MADISON, Wis. – Two former Badgers – 2014 U.S. Olympic defenseman Ryan McDonagh and forward Cole Caufield – are two of 44 players set to attend the U.S. Men's Olympic Orientation Camp, which runs Aug. 26-27 in Plymouth, Michigan, USA Hockey announced on Tuesday.
The two-day camp is primarily an administrative and team-building event, and it includes no formal on-ice activity or public component.
Defenseman McDonagh played his 15th NHL season in 2024-25, collecting four goals and 31 points in 82 games played for the Tampa Bay Lightning. He finished the year leading the league in plus/minus with a plus-43 rating and is in the top-10 for most NHL games played by a Badger with 1,010. The St. Paul, Minnesota, native was a blueliner for Wisconsin from 2007-2009, tallying 14 goals and 48 points in 119 collegiate games played.
McDonagh is a former Olympian, helping the United States to a fourth-place finish at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. He also skated for Team USA at the 2009 World Junior Championships, 2016 World Cup of Hockey and at the 2011 IIHF World Championship.
Former Hobey Baker winner Caufield wrapped up his fourth full season in the NHL with the Montreal Canadiens in 2024-25, tallying a career-high 37 goals and 70 points in 82 games played. The Stevens Point, Wisconsin, native skated for the Badgers from 2019-21, totaling 49 goals and 88 points in 67 games played for UW.
If Caufield makes the team, this would mark his first Olympic appearance. The forward has skated internationally for Team USA before, playing at the 2020 and 2021 World Junior Championships, winning a gold medal in the latter year, and at the 2024 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship.
All-time, Wisconsin boasts 32 Olympians, including 26 who have attended as players, six who have attended as staff, and three who have attended as both a player and staff member. Defenseman Chris Chelios holds the Badger record as a four-time Olympian, playing for Team USA in 1984, 1998, 2002 and 2006, including captaining the team in 2002 and 2006, before representing the United States as an assistant coach in 2018.
Current Badger Head Coach
Mike Hastings was an Olympian in 2022, joining Team USA as an assistant coach alongside longtime Wisconsin equipment manager
Nate LaPoint.
Earlier this summer, USA Hockey announced the first six members of the 2026 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team, and the final 25-man roster is expected to be announced in early January. The 2026 Winter Olympics are set to run Feb. 6 through Feb. 22 in Milano Cortina, Italy.
