Coach Mike Sullivan is in no enviable position when it comes to crafting the most optimized lineup for the U.S. men's hockey team. The challenge begins with selecting the team's starting goaltender for the opening game against Latvia on Thursday. 

An NHL MVP winner, a reigning world champion, or a proven competitor in high-stakes situations? This is the decision that Team USA's coaching staff is saddled with when it comes to choosing which goalie will get the nod.

At the squad's first full practice on Sunday, Sullivan recognized that Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger and Jeremy Swayman would all be up to the challenge.

"The reality is we have three excellent goalies," he said. "They're all very capable. Performance will inevitably be the dictator in a tournament like this. It has to be."

Sullivan acknowledged that there is a roadmap in place, at least for the start of the tournament, though he did not divulge the plans yet. But dividing playing time between the three will be highly dependent on their results, and there's no guarantee that the man who's in net Thursday will keep that role the rest of the way.

It's a common strategy in hockey to ride the hot hand and allow a goalie to continue playing until the streak ends. But in a short, intense competition like the Olympics — and with three high-caliber options to choose from — the leash could potentially be a bit shorter than usual.

Hellebuyck, a three-time Vezina Trophy winner, has emerged at the forefront of the conversation after taking the starter's net at practice on Monday morning. He is one of just eight goalies in 99 seasons to ever win the Hart Memorial Trophy as the league MVP for his stellar performance with the Winnipeg Jets during the 2024-25 season.

The Commerce, Michigan, native was practically unbeatable for Team USA in the 4 Nations Face-Off last February. He posted a 1.59 goals against average and .932 save percentage as the U.S. lost the championship game to Canada in overtime.

This year, Hellebuyck is still trying to return to form after missing nearly a month due to an arthroscopic knee surgery back in November. Since coming back to the ice, he's been performing statistically lower than usual. But as the NHL's consensus top goalie in back-to-back seasons, Hellebuyck's pure skill and keen ability to track the puck make him difficult to beat for the title of Olympic starter.

Oettinger may not share Hellebuyck's pedigree, but he more than makes up for it with his ability to rise to the occasion. The 27-year-old has backstopped the Dallas Stars to three consecutive Western Conference Finals appearances, and the team has leaned heavily on the netminder out of Lakeville, Minnesota, to guide them through those deep playoff runs.

That's not to mention that Oettinger currently ranks 3rd in the NHL with 23 wins and enters the Olympics on a six-game winning streak. His stats overall this season fall uncharacteristically below his career average, but his strong performance in the postseason over recent years could certainly be weighed heavily by the U.S. coaching staff.

Meanwhile, the 2025 IIHF World Championships solidified Swayman's place on the Olympic roster. The Boston Bruins starter was undefeated through seven games and shut out the Swiss team en route to Team USA's first gold at the tournament since 1933.

The 27-year-old from Anchorage, Alaska, has been able to bounce back after struggling in 2024-25. With a .903 save percentage this season, Swayman actually ranks 1st in that category among the three Olympic options.

With such an array of accomplishments between these athletes, Sullivan may have to split hairs to come to a decision — but, in any case, Team USA will certainly have a viable backup to turn to.

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Defenseman Charlie McAvoy arrived in Milan for the Opening Ceremony with a swollen, lopsided face after narrowly escaping serious injury in the Bruins' last game before the Olympic break. 

In the matchup against the Florida Panthers, McAvoy took a high elbow to the head courtesy of Sandis Vilmanis, who will represent Latvia in the men's hockey tournament. McAvoy stayed down on the ice for a period of time before being helped off by medical staff. 

In a stroke of good luck and resilience on McAvoy's part, the jaw injury wasn't serious enough to keep him from making his Olympic debut. 

“If you want to define toughness, it's not just about what you dish out, it's your willingness to take hits to make plays also," Sullivan said. "I think Charlie checks both of those boxes.”

Sullivan went on to describe the 28-year-old blueliner as "elite" and a "fierce competitor" — the type of qualities that set him apart both physically and mentally. That ferocity was on full display at the 4 Nations Face-Off, when he suffered an injury to his right shoulder. McAvoy initially believed it to be a problem with the joint and chose to battle through the pain. He played two games before being diagnosed with a rare staph infection that required surgery and subsequently sidelined him for the rest of the season. 

It hasn't been a linear path to this point, but McAvoy is poised to make an impact at the Olympics and will serve on the team's top pairing alongside former Norris Trophy winner Quinn Hughes. 

New Jersey Devils forward Jack Hughes also recovered from injury in the nick of time to join his teammates in Milan. He underwent finger surgery in November after a freak accident at a team dinner, then missed the last three New Jersey Devils games prior to the Olympic break with a lower-body ailment. 

He is just one of several star forwards that have been plagued by injury this year — Brady Tkachuk also had an operation on his finger which held him out of 20 games, and his brother Matthew Tkachuk missed significant time after offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia and torn adductor muscle.

But the U.S. now has a fully healthy lineup, and the key is going to be figuring out how to assemble them in order to find the winning formula. 

"One of the things we love about our roster is the versatility," Sullivan said. 

Sullivan noted that there are a number of players who have the flexibility to skate at center or wing, with Jack Hughes being one of them, which gives him the freedom to experiment with different combinations and even move players in and out of the lineup as needed.

General manager and former NHLer Bill Guerin echoed Sullivan's sentiment about the diverse abilities of the forward corps, noting that many of the players on the 4 Nations roster will once again be linemates at the Olympics. 

"The chemistry allowed the guys to play the way that they did — the willingness to accept their role, the willingness to do things that they are not asked to do with their NHL team, take less ice time, and play a different role," Guerin said. 

There is little question about how the top six will be matched up, as the first two lines were inseparable at Team USA's first two training sessions. That group of players skated together at the 4 Nations with a high degree of success. 

Replicating that chemistry lower in the lineup will be no easy task, though. The bottom six has been up in the air to this point. Jack Hughes was shifted from the third line to the fourth line, while Clayton Keller and Vincent Trocheck were skating as extras on Monday after several outlets projected them to be on the fourth line. 

Though the exact layout of the roster is still unclear, Sullivan is no stranger to working under pressure. He coached the Pittsburgh Penguins to two consecutive Stanley Cup wins in 2016 and 2017. With that winning experience in his back pocket — plus a supporting staff featuring Jack Adams Award winner John Tortorella — the Americans enter this tournament as favorites for the podium. 

But Guerin says the group will accept nothing short of gold in Milan: "We have to win."