Charlie McAvoy named to Team USA roster, one of three Bruins set to participate in 2026 Winter Olympics
Charlie McAvoy has always dreamed about playing in the Olympics. The Bruins defenseman will get his wish in 2026.
On Monday, McAvoy was one of the "first six" players named to the preliminary Team USA roster for the Milano Cortina games. He'll make up the top defensive pairing with Vancouver's Quinn Hughes, while Vegas' Jack Eichel (who like McAvoy is also a Boston University alum), Toronto's Austin Matthews, Florida's Matthew Tkachuk, and Ottawa's Brady Tkachuk round out the initial roster.
While this will be the first time McAvoy skates in the Olympics, he is no stranger to the international stage. He served as an alternate captain for Team USA at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off, though it ended up being a nightmare for McAvoy after he had to deal with an infection following a "significant" shoulder injury during the tournament. It derailed his 2024-25 season with Boston and limited him to just 50 games, but McAvoy remained eager to represent his country in the future.
The 27-year-old Boston blue liner was also on the United States roster for two International Ice Hockey Federation World Championships in 2017 and 2018. McAvoy helped the Stars and Stripes win a bronze medal in 2018 when he tallied nine points over six games. He also competed in the IIHF World Junior Championships in 2016 and 2017, where he won bronze and gold medals, respectively. He earned gold medals for Team USA at the 2014 World U-17 Hockey Challenge and the 2015 IIHF Under-18 World Championship as well.
Team USA's local connections to Massachusetts aren't limited to the players on the ice. Marshfield native and former Bruins head coach Mike Sullivan (now head coach of the New York Rangers) will lead the way on the bench. He's also McAvoy's father-in-law, which should make for some interesting locker room chats between the two.
Team USA general manager Bill Guerin is a Wilbraham native who played two seasons for the Bruins during his NHL career. He is currently the general manager and president of hockey operations for the Minnesota Wild.
Pastrnak, Zacha named to 2026 Olympic roster
McAvoy won't be the only Bruins player heading to the Olympics in February. David Pastrnak and Pavel Zacha were both named to the Czechia roster on Monday.
Pastrnak is coming off a 43-goal, 63-assist season for Boston, when he finished tied for the third-most points in the NHL with 106. He is currently third all-time among Czech-born NHL players in goals (391) and points (833) and leads all active Czech skaters in goals, assists (442) and points.
Pastrnak has represented his home nation in six IIHF World Championships (2016, 2017, 2018, 2022, 2024, 2025), and took home gold in 2024 and bronze in 2022. In the 2025 tournament, Pastrnak led all players in scoring with 15 points over eight games.
Zacha had 14 goals and 33 assists for Boston in 2024-25, when he appeared in all 82 games for the Bruins. He also won gold with Team Czechia at the 2024 IIHF World Championship.
