Today, Team USA’s Olympic management group released the 44 players invited to the Men’s Olympic Orientation Camp. On that list are two Utah Mammoth forwards: captain Clayton Keller and Logan Cooley.
Both Keller and Cooley have earned the chance to represent their country on the Olympic stage. The challenge is the numbers game. With 44 players invited and six already named to the roster, there is not much room left. While roster sizes have yet to be confirmed, it is fair to assume they will fall in the 25–27 range. That would leave roughly 19–21 spots still up for grabs.
Here are the 44 players invited to the camp:
Forwards: Matt Boldy, Cole Caufield, Logan Cooley, Kyle Connor, Jack Eichel, Conor Garland, Jake Guentzel, Jack Hughes, Patrick Kane, Clayton Keller, Matthew Knies, Chris Kreider, Dylan Larkin, Auston Matthews, J.T. Miller, Frank Nazar, Brock Nelson, Shane Pinto, Jason Robertson, Bryan Rust, Tage Thompson, Brady Tkachuk, Vincent Trocheck, Alex Tuch
Defensemen: Brock Faber, Adam Fox, Luke Hughes, Quinn Hughes, Noah Hanifin, Seth Jones, Jackson LaCombe, Charlie McAvoy, Ryan McDonagh, Brett Pesce, Neal Pionk, Jake Sanderson, Brady Skjei, Jaccob Slavin, Alex Vlasic, Zach Werenski
Goaltenders: Joey Daccord, Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, Jeremy Swayman
There are plenty of strong names on that list, which means competition will be tough. For Utah, the hope is that at least one of Keller or Cooley earns a spot. If I had to guess, the nod goes to the veteran Keller.
