Ice hockey: Jack Eichel’s “memorable time” at the 2012 Youth Olympics gives him a taste of what to expect at Milano Cortina 2026

“It’s definitely being talked about”: Eichel on returning NHL players

NHLers return at Milano Cortina 2026 after a 12-year absence from Olympic tournaments.

For Eichel and the other five men named to Team USA’s top six, it’s a first chance to add an Olympic medal to their career accolades. Eichel (Golden Knights 2023) and Matthew Tkachuk (Florida Panthers 2024, 2025) already included Stanley Cup Rings.

“It would mean everything,” he said of the possibility of winning a gold medal in Milan – something the US hasn’t done since the 1980s.Miracle on ice‘. “It is every child’s dream to play hockey and have the ambition to compete at the highest level and have the opportunity to represent their country at the Olympic Games.

“And what’s a greater honor than to be able to bring back a team-style gold medal to the United States of America, something that hasn’t been done in a while? It would be incredible.”

Now that the NHL season is two weeks old, the prospect of playing in the Olympics is slowly taking hold in locker rooms across the United States and Canada.

Eichel, who has had a strong start to the year with the Golden Knights 19 points from 10 games (eight goals, 11 assists), said the discussion has already begun and dates back to 2024, when the first signs emerged that NHLers might finally return to Olympic ice.

“It’s definitely been discussed, yes,” he said. “I think just because we haven’t been there for a while and I think it’s something that the players wanted to do.

“So it’s great to have the opportunity to be able to do it now. It’s definitely being talked about.”