12 January 2026

Milano Cortina 2026: Team USA

With less than a month to go until Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, we take a look at all of the National Olympic Committees (NOCs) set to compete. First up: Team USA.

Team USA will be represented by three curling teams, Team Peterson (women’s), Team Casper (men’s) and Team Dropkin/Thiesse (mixed doubles).

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After an undefeated round-robin stage at last year’s United States Men’s Curling Championship, the young rink led by Danny Casper came up short in the final, losing 8-6 to Korey Dropkin’s side after beating them twice previously in the tournament. 

“A lot of people after this Nationals were like, ‘oh you’re young, you’ll have time’, and I just hated that,” said Casper. 

“We felt like we are in a prime position to win now and feel like we should be winning now and want to win more than we are.” 

Fast forward a year, and everything changed. Last February, Casper was trying to deal with disappointment. This February, he will become an Olympian.  

A journey far from simple 

Before stepping onto the ice in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, for the United States Olympic Curling Trials in November, Casper faced an unexpected challenge: Guillain Barre Syndrome (GBS), a rare autoimmune disorder that affects the nervous system and can create muscle weakness, tingling and paralysis. 

His rink also had to face formidable opponents — the 2018 Olympic champions, led by John Shuster, as well as Team Dropkin, who were seeking redemption. Dropkin would not be a concern, as Casper and co. defeated them twice in the four-team round-robin table. However, Shuster would dominate their first meeting 10-2, before narrowly claiming a 6-5 win in their second game, to finish top of the standings. 

The best-of-three final was a nail-biter. The first two games finished 7-6 — one for Casper and one for Shuster. In the decider, three scores of two with the hammer sealed a 7-5 victory for Team Casper.  

Securing the Olympic spot 

But this triumph at the trials was not the end of the road for them. Just weeks later, Casper’s team travelled to Kelowna, Canada, for the Olympic Qualification Event, still needing to secure the American spot at the Olympic Games.  

After a narrow 9-8 loss to China earlier in the tournament, they met Xu Xiaoming’s side again in the play-offs — and dominated. The US took a two-point lead after three successive steals and later followed up with a score of four for a 9-4 victory.  

Suddenly, he and his teammates Luc Violette, Ben Richardson, Aidan Oldenburg and Rich Ruohonen were in the spotlight, navigating more interviews than ever before, amid surging U.S. interest in curling since Shuster’s underdog success in Pyeongchang eight years ago.

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Meet the Teams

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Staying grounded amid the hype 

“We’re the same team,” said Casper. 

“I think we were always confident of what we were going to do and I guess the planning ahead wasn’t really something that crossed our mind yet, because it was kind of like, cross that bridge when we get there. 

“Not a whole lot is different. Obviously, we’re on the bigger stage now and getting a lot more attention media wise and that’s something that as a young team we haven’t had a lot of practice with, getting interviews left and right and sponsorships. So, we’re just trying to do a good job of managing what’s important and what’s not.” 

Now, the bridges keep coming. Casper is calling from his car in Minnesota at 5:30am, squeezing in a chat before the gym and work. His focus remains sharp: stay grounded, embrace the Olympic experience, and manage expectations. 

“There’s other teams that have been there, done that,” he added. 

“I think we just remind ourselves of that and go into the Olympics leaning into the fact that we’re naive and we’re going to have fun… and just being grateful for the experience.” 

Danny Casper, Team USA

Lessons from the greats 

Ever the humble skip, the 24-year-old also credits Team Shuster for their guidance, who he says are “all class at all times”, giving their younger counterparts advice whenever they need it to help them in their preparations. At the Canadian Open in Saskatoon, they imparted any wisdom they could over dinner, being proactive mentors for their compatriots. 

“We have as much respect for them as you can have for a team and for them as people and it was kind of hard because they’re our friends at the same time,” said Casper, recalling their Olympic Trials decider.  

“I don’t think we realised how hard of a day that that would be, watching your friends not win the game. 

“In terms of having a team that you beat in the final of something, I don’t think anyone’s going to be more classy and more helpful moving forward than them.” 

They learnt to enjoy the moment above everything else, reminding them they deserved to be there, having not only won the Olympic Trials, but also the Olympic Qualification Event. 

Facing challenges head on 

No longer that underdog, the Canadian Open was an opportunity to perform well against teams they would face in Italy. With different rules for Grand Slam events, it meant the Americans had to change their strategy, something they struggled to adapt to at times. 

A couple of resounding defeats to Sweden’s Niklas Edin and Scotland’s Kyle Waddell was followed by a 7-4 defeat to Scotland’s Bruce Mouat, before beating Canada’s Ryan Kleiter in their fourth game. 

He called the tournament a “good challenge”, reminding him that “if times are tough, we know how to pick ourselves up.” 

And he knows those tough times well. GBS side-lined him earlier in the season, forcing veteran Ruohonen — who is set to become the oldest American to compete at the Winter Olympics — to step in. Luckily this season, it has not impacted him too much during games. Media attention has centred around his GBS, but he sees it as a chance to raise awareness and learn.  

“The goal isn’t to do as many interviews as possible and talk about it as much as possible, but at the same time, I think I learned from the Trials that it’s a good opportunity to bring it up and spread some awareness,” he said. 

“I had a few people reach out to me in person and also online that had previously had it or have it now. 

“I think it was a good opportunity for myself too, to learn a little bit because I’m still going through it. 

“I don’t necessarily look at it as just spreading awareness, but I feel like I also have been able to learn a bunch from it as well.” 

From Briarcliff Manor to world stage 

Casper’s life is full of what-ifs. A former footballer and baseball player, he loves watching ice hockey and hopes to catch a game, if schedules permit, while at the Olympics. Yet, curling came into his life through Andrew Stopera, a fellow Briarcliff Manor native — far from America’s curling hotbeds. 

He has always seemed like a performance-orientated athlete, but the words of Team Shuster have been resonating with him when thinking about the opportunity he has in Cortina: representing his country. 

“I’m trying to do a better job myself of recognising that because internally, my focus just goes immediately towards how do we play well at the Olympics and I’d like to do a little bit better at enjoying the fact that we made it there and being grateful and saying, ‘wow, we’re going to be Olympians forever’, no matter what happens,” he said. 

Grateful for his family’s sacrifices  

For the festive season, Casper plans to spend quality time with his parents, who’s sacrifices made his dream possible. With few curling opportunities in New York, his father would drive him eight hours north over the border to Toronto for events when he was 17 — returning late Sunday night so Casper could head straight to school the next morning. 

“They’ve done so much for me and I’ve a missed a lot of stuff too,” said Casper.  

“And there’s some sacrifice that comes with that unfortunately. 

“So, I hope to demonstrate how grateful I am for what they’ve done as much as possible.” 

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Team USA Stats

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