Several New York Rangers were part of Team USA’s historic gold medal victory over Canada at the 2026 Olympic Games. Captain J.T. Miller and Vincent Trocheck, alongside head coach Mike Sullivan and assistant David Quinn, will return to Broadway as Olympic champions. It is the fulfillment of a lifelong dream—the exact moment every young hockey player imagines when they first lace up their skates—to win gold for their country on the world’s biggest stage.
While this victory carries immense personal weight for these men, it also carries significant weight for their status around the league. This is especially true for Vincent Trocheck. As the trade deadline approaches, Trocheck is expected to be one of the most coveted players on the market. With several teams already expressing interest in the veteran forward, the Rangers were already positioned to land a significant return. However, his elite performance in Milan, punctuated by an Olympic gold medal, has officially turned him into an even more attractive commodity for a contender.
Vincent Trocheck showed what he could do when the lights are brightest
Before the Olympic freeze, Trocheck had put together a solid offensive season. In 43 games this season he has recorded 12 goals and 24 assists for 36 points. A bounce back season after a rather disappointing 2024-25. While there were concerns about how his attitude and what he's done in the locker room this season, this has not been much of an issue. Many have written it off as the Rangers struggles getting to him.
But his performance at the Olympics highlighted another aspect of his game. Trocheck is a very strong penalty killer. He was a key player on Team USA's first-unit penalty kill. A unit that went a perfect 18-for-18 on penalty kill opportunities. It is a large reason why they were able to run the gauntlet and take home the gold. Strong penalty killing is nothing new for Trocheck. According to Natural Stat Trick, he has an xGoals Against of 31.48 and allowed 129 High Danger Scoring Chances on penalty kills this season.
Trocheck was also one of the best guys in the faceoff circle for the Americans. He won 66.67% of faceoffs, tied with Gabriel Laneskog for second in the entire tournament. Only teammate Dylan Larkin had a better success rate on faceoffs. Trocheck was even asked to be the faceoff man during overtime of the gold medal game. This helps the US get more scoring opportunities. Winning from the start of the game allowed them to control the pace and style of play.
One of the factors the team has to consider when acquiring Trocheck is what they are going to do with him as he gets older. With him under contract for three more seasons and 32, teams will have to consider how his game will age. But his Olympic performance is a glimpse of what he can do if his offensive production slips. He can be that unsung hero whose performance does not show up on the stat sheet. The type of player that is critical for a team's success.
This Olympic performance showed teams the mimnum that Trocheck can give. It made him an even more valuable forward and someone that every contender could use.