Mammoth pair referred to as to compete in Milano Cortina Winter Olympic Games

SALT LAKE CITY (KUTV) — Utah Mammoth group captain Clayton Keller and Defenseman Olli Määttä are headed to Italy to compete for gold within the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.

The NHL group introduced on Friday that Keller was chosen to characterize Team USA whereas Määttä was chosen to characterize Team Finland within the upcoming Games.

The Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Olympic Games formally start on Feb. 6 and run by way of Feb. 22. The Men’s competitors for ice hockey is scheduled to start with preliminary rounds on Feb. 11.

Finland is scheduled to open the match with a preliminary spherical recreation towards Slovakia. The United States begins its struggle for a gold medal on Feb. 12 towards Latvia.

This is the primary time the NHL is sending gamers to the Olympic Games since 2024, in accordance with Utah Mammoth. The match will characteristic 12 nations that may play by way of three preliminary-round video games. Qualifying groups will advance to a single-elimination bracket will culminate with a gold medal match-up on Feb. 22.

Both Keller and Määttä are not any strangers to representing their nation on the worldwide stage, although Määttä is a bit more aware of Olympic success.

Keller, a 27-year-old Missouri native, has represented the United States in quite a few tournaments, together with three IIHF World Championships. He has received gold medals on the Under-18 World Championship in 2015, the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championship, and the IIHF World Championship in 2025. In the newest gold medal victory, Keller captained Team USA’s victory that ended a 92-year gold medal drought on the match for the nation.

Meanwhile, Määttä, a local of Jyväskylä, Finland, competed within the 2014 Winter Olympic Games in Sochi. There, he helped elevate Finland to a bronze medal behind a 5-0 victory over Team USA. Määttä has additionally received a silver medal on the 2021 IIHF World Championship – a match he has performed in 3 times.

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