The preliminary round for men’s hockey is underway in Italy and two Utah Mammoth players will face off at the Olympics for the first time.
Utah’s newest professional sports team has four players from four nations competing at the 2026 Winter Games, including for the U.S. and Germany, who will face off Feb. 15.
Mammoth captain and forward Clayton Keller is representing Team USA, which is looking for its first Olympic medal since 2010. Keller will go head-to-head with fellow Mammoth player JJ Peterka and the German Olympic team Sunday in the final preliminary round.
The teams will compete for a top spot in their group and a guaranteed bye in the quarterfinals.
This is the first time players from the National Hockey League have been allowed to play at the Olympics since Sochi in 2014. That means almost all current NHL players have never been to a Winter Olympics, including the four Mammoth players.
In addition to Keller and Peterka, Mammoth defenseman Olli Määttä is representing Finland and goalie Karel Vejmelka is playing for Czechia.
The U.S. faces Germany Sunday at 1:10 p.m. MST.
