Brady Tkachuk of the Ottawa Senators is set to represent the United States at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milano Cortina, fulfilling a lifelong ambition. The forward expressed strong confidence in his team's gold medal chances following a recent international experience. Teammate Jake Sanderson shares the excitement as the Olympics approach.
PITTSBURGH -- Brady Tkachuk, a forward for the Ottawa Senators, is preparing to turn his childhood dream into reality at the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026. He will represent the United States, starting with their opener against Latvia on Feb. 12.
"We're going there, and all 12 nations want that gold medal," Tkachuk told NHL.com on Monday. "So that's something that, it's been a childhood dream of, not just mine, but by every Olympian, that they want to come out with gold. Really believe in our team, really believe in the build, the makeup."
Tkachuk's international experience includes the 4 Nations Face-Off in February 2025, where he played alongside his brother, Matthew Tkachuk of the Florida Panthers. Brady scored three goals in four games, while Matthew tallied three points (two goals, one assist) in three games. The United States defeated Canada 3-1 in the round-robin but fell 3-2 in overtime in the final.
"At that time, that was kind of my mindset, first time best-on-best," Brady Tkachuk said. "That was Olympics-esque just because I've never experienced it. So I really tried to be as best I can for that."
"I think experiencing what we did in 4 Nations," Tkachuk added, "it just created that much more fire to win gold."
Senators defenseman Jake Sanderson, who scored one goal in two games at the 4 Nations, echoed the enthusiasm. With 44 points (10 goals, 34 assists) in 54 games this season, he views the Olympics as the pinnacle.
"It's the top of the top," Sanderson said. "Doesn't get any better than that. I think all the players have been really looking forward to it. I'm sure everybody's pretty fired up. ... I think everybody's capable of winning. Really excited. I think it all started to set in for me a few days ago when I started packing, packing my suitcase."
Before departing, Tkachuk and the Senators (26-21-7) focus on their playoff push, entering a game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on a three-game winning streak, having outscored opponents 16-4. Tkachuk has 36 points (14 goals, 22 assists) in 34 games despite missing 20 due to a broken right thumb on Oct. 13. The team trails Buffalo by eight points for the Eastern Conference's second wild card.
"I feel like all season, it's been like, 'February, it's going to be Olympics,'" Tkachuk said. "I think it's hard to not get so excited. There's still three really important games leading up to it, but I can't believe ... we're in single-digit days away from being over there. So I mean, yes, of course, not going to lie, it's very exciting."
