Thompson and Tuch to attend Olympic Orientation Camp

Buffalo Sabres forwards Tage Thompson and Alex Tuch will attend the U.S. Men’s Olympic Orientation Camp, USA Hockey announced Tuesday.

The off-ice administrative and team-building event, held Aug. 26 to 27 in Plymouth, Mich., will include 44 NHL players hopeful to represent the U.S. at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano-Cortina, Italy. These Olympics, the first since 2014 to include NHL players, run from Feb. 6 to Feb. 22, 2026.

Six players – Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes and Charlie McAvoy – have already been named to the 25-man roster, leaving 19 more spots for 38 players.

The final roster is expected to be announced in January. Buffalo’s American stars have both built strong cases to join their Sabres teammate Rasmus Dahlin – already selected to Sweden’s roster – in Italy in February.

Thompson, 27, tied for third in the NHL with 44 goals last season, including a league-leading 37 at even strength. Over the past three seasons, his 120 total goals trail only Matthews (142) among American-born players.

He followed his Sabres season with a heroic run at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, scoring the overtime winner for the U.S. in the championship game versus Switzerland. Thompson, an alternate captain, totaled nine points (6+3) and a tournament-leading 46 shots on goal in 10 games, boosting the Americans to their first World Championship since 1933.

Thompson was not included on the American roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off this past February, but he was called to Boston as an emergency backup ahead of the championship game.

Tuch, meanwhile, ranks 12th in goals (94) and 15th in points (205) among American-born players since the 2022-23 season. He’d bring a true 200-foot game to Team USA; in 2024-25, he ranked sixth among American forwards with 176:31 of shorthanded ice time and set a single-season NHL record for a forward with 113 shot blocks – a stat tracked since 2005-06.

The 29-year-old Tuch most recently represented the U.S. at the 2023 IIHF World Championship. As an alternate captain, he recorded eight points (5+3) in 10 games.