Charlie McAvoy and Matthew Tkachuk are the options.
Matthews, captain of the Toronto Maple Leafs, also wore the C in the 4 Nations face-off last February, where the US lost to Canada in the final.
“Auston, Charlie and Matthew did a great job leading our team at the Four Nations a year ago and it’s great to have them back in those roles for the Olympics,” U.S. general manager Bill Guerin said in a statement. “They all bring different leadership qualities and I know all three, like our entire team, are excited to represent our country as part of Team USA.”
The 28-year-old Matthews represents the growth of hockey in the United States. Matthews, whose mother is from Mexico and father from California, was raised in Arizona and trained through the US National Team Development Program as a teenager.
Matthews has scored 427 goals in 680 career NHL games, second most among all active American-born players – trailing only Patrick Kane’s 500 in 1,345 games. Matthews and Kane are two of only eight Americans to be selected No. 1 in the NHL Draft.
The charter carrying most of the NHL players participating in the Olympics arrived in Milan on Sunday morning. By noon, the men’s hockey teams, including Team USA, took to the ice for their first practice.
Coach Mike Sullivan said the team intentionally did not want to feature any line combinations, although based on drills it appeared that Jack Eichel was centering the Tkachuk brothers, while Matthews was centering the second top line, with Matt Boldy and Jake Guentzel flanking him.
Team USA players said they are committed to staying in the Olympic Village because they want the full experience. NHL players have not competed in the Olympics since the 2014 Games in Sochi. The Americans have not won Olympic gold in men’s hockey since the 1980 Miracle on Ice team.
“It’s crazy to think that now we’re here and you get this opportunity, and it’s pretty special,” Matthews said. “You’re always extremely honored to represent your country and wear the Team USA jersey, but obviously it means even more when you’re doing it at an event like the Olympics.”
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