Best Winter Olympic Medal Candidates for US - Hockey Dominates the Conversation in Milano Cortina

The 2026 Winter Olympics are two days away from kicking off, and we couldn't be more excited for the first Olympics held in Italy in 20 years. The Olympics will be held in the lovely Northern part of the country, split between Milan and Cortina. Cortina also hosted the 1956 Winter Games.

There are 15 different venues and locations hosting events throughout the 16-day quadrennial event. A whopping 116 events in eight different sports (16 disciplines) will take place, with hockey reigning supreme as the most popular sport at the Winter Games. Men's hockey will dominate the headlines as NHL players are participating for the first time since the 2014 games.

Athletes from 92 countries, as well as Independent Olympic Athletes, will compete at the Games, with Benin, Guinea-Bissau, and the United Arab Emirates expected to make their Winter Games debut.

While Norway typically dominates the Winter Olympics, having topped the Medal Table in the last three Olympic Games, the United States always remains a dominant force. Team USA have finished in the top five of the medal counts in each edition of the Winter Games since 1992, finishing third in 2022 with nine golds, nine silvers, and seven bronze medals.

Today, we take a look at our picks for the American candidates to win a medal in Milano Cortina.

USA Women's Hockey Team (-130 to Win Gold)

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The USA Women's hockey team are minus-money to win the Olympics altogether, with Canada just behind them at +105 and all other teams at +4000 or worse. In fact, aside from 2006, every single gold medal match has been USA vs Canada, with Canada winning five golds and the USA winning the other two.

Even in 2006, Team USA won the bronze, so they should be a hammerlock to win a medal.

USA Men's Hockey Team (+210 to Win Gold, -280 to Win Medal)

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The sportsbooks pretty much have the United States and Canada duking it out to win gold. While Canada are the +120 favorites, the US aren't that far behind at +210. Sweden (+600), Finland (+1100), and Czechia (+1600) round out the top five contenders. While Russia would certainly be a player to win it all, they remain banned from competing.

The 4 Nations Face-Off tournament showcased the top-four contenders, and Sweden were devastated not to reach the final after forcing overtime against Canada and beating the US in round-robin play, missing out via tiebreaker. However, the hockey world only remembers Connor McDavid's overtime winner to win the competition for Canada.

Team USA are practically bringing in the same roster as they did for the 4 Nations Face-Off, though they've brought in Clayton Keller, Tage Thompson, and Jackson LaCombe. Chris Kreider and Adam Fox were eye-opening omissions.

In reality, this tournament should be a three-horse race. If the USA Men's Hockey Team failed to medal, it would be a disaster of epic proportions. They will have a very easy group to start the competition, facing off against Germany, Latvia, and Denmark, where they are almost certain to go 3-0-0 and qualify directly for the quarterfinals.

Mikaela Shiffrin - Women's Slalom (-340 to Win Gold, -700 to Win Medal)

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The winningest alpine skier of all-time is looking for revenge after missing the podium in all six events she competed in during the 2022 Beijing Games, having crashed on three occasions. She was the bettor's favorite to win gold in three of those six events.

Shiffrin is considered the greatest of all time and has the most World Cup wins of any alpine skier in history, regardless of gender. She's also +125 to medal in the Women's Giant Slalom race.

Jordan Stolz - Men's Speed Skating

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At just 21 years old, Stolz is, by far, the best in the world. He won World Cup titles in the 500, 1,000, and 1,500-meter events, and is a massive gold medal favorite in all three of those events (-190, -900, and -2000, respectively). He's also a +125 favorite to win the Men's Mass Start competition.

It would be much more stunning for Stolz not to take home a medal than for him to win an incredible four golds in one Games.