COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) will be well-represented at the upcoming 2026 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) Men’s World Championship, as one current NCHC player and six NCHC alumni from four teams have been selected to the 2026 U.S. Men’s National Team. USA Hockey announced its 25-man preliminary roster for the 2026 Men’s World Championship on Thursday.
 
The initial U.S. roster features Minnesota Duluth sophomore forward and 2026 Hobey Baker Award winner Max Plante, one of three current collegiate players on the squad. Two other UMD alumni are also on Team USA in former defensemen Justin Faulk and Wyatt Kaiser. The Bulldogs tie with Boston College and Minnesota for the most current/former players on the preliminary U.S. roster.
 
Joining the trio of Bulldogs on the U.S. team are former Western Michigan forwards Paul Cotter and Max Sasson, who will both don the Stars and Stripes for the first time in Switzerland. Former Denver goaltender Devin Cooley will also suit up for Team USA for the first time later this May, while former St. Cloud State defenseman Will Borgen rounds out the NCHC septet on the U.S. squad.
 
In addition to those seven, forward Isaac Howard, who played his freshman season in the NCHC at Minnesota Duluth (2022-23) before transferring to Michigan State and winning the 2025 Hobey Baker Award, was also tabbed to Team USA’s preliminary roster. More players may be added to the U.S. team in the coming days.
 
The 2026 IIHF Men’s World Championship will take place from May 15-31 in Zurich and Fribourg, Switzerland. Team USA will open preliminary round play in the tournament in Zurich on Friday, May 15 against host Switzerland at 8:20 p.m. local time/2:20 p.m. ET. The U.S. will compete in Group A and will also face Austria, Finland, Germany, Great Britain, Hungary and Latvia, in addition to the hosts. All U.S. preliminary round games will be at Swiss Life Arena in Zurich and will be televised live on NHL Network. The quarterfinals begin on Thursday, May 28.
 
Team USA will train in Mannheim, Germany starting May 8 and play a pre-tournament game there against Germany on May 10.
 
The U.S. enters the tournament as the defending gold medalist after winning the world championship for the first time in 92 years a year ago in Sweden. Last year’s history-making squad featured six alumni of NCHC teams in defenseman Zeev Buium (Denver), forward Mikey Eyssimont (SCSU), forward Shane Pinto (North Dakota) and goaltender Hampton Slukynsky (WMU), as well as Arizona State alums goalie Joey Daccord and forward Josh Doan.
 
Plante (Hermantown, Minn.) had a career year as a sophomore this past season at Minnesota Duluth, racking up 25 goals and 52 points in 40 games while earning NCHC Player of the Year honors to go with his Hobey Baker Award. The Detroit Red Wings draft pick has played on the U.S. National Junior Team the last two years, winning gold in 2025.
 
Borgen (Moorhead, Minn.) was a three-year defensive standout at St. Cloud State from 2015-2018, totaling 41 points (5g/36a) in 106 career games. He earned NCHC Defensive Defenseman of the Year honors in 2018, while winning the Penrose Cup with SCSU. Borgen has spent six full seasons in the NHL playing for three teams, including the last year and a half with the New York Rangers. This past season he had 15 points in 75 games on the Blueshirts’ blue line. Borgen played for Team USA at the 2018 Winter Olympics, as well.
 
Cooley (Los Gatos, Calif.) stood tall in the Denver net from 2017-2020, posting a 15-9-4 record in 32 games with a .927 save percentage and a 1.93 goals-against average. In his first full season in the NHL this past year, the Calgary Flames netminder went 10-10-6 in 31 games with a .909 save percentage and 2.69 GAA.
 
Cotter (Canton, Mich.) played for Western Michigan in 2018, suiting up in eight games with one assist. He’s spent the last four full seasons in the NHL, two with Vegas and the last two with the New Jersey Devils. This past season, Cotter played in 79 NHL games, totaling 15 points (9g/6a). He now has 82 points and 47 goals in 296 career NHL games.
 
Faulk (South St. Paul, Minn.) will be playing in his fourth IIHF Men’s World Championship, winning bronze in 2013 and 2015 with Team USA, while also playing in the 2012 edition. The former Bulldog played on the 2014 U.S. Men’s Olympic Team, as well. Faulk was a one-year sensation at Minnesota Duluth in 2010-11, prior to the NCHC, helping UMD win the program’s first National Championship while totaling 33 points (8g/25a) in 39 games. Faulk has played 15 seasons in the NHL, totaling 498 points in 1,058 career games. He spent the last seven seasons with the St. Louis Blues, before being traded to the Detroit Red Wings in March. In 2025-26, Faulk compiled 40 points (16g/24a) in 78 games across two teams.
 
Kaiser (Andover, Minn.) was a three-year standout at Minnesota Duluth from 2020-2023, racking up 52 points in 97 career games, including 23 points (5g/18a) in 35 games as a junior to earn Second-Team All-NCHC. He has spent the last three seasons in the NHL with the Chicago Blackhawks, totaling 35 points (10g/25a) in 175 career games, including a career-best 17 points in 77 games this season. Kaiser played for the U.S. National Junior Team in 2022.
 
Sasson (Birmingham, Mich.) was a two-year star at Western Michigan from 2021-2023, compiling 64 points (24g/40a) in 75 career games as a Bronco. This past season he spent nearly the entire year with the Vancouver Canucks, tallying 13 goals and 19 points in 66 NHL games. He helped the Abbotsford Canucks win the 2025 Calder Cup in the AHL last year. In 95 career NHL games, Sasson has 26 points (16g/10a) with the Canucks.
 
The U.S. has earned 14 podium finishes in the history of the IIHF Men's World Championship, including two gold medals (2025, 1933), four silver medals (1950, 1939, 1934, 1931) and eight bronze medals (2021, 2018, 2015, 2013, 2004, 1996, 1952, 1949).