United States men's national ice hockey team facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
United States

Nickname(s)	Team USA
Association	USA Hockey
General Manager	Jeff Kealty John Vanbiesbrouck
Head coach	Ryan Warsofsky
Assistants	Kevin Dean Adam Nightingale Mike Vellucci
Captain	Clayton Keller
Most games	Mark Johnson
Most points	Mark Johnson (146)
IIHF code	USA
IIHF ranking	4 (May 28, 2023)
Highest IIHF ranking	1 (2025)
Lowest IIHF ranking	7 (2003, 2006–07, 2012)
Team colors
First international
United States  29–0  Switzerland (Antwerp, Belgium; April 24, 1920)
Biggest win
United States  31–1  Italy (St. Moritz, Switzerland; February 1, 1948)
Biggest defeat
Sweden  17–2  United States (Stockholm, Sweden; March 12, 1963) Soviet Union  17–2  United States (Stockholm, Sweden; March 15, 1969)
IIHF World Championships
Appearances	76 (first in 1920)
Best result	Gold: (1933, 1960, 2025)
Canada Cup / World Cup
Appearances	8 (first in 1976)
Best result	Winner: (1996)
Olympics
Appearances	24 (first in 1920)
Medals	Gold: (1960, 1980) Silver: (1920, 1924, 1932, 1952, 1956, 1972, 2002, 2010) Bronze: (1936)
International record (W–L–T)
580–500–87

The United States men's national ice hockey team is the official team that represents the United States in men's international ice hockey games. This team is managed by USA Hockey, which is the main organization for ice hockey in the U.S. As of May 2025, Team USA is ranked number one in the world by the IIHF World Ranking.

Team USA has won gold medals at the 1960 and 1980 Olympic Games. They also earned silver medals at the 2002 and 2010 Olympics. In 1996, the U.S. team won the 1996 World Cup of Hockey by beating Canada in the final game.

Most recently, in 2025, the team won a historic gold medal at the World Championships. This was their first win in that tournament since 1960, and only their third overall, with the first being in 1933. For many years, the U.S. did not usually send its best NHL players to the World Championships. Instead, they used it as a chance for younger players to get international experience. However, this approach changed in the 2020s.

Overall, the U.S. team has won many medals. They have eleven Olympic medals, including two golds. They also have 21 World Championship medals, with three golds (including the 1960 Olympic win). The team has reached the semi-finals of the Canada Cup/World Cup five times, making it to the finals twice and winning gold once. Before 2025, the U.S. had never reached a World Championship gold medal game. They had lost in the semi-finals twelve times since the IIHF started a playoff system in 1992.

The U.S. is one of the top ice hockey teams in the world. It is part of the "Big Six" group. This unofficial group includes the six strongest men's ice hockey nations: Canada, the Czech Republic, Finland, Russia, and Sweden.

Team USA's Journey: Key Moments

Mike Ramsey with the puck during the famous Miracle on Ice game.

One of the most famous moments for the American ice hockey team is the "Miracle on Ice" from the 1980 Winter Olympics. This happened in Lake Placid, New York. A team of American college players beat the strong, professional team from the Soviet Union. This win helped them earn a gold medal. Even though ice hockey is not the biggest sport everywhere in the United States, the "Miracle" is often called one of America's greatest sports achievements.

The U.S. also won a gold medal at the 1960 Games in Squaw Valley, California. They beat the Soviet Union, Canada, Czechoslovakia, and Sweden on their way to victory. This win is sometimes called the "Forgotten Miracle" because it's not as well-known as the 1980 win.

Growth and Success in Recent Decades

American hockey talent grew a lot in the 1980s and 1990s. Many future NHL stars emerged, like Tony Amonte, Chris Chelios, Brett Hull, Pat LaFontaine, Brian Leetch, and Mike Modano. Even though the U.S. team finished no higher than fourth in major events from 1981 to 1994, they were limited to amateur players back then. Other countries used professionals.

However, the Americans reached the finals of the 1991 Canada Cup and won the 1996 World Cup. Six years later, the International Olympic Committee and NHL worked together to allow NHL players to compete in the Olympics. The U.S. then won a silver medal at the 2002 Winter Olympics. Their team included NHL stars like Adam Deadmarsh, Chris Drury, and Brian Rafalski.

By the 2006 Olympics, many of these older NHL players had retired or were not as strong. The 2006 Olympic team finished 8th. It was a team in transition, with younger NHL players like Rick DiPietro and John-Michael Liles.

Patrick Kane playing for Team USA at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

The 2010 U.S. Olympic team was much younger and faster. It featured players like David Backes, Patrick Kane, Phil Kessel, and Zach Parise. The team also had strong veterans, including goalie Ryan Miller and captain Jamie Langenbrunner. The U.S. team surprised Canada with a 5–3 win in the first round. They became the top-seeded team. After beating Finland 6–1, the U.S. played Canada again in the gold medal game. They lost 3–2 in overtime, earning the silver medal. This gold medal game was watched by over 27 million U.S. households. It was the most-watched hockey game in America since the 1980 "Miracle on Ice."

Recent Olympic Challenges and Triumphs

The NHL decided not to send its players to the 2018 Olympics. This was due to disagreements over insurance and advertising rules. This put the American team at a disadvantage. More than 31% of NHL players are American. As a result, the U.S. team for 2018 was made up of players from European leagues, minor leagues, and college. The team did not do well, losing to Slovenia and the Olympic Athletes from Russia. They were eliminated by the Czechs in the quarterfinals. The Russian team, made mostly of players from their own KHL league, won the tournament.

In March 2021, Stan Bowman was named general manager for the U.S. Olympic men's hockey team for the 2022 Beijing Games. However, he resigned in October 2021. This happened after an investigation found that he did not report serious misconduct by a team staff member. This failure to report led to further issues.

In February 2024, Bill Guerin became the general manager for the U.S. team. He will lead them in the Four Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics. In May 2024, Mike Sullivan was chosen as the head coach for both events.

Tage Thompson playing at the 2025 IIHF World Championship.

On May 25, 2025, Team USA won their first IIHF World Hockey Championship title since 1933. (The 1960 Olympic win is also counted as a world championship, but it wasn't an IIHF tournament). They beat Switzerland in the gold medal game. Tage Thompson scored the winning goal in overtime, securing this historic victory.

Team Roster

Current Players

Here is the roster for the 2025 IIHF World Championship.

Head coach: Ryan Warsofsky

No.	Pos.	Name	Height	Weight	Birthdate	Team
1	G	Swayman, JeremyJeremy Swayman	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	88 kg (194 lb)	(1998-11-24) 24 November 1998 (age 26)	Boston Bruins
2	D	LaCombe, JacksonJackson LaCombe	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	93 kg (205 lb)	(2001-01-09) 9 January 2001 (age 24)	Anaheim Ducks
6	D	Lohrei, MasonMason Lohrei	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)	100 kg (220 lb)	(2001-01-17) 17 January 2001 (age 24)	Boston Bruins
7	D	Kesselring, MichaelMichael Kesselring	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)	98 kg (216 lb)	(2000-01-13) 13 January 2000 (age 25)	Utah Mammoth
8	D	Werenski, ZachZach Werenski	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	99 kg (218 lb)	(1997-07-19) 19 July 1997 (age 28)	Columbus Blue Jackets
9	F	Keller, ClaytonClayton Keller – C	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)	79 kg (174 lb)	(1998-07-29) 29 July 1998 (age 27)	Utah Mammoth
10	F	Beniers, MattyMatty Beniers	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	82 kg (181 lb)	(2002-11-05) 5 November 2002 (age 22)	Seattle Kraken
12	F	Pinto, ShaneShane Pinto	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	93 kg (205 lb)	(2000-11-12) 12 November 2000 (age 24)	Ottawa Senators
18	F	O'Connor, DrewDrew O'Connor	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)	95 kg (209 lb)	(1998-06-09) 9 June 1998 (age 27)	Vancouver Canucks
19	F	Gauthier, CutterCutter Gauthier	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	91 kg (201 lb)	(2004-01-19) 19 January 2004 (age 21)	Anaheim Ducks
20	D	Peeke, AndrewAndrew Peeke	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	97 kg (214 lb)	(1998-03-17) 17 March 1998 (age 27)	Boston Bruins
22	F	Howard, IsaacIsaac Howard	1.80 m (5 ft 11 in)	86 kg (190 lb)	(2004-03-30) 30 March 2004 (age 21)	Michigan State Spartans
23	F	Eyssimont, MikeyMikey Eyssimont	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	91 kg (201 lb)	(1996-09-09) 9 September 1996 (age 28)	Seattle Kraken
28	D	Buium, ZeevZeev Buium	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	83 kg (183 lb)	(2005-12-07) 7 December 2005 (age 19)	Minnesota Wild
30	G	Slukynsky, HamptonHampton Slukynsky	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	84 kg (185 lb)	(2005-07-02) 2 July 2005 (age 20)	Western Michigan Broncos
35	G	Daccord, JoeyJoey Daccord	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	91 kg (201 lb)	(1996-08-19) 19 August 1996 (age 29)	Seattle Kraken
43	F	Smith, WillWill Smith	1.84 m (6 ft 0 in)	82 kg (181 lb)	(2005-03-17) 17 March 2005 (age 20)	San Jose Sharks
47	F	McCarron, MichaelMichael McCarron	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)	105 kg (231 lb)	(1995-03-07) 7 March 1995 (age 30)	Nashville Predators
72	F	Thompson, TageTage Thompson – A	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)	100 kg (220 lb)	(1997-10-30) 30 October 1997 (age 27)	Buffalo Sabres
73	D	Vlasic, AlexAlex Vlasic	1.98 m (6 ft 6 in)	98 kg (216 lb)	(2001-06-05) 5 June 2001 (age 24)	Chicago Blackhawks
76	D	Skjei, BradyBrady Skjei – A	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)	95 kg (209 lb)	(1994-03-26) 26 March 1994 (age 31)	Nashville Predators
81	F	Doan, JoshJosh Doan	1.88 m (6 ft 2 in)	90 kg (200 lb)	(2002-02-01) 1 February 2002 (age 23)	Utah Mammoth
83	F	Garland, ConorConor Garland	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)	75 kg (165 lb)	(1996-03-11) 11 March 1996 (age 29)	Vancouver Canucks
91	F	Nazar, FrankFrank Nazar	1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)	86 kg (190 lb)	(2004-01-14) 14 January 2004 (age 21)	Chicago Blackhawks
92	F	Cooley, LoganLogan Cooley	1.83 m (6 ft 0 in)	87 kg (192 lb)	(2004-05-04) 4 May 2004 (age 21)	Utah Mammoth

Award-Winning Players

The IIHF gives out awards at each World Championship. These awards recognize the best goalie, defenseman, and forward. Since 2004, they also give an award for the most valuable player (MVP). Here are some American players who have won these awards:

• 1955 – Don Rigazio (Best Goalie)
• 1956 – Willard Ikola (Best Goalie)
• 1959 – Bill Cleary (Best Forward)
• 1960 – Jack McCartan (Best Goalie)
• 1962 – John Mayasich (Best Defenseman)
• 1967 – Carl Wetzel (Best Goalie)
• 2004 – Ty Conklin (Best Goalie)
• 2014 – Seth Jones (Best Defenseman)
• 2018 – Patrick Kane (MVP)
• 2021 – Cal Petersen (Best Goalie)
• 2025 – Zach Werenski (Best Defenseman)

Team Uniforms Through the Years

• National team uniforms
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  1980 Olympic uniforms

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  1988 Olympic uniforms

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  1989–1992 uniforms

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  1994 Olympic uniforms

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  1996 WCH uniforms

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  1998 Olympic uniforms, later used at IIHF tournaments in 1998–2000

• 

  2001–2004 uniforms

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  2004 WCH uniforms

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  2013 IIHF uniforms (no USA Hockey logo)

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  2014 Olympic uniforms

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  IIHF uniforms 2014–2017

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  2016 WCH uniforms

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  2018 Olympic uniforms

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  IIHF uniforms 2018–2021

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  2022 Olympic uniforms

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  IIHF uniforms 2022–2024

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  IIHF uniforms 2025–present

More About Team USA Hockey

• List of United States national ice hockey team rosters
• List of Olympic men's ice hockey players for the United States

See also

In Spanish: Selección de hockey sobre hielo de Estados Unidos para niños