President Donald Trump warmly greeted most of the U.S. Olympic men's ice hockey team inside the Oval Office on Tuesday, Feb. 24, just two days removed from its thrilling overtime win against Canada in the gold medal game at the 2026 Winter Olympics. But there were reportedly five members of Team USA that did not make the trip with the NHL season set to resume on Wednesday.
Jake Guentzel of the Tampa Bay Lightning was among the prominent American players who weren't on the Air Force C-32 aircraft sent by the Trump administration to Miami International Airport to take the U.S. team to Andrews Air Force Base outside Washington, D.C.
Trump invited the men's hockey team for a White House visit and to attend Tuesday's State of the Union address to Congress when he spoke to players and coaches in the midst of their locker room celebration in Milan. Goalie Connor Hellebuyck, forward Matthew Tkachuk, center Dylan Larkin and golden goal scorer Jack Hughes and brother Quinn Hughes led the contingent of 20 Team USA members in attendance at the White House visit and could be at Trump's State of the Union later Tuesday evening.
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Jake Guentzel of the Tampa Bay Lightning, Colorado Avalanche forward Brock Nelson, Winnipeg Jets forward Kyle Connor, Dallas Stars goalie Jake Oettinger and Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe are not in Washington, D.C., with the rest of their U.S. Olympic men's hockey teammates, according to multiple reports.
