With the 2026 Winter Olympics about to begin, we at Vogue are taking a wide view of the state of play in Milan and Cortina d Ampezzo. Because it would be a true shame to reduce the athletes’ merits solely to their “ability” and whether they “win or lose,” I’ve been studying up on the various hockey players due to compete at this year’s Games with an aim to round up a totally unscientific batch of the all-around best and/or coolest.
In the spirit of gender equity and bisexuality, this list includes players from both the men’s and women’s teams, and for the sake of brevity, I’ve limited the field to American players. I consider this list to be spiritually linked to a Google Doc I had going with several friends in around 2017, where we ranked the Los Angeles Dodgers by hotness (in case you’re curious, Kiké Hernandez and Clayton Kershaw tied for first), but this list also takes into account who’s got good style, good off-the-ice hobbies, and/or an all-around good vibe. Let’s dive in and do some Heated Rivalry-inflected favorite-picking, shall we?
Hilary Knight
I mean, I couldn’t not include one of the widely agreed-upon best players in women’s hockey history—who also happens to be openly queer—especially since Knight, a forward and captain for the Seattle Torrent, with a record-setting 10 gold medals at the IIHF World Women’s Championship to her credit, has been dating Team USA speed skater Brittany Bowe since 2022. Guys, the now-couple would take masked evening walks together during the Winter Games in Beijing! Am I…somehow nostalgic for COVID restrictions right now? (No, but this is almost cute enough to get me there.)
Brock Nelson
We love a hockey nepo baby with a heart of gold. This Colorado Avalanche center’s uncle, Dave Christian, was on the famous 1980 “Miracle on Ice” team (which still happens to be the last men’s hockey team to win gold for the US at the Winter Olympics…fingers crossed for this year, fellas!), and his grandfather and great-uncle were both on the 1960 team. As if that weren’t enough, Nelson’s wife, Karley Sylvester, is a former Minnesota Ms. Hockey, an honorific given annually to Minnesota’s best female senior high school hockey player. We love a couple who can chop it up on and off the ice!
Laila Edwards
If her considerable talents weren’t enough—Edwards was the first Black woman to play for the US women’s senior national team and the first Black woman to score a goal for Team USA at the World Championships in 2024—the University of Wisconsin junior is also incredibly thoughtful about her impact on the sport. “I want to leave a legacy that I was a great player, but an even better person and an inspiration,” she recently told Essence magazine. “I want [young Black girls] to see that I was at that level, but also that I succeeded at that level and I was one of the top people at that level because getting there is wonderful.”
Clayton Keller
This forward and captain for the Utah Mammoth has a fearsome record on the ice, but honestly, I knew he belonged on this list when I found out that his nickname among fans is “Clayton Clutch.”
Cayla Barnes
There is most definitely an award-winning and tearjerking Oscar-bait movie in this two-time Olympic medalist’s journey to ice hockey. She started out as a figure skater, which was her mother’s preference after raising four sons, but switched to ice hockey at the age of three after watching boys play the sport on the other side of the rink during her figure-skating lessons. It all goes to show that when you’re a girl with two or more older brothers, you’re simply cool by default.
Connor Hellebuyck
Don’t even talk to me about this Winnipeg Jets goaltender’s hockey chops (although they are legion), because I warmed all the way up to him when I learned that the father of two has co-authored two children’s books aimed at helping kids learn about and deal with their mental health. God help me, I love a hockey sweetie!
Aerin Frankel
I couldn’t make this up if I tried: Not only is Frankel a goaltender for the Boston Fleet and a two-time IIHF World Women’s Championship gold medalist, but she also has an Instagram account called @painbyromaine where she reviews Caesar salads from various restaurants for fun, describing it in the bio as “just a passion project.” Marry me, Aerin!
