’ defensive personnel and commitment were much sketchier than they are now.
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Hellebuyck also represented the USA at the 4 Nations Face-Off, staring three of their four games, posting a 2-1-0 record, 1.59 GAA, and .932 SV%.
Jets Will be Represented Well at 2026 Olympics
The USA’s Olympic Orientation Camp takes place Aug. 23 and 24. The 2026 Olympics take place from Feb. 6 to 22 in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, with the men’s ice hockey tournament taking place in Milan.
In June, Jets’ forward Nino Niederreiter was among the first six players named to Switzerland’s roster. It is likely that Josh Morrissey and Mark Scheifele will be selected to Canada’s roster as both were invited to Orientation Camp and played at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
Be sure to follow The Hockey Writers for extensive Olympic coverage leading up to and during the games.
