John Carlson turns 4-Nations Face-off snub into 2026 Olympic motivation

Washington Capitals defenseman John Carlson was a notable snub from Team USA’s roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off this year. Despite this, the American side concluded a successful tournament, falling just short of the title against Team Canada.

But Carlson hasn’t let the snub keep him from hoping to don his country’s jersey in a major international competition. If anything, it has fueled his desire for a spot on Team USA’s roster for the 2026 Olympics in Milano Cortina.

During the pregame show leading up to the Capitals’ matchup against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday afternoon, the TNT studio panel asked Carlson about his motivation to play for the US in 2026, especially after representing his country in 2014 in Sochi.

Carlson replied:

“Yeah, man, I think any, any hockey player or hockey fan wanted to be a part of that. And certainly, I'm no different.”

John Carlson’s desire remains intact as he eyes a return to the ice for Team USA. Despite his snub at the 4 Nations, Carlson praised the tournament's success, stating:

“I think, you know, with the long layoff in between the last one till now there, there was a lot of pent-up energy over it, and, you know, it clearly garnered a lot of eyeballs.”

Carlson concluded by listing how much the event helped hockey as a sport:

“It did the three things for the sport, and it showcased some of our best players. So that was an amazing tournament that any player would want to be a part of.”

In the meantime, Carlson and the Washington Capitals have one goal in mind: To win a Stanley Cup this season. With the way the Capitals have been playing, there is plenty of reason to believe they can achieve that outcome.

Looking at John Carlson’s international experience with Team USA

John Carlson, a native of Natick, Massachusetts, has extensive international experience with Team USA at various levels.

As mentioned during Sunday afternoon’s broadcast, Carlson was a member of the Olympic team that represented the US in the 2014 Sochi Games. Unfortunately, the US was unable to medal in that tournament. He registered a goal and an assist in six games in Sochi.

Carlson also represented the US at the 2010 World Junior Championships in Saskatoon and Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. The American squad took the gold medal in that tourney with Carlson notching four goals and seven points in seven games.

However, Carlson’s biggest accomplishment was getting the game-winning goal in overtime against Canada in the gold-medal game, earning him a spot on the All-Tournament team.

Given John Carlson’s international experience and being one of the few remaining active players from the 2014 Sochi team, he should get plenty of consideration for the 2026 roster. However, it remains to be seen if Carlson can secure a spot, given the abundance of talented young blue-liners on Team USA like Brock Faber and Jake Sanderson.