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Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller see very different roles in the first Team USA Olympic practice

While these are only the initial projected lines, Vincent Trocheck looks to have secured a role as the fourth-line center while Rangers captain J.T. Miller began the first Olympic practice as a potential scratch.
ByTom Urtz Jr.|
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Jan 8, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck (16) celebrates with center J.T. Miller (8) after scoring a goal in the third period against the Buffalo Sabres at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images
Jan 8, 2026; New York, New York, USA; New York Rangers center Vincent Trocheck (16) celebrates with center J.T. Miller (8) after scoring a goal in the third period against the Buffalo Sabres at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images | Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images

Team USA will skate in their first preliminary game at the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics against Latvia on Thursday, and the initial lines at practice placed Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller in much different roles than you would have initially expected. It is important to note that only the top six appears to be set, but the initial lines could say a lot about how player is currently viewed by the Team USA brain trust.

Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller's initial role for Team USA

At the first official practice in Italy, Trocheck skated as the fourth line center with Clayton Keller on the left wing, and Brock Nelson on the right wing. Miller was not part of the forward group, and there's two possible reasons for this. The first is that Team USA's first game is a bit of a warmup, and it is possible that the coaching staff may rotate different players in and out of the lineup before getting ready for the games that matter. It is also possible that the injuries that have ailed Miller have flared up again, and they don't want to play him until they absolutely have to. Mike Sullivan has the most knowledge about Miller and what he is capable of, and that is something to take into account.

Miller hasn't been used at center for much of this season, and when looking at the lines, there's not a center you'd take out to put him in. To that point, you have players like Jack Hughes, Tage Thompson, and Brock Nelson who usually player center lined up on the wing, and right now the lines have Kyle Connor on the outside looking in along with Miller.

As mentioned earlier, this is just an initial practice, and a lot can change over the next couple of days. The group brought to the Olympics has some similarities to the group that competed at 4 Nations, but some tweaks were made given the lack of scoring in that tournament. That said, it would have been nice had the brain trust brought Jason Robertson along with them, as he's someone who is a great scorer and is having a tremendous 2025-26 season.

Team USA's initial schedule

Team USA opens up against Latvia on Thursday, and is back in action again on Saturday vs. Denmark, and Germany on Sunday the 15th. Each game is being held at 3:10 p.m. Eastern, which is 9:10 p.m. local time in Italy. The first three games can be found on USA Network, and also will be available for streaming through Peacock. The United States is part of Group C, and currently has the second-best odds of capturing gold.

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