While Jason Robertson and Adam Fox did not make the U.S. Olympic hockey roster, and Sam Bennett and Mark Scheifele were not picked to play for Canada, that doesn’t necessarily mean none of those players will be in Milan next month.
USA Hockey and Hockey Canada each has a group of players on standby who could get a call in the event of injuries.
“There’s a number of players that we’ve identified that can fill in if need be," U.S. general manager Bill Guerin said Friday. "There is a plan in place.”
Like Guerin, Canada GM Doug Armstrong did not want to reveal how many players are on the waitlist, other than to say all were asked if they wanted to remain in consideration and told they'd need to keep doing Olympic drug-testing.
“It’s not one player out, one player in,” Armstrong said Thursday. “What we’re going to do is say: ‘If this style of player gets hurt, we’ll have a list of players to look at it. If this style of player, gets hurt, we’ll have a list of players to look at.’ That list, it’s long but not too long because there’s different style of players that we want.”
Robertson leads all U.S. NHL players in points, and he has helped Dallas reach three consecutive Western Conference finals. Fellow forwards Alex DeBrincat and Cole Caufield are also in the top 10 in scoring among Americans.
“If we’re doing it like that, then you don’t need a general manager. You don’t need a coach. Just do it by stats,” Guerin said. “But in the end we have a job to do, and we’re putting together a team. Not just a group of individuals. It’s a team.”
Fox and former New York Rangers teammate Chris Kreider were the only U.S. players who took part in the 4 Nations Face-Off early last year who are not reprising their roles in Italy. The U.S. picked five left-handed-shooting defensemen and just three righties, so Fox would seem to be next in line over someone such as undersized Lane Hutson or New Jersey's Luke Hughes.
“A lot of those players, there’s a chance some of them do get the nod,” Guerin said. "We don’t know what’s going to happen. There’s a lot of hockey between now and then. There’s so many players that could be on this roster that are not.”
In net, there are a handful of options if anything happens to Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger or Jeremy Swayman. One of Chicago's Spencer Knight, Vancouver's Thatcher Demko and Seattle's Joey Daccord figure to be on speed dial just in case.
Bennett, a back-to-back Stanley Cup champion with Florida, Travis Konecny and Seth Jarvis are the only skaters from Canada's 4 Nations-winning roster not chosen for Milan. Bennett and Scheifele, a point-a-game player for Winnipeg, were perhaps the most surprising omissions, with 19-year-old Macklin Celebrini, Nick Suzuki and Tom Wilson making it as newcomers.
“There were a number of players who came right down to the wire,” Armstrong said when asked about Scheifele. “There’s so many players that are right on the cusp. No player has played their way off this team. We just had to narrow this down to 25.”
Canada brought back its entire 4 Nations blue line, though a standout rookie made that decision more difficult than expected. Matthew Schaefer was the top pick in the draft last year and has played so well for the New York Islanders in his first season in the league that he forced himself into the mix.
“I’ll be honest with you: He wasn’t on my radar at the start of the season,” Armstrong said. “He’s an 18-year-old man that we’re talking about playing in the Olympics. He’s a fantastic talent. He brings you out of your seat every night. He’s got maturity beyond his years on and off the ice. I was shocked at how quickly he worked his way into our conversations, and that’s a credit to him.”
Goaltending is undoubtedly Canada's biggest unknown, though Jordan Binnington's big-game ability has him penciled in as the starter, with Logan Thompson and Darcy Kuemper also on the roster. Colorado's Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood have excelled for the top team in the NHL so far, which would make both of them slam dunk potential replacements.
AP Olympic coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics
CORRECTS TO GOAL MADE BY VINCENT TROCHEK - New York Rangers left wing Artemi Panarin (10) and defenseman Adam Fox, left, celebrate Vincent Trochek's goal during the first period of an NHL hockey game against the Washington Capitals, Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, in Washington. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Dallas Stars left wing Jason Robertson (21) skates for the puck against Chicago Blackhawks center Dominic Toninato (25) and defenseman Alex Vlasic during the first period of an NHL hockey game Saturday, Dec. 27, 2025, in Dallas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
SION, Switzerland (AP) — The hospital that initially took in the majority of injured victims from a fire at a Swiss bar is no stranger to emergencies: In the heart of the Alps, it is used to treating winter sports enthusiasts who have accidents on the slopes.
But the flood of young and severely burned survivors from the blaze that tore through Le Constellation in Crans-Montana during New Year's Eve revelry was something else.
Eric Bonvin, general director of the regional hospital in Sion that took in several dozen injured people, said those with severe burns face months of treatment but expressed hope that their youth will speed their recovery.
The injured were teenagers and young adults, roughly 20 years old on average, he told The Associated Press inside the hospital, which is about 10 kilometers (6 miles) from the resort by air. Survivors have described seeing their fellow revelers struggling to escape the inferno, some with severe burns.
Bonvin recounted how hospital staff scrambled to determine the extent of people’s injuries — aided by colleagues who had not been scheduled to work but rushed in to lend a hand.
“It’s a very particular situation because at the beginning burns are not necessarily apparent, the nerve endings are burnt so feelings are lost and the person is most of all in a state of shock,” he said. “At those moments, every minute counts.”
Injured survivors suffered burns to varying degrees, not just to their skin but also to their airways.
“There were inhalations of both smoke and also of heat that for some probably led to internal burns. That’s a really catastrophic situation, as you can imagine,” Bonvin said.
The hospital was well staffed, despite the holiday, because the end of year festivities are so busy in the Alpine Valais region, attracting crowds to its mountains but also leading to ski accidents and other medical emergencies.
“Our population doubles in a week,” he said. “Every year it's a period of intense stress for our emergency unit."
But “many people (staffers) came spontaneously, even those who were on holiday or having a night out,” he said. “That worked well.”
Still the hospital, which doesn’t have a specialized burn unit, quickly hit full capacity, authorities said. As the injured streamed in Thursday, all of the hospital’s surgical operating rooms were opened and intensive care facilities became strained.
Bonvin said 55 gravely injured people were rushed to his hospital by medical transports. Others with injuries came of their own accord, some brought in by loved ones.
By Friday afternoon, most had been transferred to other hospitals, while others had been discharged, Bonvin said.
Some medical workers treated the injured without knowing whether their loved ones might be among them.
“It was hard to live through for everyone. Also probably because everyone was asking themselves, ‘Was my child, my cousin, someone from the region at this party?’ This place was very well known as somewhere to celebrate the new year,” Bonvin said. “Also, seeing young people arrive — that’s always traumatic.”
The road to recovery for the gravely injured will likely be long and arduous, he cautioned.
“For those with serious burns, intensive care treatment lasts several months,” he said.
“But it’s not without hope,” he added. “They are young and that means they still have a lot of vitality.”
CORRECTS CITY TO SION - Eric Bonvin, director of the Hospital du Valais, attends a press conference in Sion, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (Jean-Christophe Bott/Keystone via AP)
People bring flowers near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)
People mourn behind flowers and letters near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)
People lay candles and flowers near the Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Thursday, Jan. 1, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)
People bring flowers and candles near the sealed off Le Constellation bar, where a devastating fire left dead and injured during the New Year's celebrations in Crans-Montana, Swiss Alps, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026. (AP Photo/ Antonio Calanni)
A helicopter takes off from the Hotel du Valais hospital in Sion, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, following the fire at the "Le Constellation" bar and lounge in Crans-Montana, during the New Year celebration. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
Two men walk outside a hospital as a helicopter takes off in Sion, Switzerland, Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, following the fire at the "Le Constellation" bar and lounge in Crans-Montana, Switzerland during the New Year celebration. (AP Photo/Baz Ratner)
