DENVER – Team USA announced today the full roster for 2026 Winter Olympic Games set for Feb. 6-22, 2026 in Milan and Cortina, Italy, with Avalanche center Brock Nelson being selected to the team. This is set to be the sixth consecutive instance where the NHL sent players to the Olympic Games that the Avalanche have had one player represent the Stars and Stripes.
Nelson, 34, has recorded 30 points (16g/14a) over all 39 games in 2025-26, his first full season with the Avalanche. He ranks among Colorado-leaders in goals (3rd), points (5th), and game-winning goals (4, 2nd). The centerman enters tomorrow (Jan. 3) with 25 points (13g/12a) in his last 23 games after beginning the season with five points (3g/2a) in his first 16 appearances.
Among American skaters this season, Nelson’s 16 goals rank tied for 11th while his point total checks in tied for 21st. He also ranks tied for third among American NHLers with his four game-winning goals. There have been 73 centers of U.S. nationality to appear in the NHL this season, and Nelson is the only one with at least 10 goals and a +10 or better rating.
Nelson competed for Team USA at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off (0g/0a). This will be the first time he’s represented the Stars and Stripes at the Winter Olympic Games. Nelson’s uncle, Dave Christian, was a member of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team that captured gold in Lake Placid, and his great uncle, Roger Christian, appeared for Team USA at the Olympics twice and won gold in 1960. Additional family members of Brock who have represented the United States hockey team at the Olympics include his grandfather, Bill Christian, who took home gold in 1960 and competed in 1964, and his great uncle, Gord Christian, who was a member of the 1956 team that won silver.
The Warroad, Minn., native is in his 13th NHL season and owns a career scoring line of 317g/300a in 959 regular-season games with the Avalanche and New York Islanders. The 34-year-old has also added 54 points (27g/27a) in 85 Stanley Cup Playoffs contests. Since originally being acquired in a trade with the Islanders on March 6, 2025, Nelson has recorded his 300th career goal (April 12 at Los Angeles), his 600th career point (Nov. 29 vs. Montreal) and his 300th career assist in his most recent appearance on Dec. 31 vs. St. Louis.
The 6-foot-4, 205-pound center posted career-bests in assists (39), points (75) and game-winning goals (8) in 2022-23 and was named to the NHL’s All-Star Game that season. The 36-goal total was one short of his personal-best in 2021-22 when he contributed 59 points for the Isles. Nelson currently has tallied three career seasons of 30-plus goals (2021-24) and six career campaigns of registering at least 50 points. He’s also cleared 60 points on two occasions with his career-high of 75 in 2022-23 and a 69-point (34g/35a) output in 2023-24.
Included in Nelson’s 85 postseason appearances, he set playoff career-highs in games played (22), goals (9) and assists (9) in 2020 to help New York reach its first Eastern Conference Finals appearance since the 1992-93 campaign. He shared the team-lead in goals and game-winning tallies (3) that postseason, and finished second in points. Nelson chipped in 12 points (7g/5a) in 19 games the following postseason to help the Islanders finish as one of the last four teams remaining for the second consecutive season.
Nine of Nelson’s 13 career regular-seasons have seen him dress in every possible game that year, while his 82 showings in 2017-18 shared the league-lead. His 285 consecutive games played enters tonight in a tie for the NHL’s 14th-longest active “Iron Man” streak.
Additional international experience for Nelson includes competing for Team USA at the IIHF World Championship on five separate occasions (2014-17 and 2024), which included winning the bronze medal in 2015. He also captured bronze at the 2011 World Junior Championship.
