Minnesota Wild general manager Bill Guerin, who has served as Team USA general manager since 2021, is yet again in charge of assembling the American squad. With NHLers in the mix, however, this time around will be a bit different than what he put together in 2022.

After the smashing success of last year’s 4 Nations Face-Off, which replaced the 2024-25 NHL All-Star Game and acted as an extended in-season break for players who did not compete, the league is planning the same type of schedule centering around this winter’s Olympics (Feb 6-22).

Brock Faber and Matt Boldy join Team USA from Minnesota Wild

In the past couple NHL seasons, Brock Faber and Matt Boldy have established themselves as two of the brightest young talents in hockey, quickly earning top line minutes with the Minnesota Wild, along with the eye Team USA.

Of course, it helps when the guy running your NHL team is also the guy picking Team USA’s roster, but both Faber and Boldy proved during the 4 Nations Face-Off that they belonged on the ice with the best players in the world.

Introducing the 44 players who will attend the U.S. Men's Olympic Orientation Camp 🇺🇸

Details: https://t.co/lWC0ZT1AJc pic.twitter.com/16FT49FRgP

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) August 19, 2025

The upcoming season will be Faber’s fourth in the NHL. He finished second to Connor Bedard for the Calder Memorial Trophy (best rookie) in 2023-24. In 78 games for the MN Wild last year he had 10 goals and 29 points while blocking 116 shots and handing out 36 hits.

Faber also participated in the 2022 Olympics for Team USA. That roster failed to medal as they lost in a quarterfinal shootout against Slovakia.

Check 'Brock Faber goal' off the Christmas list pic.twitter.com/LVaXeMJ7JX

— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) December 24, 2024

Boldy, the 12th overall pick in 2019, is entering his fifth NHL season. He played in all 82 games for the Wild last season and scored 27 goals with 73 points. He won 46.4% of his faceoffs, and contributed six power play goals.

Of course Guerin is more than familiar with players from a Minnesota Wild team he is in charge of assembling. New York Rangers head coach Mike Sullivan will be leading Team USA on the ice.

This Olympic Orientation Camp is a team-building part of the process. The actual Olympics roster will consist of just 25 players. There are 19 spots left after Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, Brady Tkachuk, Matthew Tkachuk, Quinn Hughes, and Charlie McAvoy were named to the first six.

Minnesota coming for Team USA spots as well

It’s not just Minnesota Wild players that are noteworthy among the Olympic Orientation Camp participants. Minnesota is a hockey hotbed, and there are multiple natives that were invited as well.

Beyond Faber, he is joined by the likes of Jake Guetzel (Woodbury), Brock Nelson (Warroad), Brady Skjei (Lakeville), Neal Pionk (Hermantown), Ryan McDonagh (St. Paul), Jackson LaCombe (Eden Prairie), and Jake Oettinger (Lakeville).

Related: MN Wild Sign NHL Veteran and One-Time Shattuck St. Mary’s Rental to Pro Tryout

Guerin will have some difficult decisions to make as he looks to round out his roster. There are just 19 spots for the 44 invited players. This camp does not include an on-ice component, so it will be little more than a team-building get together.

Minnesota Wild president Bill Guerin named Team USA general manager

Not only did the Wild get a win last night, in their first game out of the NHL All-Star break, but on Thursday Guerin was named general manager of USA hockey for both the 2025 ‘Nation’s Faceoff’ tournament and the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Italy.

Bill Guerin has been named general manager of Team USA for the 2025 @NHL 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team.

— USA Hockey (@usahockey) February 8, 2024

Guerin gave the same type of speech, in his post-announcement Zoom conference, that he gave when he first met with players after becoming general manager a few years ago. It’s all about winning. But given his recent roster construction decisions in Minnesota, I’m not sure how much decision-makers for Team USA should trust him.

Bill Guerin officially announced as the 4 Nations and 2026 Olympic GM for #TeamUSA

"We don't just go to these tournaments to participate. We go into win. We got one of the deepest player pools and staff pools in the world and those are the expectations." #mnwild pic.twitter.com/wtlykG4ouC

— Jessi Pierce (@jessi_pierce) February 8, 2024

Guerin shakes off earlier investigations into behavior

I would not have believed anyone who had told me a month ago that, on February 8, Bill Guerin would be named GM of the USA Olympic team. Remember, it hasn’t even been two months since news broke (Dec. 14) that Guerin was the subject of two separate independent investigations that ended in two long-time Minnesota Wild employees no longer working for the team.

Read More: What in the World is Happening Inside Minnesota Wild Front Office?

We still don’t know what happened or how much of either investigation/fallout falls on Guerin’s shoulders. All we know is that two employees directly underneath Bill Guerin are no longer employed by the team.

Meanwhile, his career seems to be unaffected. Is that right or wrong? Neither the Wild nor the media members who cover the team have given us enough information to address that question.

But the NHL was reported as privy to whatever findings came out of those investigations into Guerin’s behavior and those same people decided (a) discipline for Guerin was unnecessary and that (b) he still deserved to run USA Hockey for the upcoming Olympic games.