Entering the Olympics in peak form can mean the difference between a successful and disappointing tournament.
With a little more than a month remaining before the puck drops in Italy, there are a handful of standouts on the United States’ men’s hockey team who are acquitting themselves confidently and with swagger in the NHL so far this season.
As always with these top-five lists, a few in-form players were excluded, not unlike the team’s final roster, which didn’t have the highest-scoring U.S.-born scorer so far this season, Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson.
Let’s take a look at which five take the plaudits.
Top 5 Team USA players having the best NHL seasons so far
5. Minnesota Wild defenseman Quinn Hughes
It hasn’t been a conventional season for Quinn Hughes, who was dealt from the Vancouver Canucks to the Minnesota Wild in a blockbuster trade that reverberated across the NHL.
While it hasn’t been an overly showy start to the season, Hughes is still scoring at a 0.92 points-per-game clip. He has the third-shortest Norris Trophy odds, trailing USA teammate Zach Werenski and Canada’s Cale Makar.
4. Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin
Dylan Larkin’s influence in Hockeytown has propelled the Detroit Red Wings to the top three of the Atlantic Division. His club’s success is compelling enough to include him on the list while excluding Kyle Connor, whose Winnipeg Jets are last in the NHL.
Larkin’s goal-scoring exploits are the other primary reason, with the captain netting 22 times, tied for 12th with three players heading into Thursday’s action.
3. Boston Bruins goaltender Jeremy Swayman
While Jets netminder Connor Hellebuyck is expected to start between the pipes, Jeremy Swayman has given coach Mike Sullivan reason for pause, if only momentarily.
Swayman has the 13th-best goals saved above expected, which takes into account the quality of shots a goaltender faces, and is an outsider in the Vezina Trophy conversation. His .902 save percentage and 2.91 goals-against average are more impressive when you consider that the Bruins allow the second-most expected goals, according to moneypuck.com.
2. Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Zach Werenski
Zach Werenski has been shot out of a cannon recently, scoring 12 points in a six-game stretch from Dec. 16 to Jan. 6. After being sidelined for four games with a right-ankle injury during that stint, he notched five points in three games upon returning to the lineup.
The 28-year-old has 45 points (16 goals, 29 assists) in 38 games. Werenski is three points behind Makar, the league leader among defensemen, but has the most points per game (1.18).
1. Minnesota Wild left wing Matt Boldy
Matt Boldy has the third-most points among Americans, trailing Connor by one and Robertson by four.
Boldy also has the third-most goals (26) in the NHL, trailing only runaway Rocket Richard Trophy favorite Nathan MacKinnon (35) and Connor McDavid (28). Boldy is second on the Wild in points, one behind Kirill Kaprizov.
Eighteen of his 26 goals have come at even strength. That’s tied for the fourth-most with three others – Brad Marchand, Morgan Geekie and Tage Thompson.
