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Ken Campbell
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Updated at Jan 26, 2026, 00:22
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After a hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Colorado Avalanche center Brock Nelson is up to 27 goals, and he could help Team USA forget about the goal-scoring talent they aren't bringing to the Olympics.

Exactly four weeks from Sunday, the gold medal game will take place at the Olympics.

Suffice to say, Team USA would take another performance from Brock Nelson like the one the Colorado Avalanche got from him against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Nelson netted a hat trick in a 4-1 win and scored his 19th, 20th, and 21st goals in his past 26 games.

There has been much made of the fact that Team USA has left a bunch of top scorers at home - namely Jason Robertson, Cole Caufield and Alex DeBrincat - while taking the likes of JT Miller and Vincent Trochek. As Pepper Brooks said in Dodgeball, "It's a bold strategy, Cotton. Let's see if it pays off for 'em."

With Nelson scoring like a demon, does that mean a guy who was left off a lot of projected rosters or projected as an extra forward/penalty killer receive a much more prominent role? Will he make USA Hockey fans forget about the high-profile omissions?

Watch today's video column up above for more.

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