2026 'much bigger deal' for Team USA's Faber, Sanderson

MILAN -- The Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 are the second go-round on the world stage for Brock Faber and Jake Sanderson.

The defensemen, who are here playing for Team USA, also represented their country at the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

And that is pretty much where the similarities end.

"Everything's different," Sanderson said Sunday.

For one, the 2022 Olympics did not feature NHL players, just like the 2018 Pyeongchang Olympics. Also, the world was still dealing with coronavirus pandemic, and therefore, there were no fans in the stands.

At these Olympics, NHL players are participating for the first time since 2014 in Sochi, Russia, and the stands have been packed with boisterous fans cheering on all 12 countries.

"The atmosphere is just unbelievable," Sanderson said.

Sanderson, who was selected by the Ottawa Senators with the No. 5 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, was a 19-year-old at the University of North Dakota during the Beijing Games. He had one assist in one game. Now 23, he's in his fourth season with the Senators and has 46 points (11 goals, 35 assists) in 57 games.

Faber was 19 and at the University of Minnesota in 2022. He played all four games in Beijing and had one assist. A Los Angeles Kings prospect at the time after being selected by them in the second round (No. 45) in the 2020 draft, he was traded to the Wild for forward Kevin Fiala on June 29, 2022, and is now in his third full season with Minnesota. A finalist for the 2023-24 Calder Trophy, given to the NHL rookie of the year, Faber has 37 points (13 goals, 24 assists) in 58 games.

He said the biggest difference is the speed of the game, with 148 NHL players at these Olympics, including the full rosters of the U.S., Canada and Sweden. Finland has 24 NHL players on its roster.

"The pace of play is a lot different; everyone's obviously a lot faster," Faber said. "It's a harder game.

"But just the hype around it and the fans and the media, it's all just a much bigger deal, as it should be. So, it's been a lot of fun."

Team USA clinched Group C and the No. 2 seed in what becomes a single-elimination tournament with a 5-1 win against Germany on Sunday. The Americans are 3-0-0-0 and appear to be getting better with each game.

One reason is the play of Faber, Sanderson and the entire U.S. defense corps, which has allowed five goals through three games, one of which a fluke goal that got past goalie Jeremy Swayman from center ice during a 6-3 win against Denmark on Saturday.

Faber has one goal and one assist and is plus-3; Sanderson has two assists in the three games.

"I thought tonight was our best game," Faber said after the win against Germany. "Obviously, they're the best team that we played so far, and I thought we played the game the right way. And, you know, it obviously showed."

The U.S. will not play again until the quarterfinals on Wednesday, when it takes on the winner of the qualification playoff between Sweden and Latvia on Tuesday (3:10 p.m. ET; Peacock, USA, ICI Tele, CBC Gem).

Team USA was in the same situation in 2022, having gone 3-0-0-0 in the preliminary round, getting a bye to the quarterfinals, but lost to Slovakia and went home early.

Sanderson said even though this is a different tournament with different players, there is a lesson to be learned.

"You can't take any team lightly," Sanderson said. "There are good players all over the world, whether they're in the NHL or not."

Case in point was the game on Saturday. Though Denmark has just five NHL players on its roster, it hung tough and gave the Americans their tightest game here thus far.

"That was a good example of it," Sanderson said. "Denmark didn't have a lot of NHLers, but they played a really well-structured game. They were fast and they took it to us early. So, obviously you want to respect every team, but to not fear them at all."

Another lesson Sanderson took from Beijing was to try and enjoy every second.

"It's such a special moment; it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," Sanderson said. "Just live in the moment and try to make the most positive memories as you can."