Knights defenseman joins Eichel on US Olympic roster

Golden Knights defenseman Noah Hanifin was named to Team USA for the Winter Olympics in Italy on Friday.

The 25-man roster was unveiled on the “Today” show.

Hanifin joins teammate Jack Eichel, who was one of the first six players named to the team in June.

The 28-year-old from Boston will be taking part in his first Olympic games. Hanifin was part of the U.S. roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off in February.

Hanifin has 14 points in 28 games while averaging 23:36 of ice time, the second most of his career. He’s coming off a career-high 29:59 on Wednesday in the 4-2 loss to the Nashville Predators.

Team USA will open Olympic play Feb. 12 against Latvia.

Hanifin and Eichel were part of the U.S. team that reached the 4 Nations final before losing 3-2 in overtime against Canada.

Eichel, 29, has 41 points in 31 games this season. He’s coming off the best campaign of his career with 94 points and a plus-32. The North Chelmsford, Massachusetts native was a finalist for the Lady Byng Trophy and finished in the top five for the Selke Trophy.

That brings the total to six Knights players who will represent their country in the Olympics.

Mark Stone, Mitch Marner and Shea Theodore were named to Team Canada on Wednesday. Jonas Rondbjerg was one of the first six named to Denmark’s team.

Knights coach Bruce Cassidy is an assistant on Jon Cooper’s staff for Canada.

The roster features 21 players who represented the U.S. in the 4 Nations.

“It was incredibly difficult for our management group to get to the final roster and that’s a credit to so many in our country, including all those at the grassroots level who help make our sport so strong,” Team USA general manager Bill Guerin said in a statement. “There’s nothing like the Olympics and I know our players and staff will represent our country well and work hard to achieve our ultimate goal.”

Former Knights forward Alex Tuch — the centerpiece in the trade that brought Eichel to Las Vegas in November 2021 — was not named to the roster. The Syracuse, New York native is second on the red-hot Buffalo Sabres with 32 points in 38 games.

Other notable omissions include Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars, who is tied for third in the league with 24 goals, and Cole Caufield of the Montreal Canadiens with 20 goals.

Contact Danny Webster at dwebster@reviewjournal.com. Follow @DannyWebster21 on X.