Overview
- USA Hockey named Auston Matthews captain on Feb. 8, with Matthew Tkachuk and Charlie McAvoy serving as alternate captains.
- Team USA arrived in Italy on Feb. 8 and opens Group C play against Latvia on Feb. 12 at Milano Santaguilia Arena.
- Matthews is projected to center a second forward line with Clayton Keller and Jake Guentzel and to work on the top power-play unit.
- General manager Bill Guerin cited the trio’s prior leadership at the 4 Nations Face-Off, and Mike Sullivan is coaching the U.S. team.
- Toronto’s William Nylander is expected to skate on Sweden’s top line with Mika Zibanejad and Jesper Bratt, while Oliver Ekman-Larsson is slated for a defensive pairing with Rasmus Andersson.