Star Defenseman and Goaltender Both Decline Invite To Play For Team USA In 2025

This season has been a tough one for Quinn Hughes, who has fought through plenty of injuries, but with the rest of his team banged up, the Vancouver Canucks have officially been eliminated from the Stanley Cup Playoffs race.

Unsurprisingly, there was interest in having the Canucks captain represent Team USA in the summer after he missed the opportunity at the Four Nations, but now it appears Hughes is looking to prioritize his health instead.

According to Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal, Hughes has officially turned down the opportunity to represent Team USA, as he is looking to get healthy after a year of battling through injuries.

Along with Hughes, teammate Thatcher Demko, who has only recently got healthy has also turned down the opportunity, with the United States now missing some key pieces as they look to get revenge on Team Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Championship.

With the 2026 Olympic Games looming next February, it's clear that Hughes will look to get back into the squad for what is a much more important tournament on an international level, but to the thanks of Canucks fans, he'll look to take it easy this summer as the Canucks need to turn things around in a big way.

Fortunately for the United States, they're still loaded with talent that will be looking to make their mark on this tournament and stake their claim to a spot at the Olympic Games, and while Hughes won't be there, it's safe to say he'll be one of the first players picked for that tournament.