The 2026 Winter Olympics are just two months away and yet, there’s still a lot to do before we get there. Regarding the men’s ice hockey tournament, each team will announce its roster around the start of the new year, which means there are still several decisions left to be made. There are still plenty of players fighting to impress the management groups for their respective country’s team who are hoping to make the final cut. 

Team USA General Manager Bill Guerin has his work cut out for him. The US squad fell to Team Canada in overtime at Four Nations. So they were “right there.” But, in the end, Canada still prevailed. Guerin and his lieutenants aren’t overreacting to that loss. They’re staying calm, knowing that major changes aren’t needed. 

They’re also not overreacting to the news about the smaller rink size in Milan or that the arena is still under construction. Blittner’s Blue Line caught up with Guerin at the New Jersey Devils’ 3-0 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights, Friday night, in Newark, to discuss some of the questions surrounding Team USA.

*Editor’s Note: Questions and Answers have been lightly edited for clarity.

Question: With less than a month to go before you submit your final roster, where do you currently stand?

Guerin: “We’re close. We want to use all the time we have. That’s what I can tell you, that we’re close.”

Question: Has coming up one goal short at Four Nations affected how you went about building the Olympic roster? Do you feel you need a little more scoring this time around?

Guerin: “I thought our team was really good. I mean, we could’ve won that game. Unfortunately, we didn’t. But I thought the team was very good. Constructed well. Coached well. They played well. We had a lot of things go right, except for one goal. So we’re not gonna try to reinvent the wheel.”

Question: Have the reports about the smaller rink and the incomplete arena changed how you’ve gone about making your decisions?

Guerin: “No, it’s not gonna change anything. It doesn’t matter. That’s all just conjecture. That’s all media stuff. We’re gonna play on whatever rink is ready.”

Question: Do you have any concerns that the rink is not yet ready to be tested?

Guerin: “I’m not concerned, no.”

Question: Do you expect any of the current USA players who are injured, like Jack Hughes, to be ready for The Olympics?

Guerin: “I’m really comfortable with all the guys in their recoveries. Really comfortable.”

Question: With how close the final was at Four Nations and how close those two teams are expected to be at The Olympics, if you played each other 50 times, do you feel it would end in a 25-25 split?

Guerin: “I mean, it was that even. It was such a good hockey game. It was really even. I was proud of the way the guys played and we were one goal short.”