Two Utah Mammoths players will take to the ice in 2026 Olympic Games

Utah Mammoth right wing Clayton Keller (9) skates during the second period of an NHL hockey game against the Buffalo Sabres Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. Photo: AP Photo/Jeffrey T. Barnes

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah — Two members of the Utah Mammoths hockey team will be headed to the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics as country team rosters continue to be announced.

Mammoth captain Clayton Keller was named to the Team USA roster as one of the top 15 American scorers in the league both this and last season.

In his Olympic debut, Keller will be one of 25 players playing for the USA in the 2026 Games.

“I didn’t really know what to say,” Keller told KUTV. “It means so much to me, and I’ve worked tremendously hard. Anytime you can represent your country, it’s the best feeling ever.”

After failed negotiations and the pandemic kept NHL players out of the 2018 and 2022 Olympics, 2026 marks the first time since 2014 that they’ll be able to compete on the Olympic stage.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games are scheduled to begin Feb. 6, 2026. Preliminary rounds for the men’s competition for ice hockey are scheduled to start on Feb. 11.

Keller and Team USA will first compete on Feb. 12 against Latvia.

Mammoth defender Olli Määttä is also headed to the ice in Italy to play for the Finnish national team. This will be Määttä’s second Olympic Winter Games after helping Finland land a bronze medal at the 2014 Games.