LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell ice hockey community is buzzing with excitement as former River Hawks standout goaltender Connor Hellebuyck prepares to represent Team USA at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy.
Hellebuyck, who carved out a remarkable collegiate career with UMass Lowell before becoming one of the NHL's most elite goaltenders, is now set to bring his talent to the international stage. There, he and some of the top talent in American hockey will aim to chase down a gold medal as the men's hockey tournament officially kicks off on Feb. 11.
The Commerce Township, Michigan, native is the reigning Hart Memorial Trophy winner as the NHL's most valuable player and a three-time Vezina Trophy winner (2020, 2024, 2025) as the league's top goaltender. Since becoming the starting goaltender for the Winnipeg Jets during the 2016–17 season, Hellebuyck leads all American-born netminders in wins (318) and shutouts (43) while also posting a .917 save percentage and a 2.57 goals against average.
During his time at UMass Lowell, Hellebuyck helped lead the River Hawks to consecutive Hockey East championships and an appearance in the Frozen Four in 2013. He won the inaugural Mike Richter Award as the top goaltender in NCAA Division I in 2014.
The 2026 Winter Games will not be the first time Hellebuyck has represented the United States in his career. The 32-year-old suited up for Team USA at last year's 4 Nations Face-Off and has also appeared in the IIHF World Championships in 2014, 2015 and 2017. He is set to make his Olympic debut on Wednesday, February 11, as Team USA will take on Latvia in the Preliminary Round at 3:10 p.m. EST.
