Men’s Olympic squad for Sochi has strong NCAA foundation

USA Hockey announced Wednesday the 25 players that will comprise the 2014 U.S. Winter Olympic men’s hockey team that will compete next month in Sochi, Russia.

The roster includes 13 former Olympians, a stark contrast to four years ago when the silver medal-winning team featured just three players with Olympic experience.

Twenty of the 25 players picked also played college hockey.

Among those selected with an Olympic pedigree are goaltender Ryan Miller (Michigan State), who was the MVP of the 2010 Olympics, and Patrick Kane, the reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner who is currently second in the NHL scoring race with 53 points.

“We went through a very thorough process to get to today and could not be happier with the team we’ve selected,” said David Poile, Team USA general manager and also the GM and president of hockey operations for the NHL’s Nashville Predators, in a statement. “We’re fortunate to have probably the deepest talent pool we’ve ever had in our country and that made for some very difficult decisions. In the end, however, we’re confident we’ve selected a group of players that puts us in the best position to have success in Sochi.”

“We appreciate the work done by David [Poile] and all those involved in putting this roster together,” added USA Hockey executive director Dave Ogrean. “We look forward to what will be a great Olympics in Sochi, where hockey will be at the center of attention.”

Along with Miller and Kane, eight other forwards, two defensemen and one additional goaltender with Olympic experience punctuate the roster, highlighted by defenseman Ryan Suter (Wisconsin), who is logging an NHL-best 29:40 of ice time per game and was a Norris Trophy finalist last season, and Jonathan Quick (Massachusetts), who earned the 2012 Conn Smythe Trophy after helping the Los Angeles Kings to the Stanley Cup.