The Philadelphia area’s first baby of 2026 was born at the stroke of midnight New Year’s Eve at Penn Medicine Doylestown Hospital, while fireworks lit up the sky outside their window.
Parents Sarah and Ryan Schamp of Ambler described the moment as “surreal” and “picture perfect.”
“I thought everyone was joking,” Sarah Schamp said of the perfectly timed fireworks display that was visible from their room moments after Henry’s birth.
The family expected to return home later Friday, where they would be greeted by the couple’s 2-year-old daughter, Willow, and 5-year-old Australian shepherd, Winston.
Willow is already embracing her duties as a big sister, piling blankets on him and showing him pictures in her books during visits to the hospital, which was acquired by Penn Medicine in 2025. Henry’s hospital bassinet is lined with Polaroid snapshots of her.
Willow Schamp, 2, shows baby brother Henry a book during a visit at Doylestown Hospital on New Year’s Day 2026.
Henry was one of several babies born at Philadelphia-area hospitals in the first hour of the new year:
Temple Women & Families Hospital, the North Philadelphia facility where Temple moved its labor and delivery services in September, celebrated its first baby of the year at 12:10 a.m. — a boy, Ezekiel Hall, born to Natalie Rivera.
Elliott Sarnoff was born to parents Kim and Jason Sarnoff at Lankenau Medical Center at 12:22 a.m.
Virtua Voorhees Hospital’s first baby of the year was a boy named Landon, born at 12:29 a.m. to parents Caitlyn and Mark. Virtua declined to provide surnames to protect patient privacy.
Lindsay and Matthew Logan of Chalfont welcomed baby Dawson Logan at Jefferson Abington Hospital at 1:01 a.m.
While Henry was born on his due date, the Schamps expected him to arrive early, after Sarah started having contractions on Dec. 30 and the couple headed to the hospital.
“It wasn’t what we planned, but it’s a cool thing and will be a fun tradition,” Sarah Schamp said.
Plus, they joked, he’ll have a fun fact for breaking the ice with new friends and coworkers for the rest of his life.
For the first time in more than half a century, Philadelphia has recorded fewer than 225 homicides in a single year.
In 2025,222people were killed — the fewest since 1966, when there were a fraction of as many guns in circulation and 178 homicides.
It is a milestone worth commemorating — and mourning: Violence has fallen to its lowest level in decades, yet 222 deathsin a single city is still considered progress.
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The drop mirrors a national reduction in violence and follows years of sustained declines after Philadelphia’s annual homicide totals peaked during the pandemic, and it reflects a mix of likely contributing factors: Tech-savvy police are solving more shootings, violence prevention programs have expanded, and the city has emerged from pandemic instability.
No single policy or investment explains it, and officials caution that the gains are fragile.
“The numbers don’t mean that the work is done,” said Adam Geer, the city’s director of public safety. “But it’s a sign that what we’re doing is working.”
The impact is tangible: fewer children losing parents, fewer mothers burying sons, fewer cycles of retaliation.
“We are saving a life every day,” District Attorney Larry Krasner said.
Still, the violence hit some. Victims ranged from a 2-year-old girl allegedly beaten to death by her mother’s boyfriend to a 93-year-old grandfather robbed and stabbed in his home. They included Ethan Parker, 12, fatally shot by a friend playing with a gun, and Said Butler, 18, killed just days before starting his first job.
Police say street-level shootings and retaliatory violence fell sharply, in part because some gang conflicts have burned out after key players were arrested or killed. Killings this year more often stemmed from long-standing drivers — arguments, drugs, and domestic violence — and were concentrated in neighborhoods that have borne the brunt of the crisis.
“These same communities are still traumatized,” said Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel. “One gunshot is a lot. We can’t sit or act like we don’t see that.”
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The number of domestic-related killings nearly doubled this year compared with last, making up about 20% of homicides, Geer said. The disappearance and killing of Kada Scott, a 23-year-old woman from Mount Airy, was among them, and led to a citywide outcry and renewed scrutiny of how authorities handle violence against women.
And mass shootings on back-to-back holiday weekends — 11 people shot in Lemon Hill on Memorial Day, and 21 shot in a pair of incidents in South Philadelphia over July Fourth — left residents reeling.
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The progress comes even as the police department remains 20% below its budgeted staffing levels, with about 1,200 fewer officers on the force than 10 years ago.
The city’s jail population has reached its lowest level in recent history. It dipped below 3,700 in April for the first time in at least a decade, and remains so today.
And arrests citywide, particularly for drug crimes, have cratered and remain far below pre-pandemic levels, mirroring a nationwide trend.
Experts say the moment demands persistence.
“We can’t look at this decline and turn our attention to other problems that we have to solve. We have to keep investing and keep pushing to get this number even lower, because it could be even lower,” said Jason Gravel, an assistant professor of criminal justice at Temple University.
‘Unheard of’ clearance rates
After shootings exploded during the pandemic, and Philadelphia recorded 562 homicides in 2021 — the most in its history — violence began to decline, slowly at first.
But then, from 2023 to 2024, killings fell by 35% — the largest year-over-year reduction among U.S. cities with the highest homicide rates, according to an analysis by Pew.
The decline continued into 2025.
Police Commissioner Kevin Bethel arrives at a North Philadelphia community meeting on Dec. 2.
Bethel has pointed to a host of potential reasons for the decline: the reopening of society post-pandemic — kids returned to school and adults reconnected with jobs, courts, and probation officers — as well as police resources focused in hot spot crime areas and improved coordination among city leaders.
Most notably, he said, detectives are making more arrests in nonfatal shootings and homicides. Experts say that arresting shooters is a key violence-prevention strategy — it prevents that shooter from committing more violence or from ending up as a victim of retaliation, sends a message of accountability and deterrence, and improves the relationship between police and the community.
The homicide clearance rate this year ended at 81.98%, the highest since 1984, and the clearance of nonfatal shootings reached 39.9%.
“That’s unheard of,” said Geer, the public safety director. “The small amount of people who are committing these really heinous, violent crimes in our neighborhood[s] are being taken off the street.”
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Still, more than 800 killings from between 2020 and 2023 remain without an arrest, according to an Inquirer analysis.
That has had a significant impact on the police department’s relationship with the community over the years, something Bethel has sought to repair since he was appointed commissioner in 2024.
In 2025, he created an Office of the Victim Advocate, hired a 20-person team to communicate with and support victims, and hosted 35 meetings with residents of the most challenged neighborhoods.
A few dozen community members gathered with top police brass in North Philadelphia on Dec. 2.
Yet Bethel has grappled with the challenge of convincing residents that the city is safer today than four years ago, while questioning whether today’s gains can outweigh years of devastation.
That challenge was on display on a recent cold December night, as Bethel gathered with a few dozen residents inside a North Philadelphia church and asked what they wanted him to know.
Person after person stood and told him what gun violence had taken from them in recent years.
My son. My brother. My nephew.
Both of my sons.
Investing in violence prevention
The city’s network of violence prevention strategies has expanded greatly since 2020, when the city began issuing tens of millions of dollars in grants to grassroots organizations.
Early on, the city faced criticism that its rollout of the funds was chaotic, with little oversight or infrastructure to track impact. Today, Geer said, the city has stronger fiscal oversight, better organizational support, and a data-driven approach that targets neighborhoods experiencing the most violence.
In 2024,Community Justice, a national coalition that researches violence-intervention strategies, said that Philadelphia had the most expansive violence-prevention infrastructure of the 10 largest U.S. cities. When evaluating 100 cities, it ranked Philadelphia as having the third-best public-health-centered approach to preventing violence, falling behind Washington and Baltimore.
Geer said the work will continue through 2026. Starting in January, the city will have a pool of about $500,000 to help cover the funeral expenses for families affected by violence.
Members of Men of Courage pose with the certificates of accomplishment after completing a 16-week program on multi-media work and podcasting, one of multiple programs the community organization uses to help Black teens build their confidence.
One of those organizations that has benefited from the city’s funding is Men of Courage, a Germantown-based group that mentors young Black men ages 12 to 18 and focuses on building their confidence, resilience, and emotional intelligence.
“We want them to know that one decision can affect your entire life,” said founder Taj Murdock. “Their environment already tells them they’ll be nothing. … We have to shift their mindsets.”
Arguments are a leading cause of shootings, and teaching teens how to de-escalate conflicts and think through long-term consequences can prevent them from turning disputes violent, he said.
Isaiah Clark-White, second to left, and David Samuel, middle, pose for a photo with other members of Men of Courage before recording a podcast.
Isaiah Clark-White, 16, a sophomore at Hill Freedman World Academy in East Mount Airy, said that in his three years working with Men of Courage, he has grown more confident and has improved his public speaking.
And David Samuel, 15, of Logan, said he has learned how to better control his emotions and identify those of the people around him. Both said they feel safer today than three years ago, but remain vigilant of their surroundings.
Samuel said his dad watches the news every day and talks about the overnight crimes and shootings.
“He’s always telling me,” he said, “‘David, I don’t want this to happen to you.’”
Suraya, the Michelin-recognized Lebanese restaurant in Fishtown, will temporarily close Friday after a nearby rooftop fire left the restaurant without gas.
The Philadelphia Fire Department arrived to fire on the roof of a two-story building on the 1500 block of Frankford Avenue late Thursday night. The department controlled the fire within 20 minutes and there were no reported injuries. The cause was under investigation.
However, Suraya reported that its building was still without gas service and wouldn’t open until the service was restored.
“We are incredibly grateful that our team was unharmed in the fire. We are temporarily without gas, so we cannot open the restaurant. The Suraya team will be working with local authorities to support their ongoing investigation and appreciates the community’s support,” said a spokesperson for Defined Hospitality, the restaurant group that includes Suraya.
Halabi kebabs and the samke harra are pictured at Suraya in Philadelphia’s Fishtown section on Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2020.
Updates on the restaurant opening will be posted on social media at @surayaphilly.
Suraya, named after the sibling-cowners Nathalie Richan and Roland Kassis’ grandmother in Beirut, was just recognized by the Michelin Guide for its welcoming presence, rich Middle East and Levant-inspired menu, and expansive offerings from the bakery and shop up front to its open kitchen and outdoor dining area.
At 9 years old, Jim Donovan would share with his parents his dreams of becoming a journalist. Around that time, he also flicked through the Guinness Book of World Records, thinking it would be cool to set one himself one day.
Guinness World Records verified on Dec. 8 that the 15-time Emmy winner is now the owner of the world’s largest sock collection at 1,531 pairs, many of which have eccentric designs, including Friends and Star Trek-themed socks, and every color of the rainbow. Donovan announced the achievement before his final day on-air at CBS Philadelphia on Dec. 19.
Jim Donovan’s 1,531 pairs of socks laid out on the floor of CBS Philadelphia studios while Donovan and two independent experts counted each sock on camera to be submitted to the Guinness World Records.
While Donovan said he’s immensely grateful for a ceremonious end to a long career — a feat he admits can be rare in the world of journalism — preparing his Guinness World Record application was also a difficult project.
“I’ve done major investigation pieces and consumer stories over four decades of TV, and this was the thing that nearly pushed me over the edge,” he said of the nearly 40 hours of inventory work required to painstakingly document each pair of socks.
Jim Donovan takes inventory of the thousands of socks he submitted for a Guinness World Record. After 40 years in broadcast journalism, he will be retiring. But, not before receiving the world record on Dec. 8, 2025.
Donovan questioned himself at times when the hours of inventory work became overwhelming, but he remembered that this record was, in part, meant to thank his fans for their decades of support.
Guinness requires applicants to have two independent third-party experts oversee the counting of the world records. Two members of Thomas Jefferson University’s fashion merchandising and management program, Juliana Guglielmi-DeRosa and Jeneene Bailey-Allen, stepped up to facilitate Donovan’s counting. Together, the two experts and Donovan recorded the counting of socks for more than an hour inside CBS Philadelphia studios, without interruptions or editing of the footage, as required by Guinness.
Digital images of Jim Donovan’s socks that he submitted for a Guinness World Record. He received recognition for his 1,531 pairs of socks on Dec. 8, 2025.
Donovan would then embed pictures and descriptions of each sock into what became a 262-page spreadsheet so that Guinness inspectors could verify the count at a later date. During the final count, Guglielmi-DeRosa and Bailey-Allen gifted Donovan an additional pair of socks, bringing the unofficial total to 1,532, but there was no way he was going to redo the spreadsheet, Donovan said.
“I just remember when I was a kid looking in that Guinness World Records book and thinking, ‘Boy, it would be cool to do this.’ And here I am now, 59 years old, and I finally checked off one of those kid bucket list items,” Donovan said.
Storing thousands of socks is no small feat, either. Folded and stacked inside dozens of bins, with 48 pairs per bin, Donovan has an entire closet dedicated to the socks. Each box contains different categories, from animals to food to holidays, and more.
Jim Donovan holds his Guinness World Records plaque verifying that he owns the largest sock collection in the world at 1,531 pairs of socks. He received the recognition on Dec. 8, 2025.
The first openly LGBTQ+ news anchor in Philadelphia, Donovan garnered a loyal fan base with whom he frequently chatted during his daily Facebook livestreams outside of his regular broadcasts. Around eight years ago, fans noticed Donovan’s penchant for socks with bold colors and designs, and started sending the journalist socks to wear on-air.
During the winter holidays, it was Santa socks; birthdays, it was socks with his face on them; and randomly, folks would get creative, Donovan said, sending him Spock socks (complete with Spock ears), flamingos playing golf, and Superman socks with a cape.
In his final week on-air at CBS Philadelphia, where he was for 22 years, the station celebrated each day as part of a “Week of Jim.” In retirement, Donovan plans to spend more time with his father, who lives on Staten Island, N.Y., and dive into volunteering and nonprofit work.
Now he’ll be enjoying retirement as a world-record holder. Donovan said he’seven starting to get messages from other Guinness World Record holders welcoming him to the club.
After three consecutive wins, the Eagles are hosting the Washington Commanders to end the regular season. Heading into the matchup, the Birds are 3.5-point favorites. Here’s how experts in the local and national media are predicting Sunday’s game …
Inquirer predictions
We start with our own beat writers. Here’s an excerpt from Jeff Neiburg’s prediction …
To see how our other beat writers are predicting this one, check out our full Eagles-Commanders preview here.
National media predictions
Here’s a look at who the national media is picking for Sunday’s game …
ESPN: Seven of eight panelists are picking the Birds straight up.
CBS Sports: All five experts are leaning toward the Eagles.
While the Eagles are prioritizing next week’s wild-card game, Sunday’s matchup against the Commanders is the sole focus of one announcer who grew up rooting for the Birds.
Tucker, a Wyomissing native and former NFL offensive lineman, has called a number of Eagles games on radio for Westwood One, where he’s worked since 2015. But Sunday will be his first chance broadcasting a Birds game on TV for CBS.
“It’s super cool for me on multiple levels,” Tucker said. “I grew up an Eagles fan, and all my friends are Eagles fans, so this will be really neat for them.”
It’s a stroke of luck on many fronts. Ordinarily, Tucker works games on CBS’s No. 6 crew alongside Phillies announcer Tom McCarthy. But Harlan’s normal broadcast partner, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Trent Green, is off this weekend to attend his son’s wedding, opening a slot for Tucker.
Despite that, the Eagles game wasn’t on Tucker’s radar, since Fox traditionally is the home of NFC games. But under new TV deals that began in 2021, the NFL is only required to schedule one of each NFC divisional matchup on Fox, which aired Eagles-Commanders in Week 16.
Tucker didn’t know he landed the Birds game until CBS announced their broadcast lineups Tuesday.
“I knew I was doing the game with Kevin for about three or four weeks, but I had no idea it would turn out to be the Eagles game,” Tucker said. “It’s really fortuitous.”
This will be the first game Tucker and Harlan have called together on TV, but the two have been paired on radio a bunch on Westwood One, including for playoff games. Harlan has called games alongside plenty of analysts during his 40-year career, but thinks Tucker’s insight as a former offensive lineman in a broadcasting world dominated by former quarterbacks is enlightening.
“Ross picks up nuance and the right way to capture what a line is doing or not doing, and I just find that refreshing,” Harlan said.
With the Eagles resting their starters, it turned out to be a prescient move by CBS to turn to Tucker, who watched every preseason snap and knows the Birds’ backups better than most. Harlan also calls preseason games for the Green Bay Packers, but that won’t help him much when it comes to the Birds’ backups.
“It’s a great challenge to come in and do a bunch of players I’m not really familiar with,” Harlan said. “I’m probably going to let Ross kind of lead things that he finds interesting to get the ball rolling, and then we’ll let the game take it from there.”
Calling Sunday’s Eagles game certainly is a milestone for Tucker, but he remains a workhorse. In addition to calling NFL games for CBS and Westwood One (where he’ll broadcast playoff games), he calls college football games and continues to host the daily Ross Tucker Football Podcast. He also nearly replaced Angelo Cataldi as the morning host on 94.1 WIP, but a daily commute from Reading to Philadelphia for a 6 a.m. show wasn’t in the cards.
“I still feel like I’m just grinding and trying to move up the ranks and doing the best I can,” Tucker said.
Ross Tucker (right) called NFL games on CBS in 2025 alongside Phillies announcer Tom McCarthy.
Tucker’s only regret is not being able to call his first Eagles game alongside McCarthy. The two have been friends since McCarthy called Tucker’s college football games at Princeton. And McCarthy, in his 12th season calling NFL games for CBS, has yet to land the Eagles, though he remains the only announcer not named Jim Nantz to call a game with Tony Romo.
“He is the best,” McCarthy said of Tucker. “Just a tremendous partner. We have had such an amazing year.”
But McCarthy has a nice consolidation prize. He will be in Cincinnati Sunday calling the Bengals’ matchup against the Cleveland Browns, where he’ll have the chance to voice Myles Garrett breaking the NFL’s single-season sack record (22), currently held by Michael Strahan.
Where on TV is Eagles-Commanders airing
Among other places, Sunday’s Eagles game is airing in Tampa, where a lot of Birds fans call home.
This season, the Eagles have had their fair share of nationally televised games. That won’t be the case Sunday.
In addition to the Philadelphia TV market, Eagles-Commanders also is airing in Washington, D.C., and throughout most of Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The game also will be available on CBS in Tampa, Fla., which an outsized number of Eagles fans call home.
It’s airing in two TV markets home to teams the Eagles have a chance of facing in the first round of the playoffs — San Francisco and Green Bay, along with most of Minnesota and all of Detroit.
It’ll also broadcast in Chicago, where Bears fans will be flipping to see which team ends up with the No. 2 seed.
Los Angeles Rams fans will be out of luck, though. While the Eagles likely will face the Rams, CBS2 in Los Angeles is locked into airing the Chargers’ game against the Denver Broncos, where the AFC’s No. 1 seed is on the line.
Other NFL games airing Sunday in Philadelphia
D’Andre Swift and the Bears will lock down the No. 2 seed with a win Sunday.
Eagles fans in Philadelphia will get plenty of games Sunday impacting the playoffs.
Saturday night on ESPN, Carolina Panthers-Tampa Bay Buccaneers will likely decide the winner of the NFC South (although the Atlanta Falcons could play spoilers Sunday) while the winner of Seattle Seahawks-San Francisco 49ers will claim the NFC West crown and the No. 1 seed.
Sunday afternoon, Fox will air Detroit Lions-Chicago Bears at 4:25 p.m. If the Eagles win and the Bears lose, the Birds will head to the playoffs as the No. 2 seed and host the Packers in the wild-card round. Otherwise the Birds will be the No. 3 seed and face the 49ers or Rams.
Sunday night, NBC has a win-or-go-home game in the Baltimore Ravens at the Pittsburgh Steelers. The winner heads to the playoffs as the AFC’s No. 4 seed.
Here are the games airing on TV in and around Philadelphia in Week 18:
Saturday
Panthers at Buccaneers: 4:30 p.m., ESPN (Chris Fowler, Dan Orlovsky, Louis Riddick, Katie George, Peter Schrager)
Seahawks at 49ers: 8 p.m., ESPN/6abc (Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters, Laura Rutledge)
Sunday
Packers at Vikings: 1 p.m., CBS3 (Spero Dedes, Adam Archuleta, Aditi Kinkhabwala)
EDMONTON, Alberta — Rasmus Ristolainen is heading to Italy.
On Friday, the Flyers defenseman was named to Finland’s roster for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, next month.
“Obviously, very special,” Ristolainen said over Zoom on Friday about receiving the call to represent Finland. “Obviously missed the last two Olympics [as the] NHL didn’t go. And obviously you never know what happens in four years. So could be once a lifetime opportunity. So very excited.”
Ristolainen joins Travis Sanheim, who was named to Canada’s roster on New Year’s Eve, and Rodrigo Ābols, who was one of Latvia’s original six players named. Flyers coach Rick Tocchet is an assistant on Jon Cooper’s staff for Canada.Czechia has not released its roster yet but the expectation is that Dan Vladař will be on it.
A native of Turku, Finland, Ristolainen, now 31, last played for his country at the 2016 World Cup. At the 2014 IIHF World Junior Championship, he scored the golden goal against rival Sweden. It gave the Finns their first gold since 1998. Ristolainen was also named that tournament’s top defenseman.
The blueliner was on the initial roster for Finland at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off but was unable to play due to an upper-body injury. The hulking defenseman did return to play a handful of NHL games after the tournament break, but did not play for the Flyers after March 11.
“So basically, three surgeries in the same elbow,” he disclosed of the injuries that also cut short his 2023-24 season. “Obviously started with a pretty bad infection, which I played with for multiple weeks until I couldn’t anymore. And then we found out there is some infection and a torn triceps tendon. So obviously, did those two things separately, and then tried to get back.”
He played just 31 games in 2023-24 and 63 last season.
“Probably the schedule was pretty too quick, looking at it now, after doing two” procedures in 2024, he said. “So came back pretty quick, played some decent hockey for 50, 60 games, and then it suddenly snapped, and not sure when or where it happened again.
Rasmus Ristolainen will bring some physicality to the Finns’ blueline.
“Obviously, second time the same tendon [was] torn. So saw a different doctor this time, and his timeline and recovery were a lot longer, which I think was the key and helped. And, yeah, right now I’m here and feel pretty good.”
Ristolainen said he had making it back for the Olympics “circled on the calendar” as he was rehabbing his latest injury, before adding that the honor is extra rewarding given all he has been through the past few seasons.
“Injuries happen when you play a long time and you, obviously, you can’t, can’t do anything about that. And obviously, was very excited to go to 4 Nations, too … so obviously, obviously, kind of [stunk] that I couldn’t join the team,” Ristolainen said of missing the 4 Nations. But then obviously knew about the Olympics, an even bigger tournament. And … been working my [butt] off for nine months to rehab and get healthy.”
A source had told The Inquirer in mid-December that Ristolainen was on the radar for Finland despite only recently getting back to the Flyers’ lineup.
Ristolainen returned Dec. 16 and has looked like his old reliable self while playing physical, throwing down monster hits — like the one that sent Montreal Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovský to the ice in his season debut — and skating over 20 minutes a night.
“Guys got to keep their heads up, because he is a good hitter, open-ice hitter,” Tocchet said after his debut. “It’s always good to have guys like that. Just a long stick in the corners, squashing plays, squashing a cycle, cutting off a reset.
“Those are big plays. They’re unnoticed plays, but they go a long way. Instead of defending 20 times a game, you’re only defending 14, because he’s squashing a player and gets his stick on a puck or something like that.”
The Flyers defenseman also believes the experience and style of play could benefit him with his NHL team when he returns from Italy.
“That time of year in the regular season, the games get even harder,” Ristolainen said. “Obviously, a lot to play for, especially you look at the East right now. So hopefully have a really good tournament, and I bet the games have a lot of speed and playoff-type hockey, so should be coming back feeling pretty good about myself and hopefully [we are] able to get into playoffs with Flyers. And that’s obviously a big goal for myself and for the team.”
Ristolainen joins a stacked roster for Finland, which has one only player, Mikko Lehtonen, who doesn’t play for an NHL team. Notable names include forwards Mikko Rantanen, Anton Lundell, and Sebastian Aho, defenseman Miro Heiskanen, and goalie Juuse Saros.
Florida’s Aleksander Barkov was not named to the team as he continues to recover from knee surgery, which repaired the ACL and MCL in his right knee.
Sweden also announced its roster on Friday, but Sam Ersson did not make the cut. The Flyers netminder, who has struggled at times this season with a .867 save percentage, was beaten out by Jacob Markström, Filip Gustavsson, and Jesper Wallstedt for the team’s three goalie slots.
Hilary Knight is set to make her fifth Olympic appearance, and she will lead a younger, faster U.S. women’s national team that’s favored to win gold at the Milan Cortina Winter Games next month.
The 36-year-old Knight headlines the list as USA Hockey released its 23-player Olympic women’s roster on Friday. It’s a group that returns just 11 members from the team that won silver at the 2022 Beijing Games, and features several newcomers, highlighted by defender Laila Edwards.
The 21-year-old Wisconsin senior and Cleveland native is set to become the first Black female hockey player to compete for the U.S. at the Olympics.
“It still hasn’t really kicked in yet. Getting that call is like a dream come true,” Edwards said. “Always had dreams of playing in the pros, but the biggest dream was to go the Olympics, for sure.”
As for Knight, she will set a U.S. women’s hockey record for most Winter Games appearances after winning gold in 2018 and three silver medals. The Seattle Torrent captain previously announced that these will be her final Winter Games, while she plans to continue her PWHL career.
The U.S. roster features various familiar faces, including forward Kendall Coyne Schofield and defender Lee Stecklein, who will be competing in a fourth Winter Games. Other returnees include forwards Alex Carpenter and Kelly Pannek and defenders Megan Keller and Caroline Harvey, who, at 23, is completing her senior season at Wisconsin.
The roster has otherwise been transformed under coach John Wroblewski, who placed an emphasis on a youth movement upon being hired in June 2022.
The Americans relied mostly on veterans and appeared a step behind in finishing 5-2 — both losses to Canada — in Beijing under former coach Joel Johnson.
This year’s team features seven players still competing in college, with 20-year-old Ohio State forward Joy Dunne being the youngest. The goalie trio also is new, with projected starter Aerin Frankel, projected backup Gwyneth Philips, and third-stringer Ava McNaughton set to make their Olympic debuts.
Wroblewski’s imprint on the roster was evident particularly in the most recent Rivalry Series, in which the Americans swept all four games by outscoring the Canadians, 24-7. The U.S. also is the defending world champions after a 4-3 overtime win over Canada in April.
The Americans open the Olympics by facing the Czech Republic on Feb. 5, with the gold-medal game set for Feb. 19.
The U.S. is favored to win its third Olympic gold medal, and first since defeating Canada at the 2018 PyeongChang Winter Games. The Americans also won the inaugural tournament at Nagano in 1998, with the Canadians winning gold at the other five Olympic competitions.
These are the first Olympics since the PWHL began play in 2024, with the now-eight-team league expected to make an impact by raising the level of international competition and bridging the gap between nations trailing the two global powers, the U.S. and Canada.
Last spring, Tage Thompson and Clayton Keller helped the U.S. win the world hockey championship for the first time since 1933, while Seth Jones was a key part of the Florida Panthers’ second consecutive Stanley Cup run.
Those contributions earned them a spot on the U.S. Olympic team as the only three additions from the 4 Nations Face-Off early last year.
USA Hockey unveiled its roster Friday on the Today show. A vast majority of it features players who took part in the NHL-run international tournament last February, when the Americans made the final before losing to Canada in overtime. The only ones not back from the 4 Nations are forward Chris Kreider and former New York Rangers defenseman Adam Fox.
Introducing the 2026 U.S. Olympic Men’s Ice Hockey Team 🇺🇸 #MilanoCortina2026
“It was incredibly difficult for our management group to get to the final roster and that’s a credit to so many in our country, including all those at the grassroots level who help make our sport so strong,” USA general manager Bill Guerin said. ”There’s nothing like the Olympics, and I know our players and staff will represent our country well and work hard to achieve our ultimate goal.”
Keller, who’s captain of the Utah Mammoth and tied for the team lead in scoring, wore the “C” at Worlds. Thompson, who plays for the Buffalo Sabres, was a point-a-game producer.
The U.S. followed Canada’s lead after its northern neighbor also chose a 4 Nations-heavy roster. But while Canada made some changes in net beyond starter Jordan Binnington, the Americans went with the same three goaltenders: Connor Hellebuyck, Jake Oettinger, and Jeremy Swayman.
Left off were Jason Robertson of the Dallas Stars, who leads U.S. players in points this season, and a couple other elite goal-scorers in Cole Caufield and Alex DeBrincat.
Guerin and his management staff, along with coach Mike Sullivan, prioritized experience and players they knew well. That meant sticking with depth forwards Vincent Trocheck and Brock Nelson over Robertson and others.
Teams are allowed 25 players at the Olympics, up from 23 at the 4 Nations, and can dress 20 skaters — typically 13 forwards and seven defenseman, along with two goalies. The first U.S. game is Feb. 12 against Latvia.
“Taking what the defense gives me,” Embiid said after finishing with 22 points on 9-for-18 shooting along with six assists, four rebounds, and a block. “But physically, where I felt most [like myself] is defensively. I’m getting back to that level of [protecting the rim], blocking shots and being that defensive presence.”
The 2023 MVP and seven-time All-Star is averaging 29.2 points on 47.9% shooting, along with 8.0 rebounds, 3.8 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 33.0 minutes over his last six games. This comes after Embiid averaged 18.2 points on 40.7% shooting to go with 5.6 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 blocks, and 25.0 minutes in his first nine games.
“If you want to talk about feeling like myself, two years ago, when I felt like I reached that peak level of every time I stepped on the court, I felt like I could score 40 or 50 every single night,” Embiid said. “I can be more aggressive, but I feel like I’m also smarter.”
As a result, he notes that he also is doing more of what’s needed for the Sixers (18-14) to succeed instead of making sure he puts up big individual numbers.
But a significant sign of feeling like his usual self occurred when Embiid attempted to pass the ball to himself off the backboard in Tuesday’s 139-136 overtime victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Embiid missed this attempt. But it was a move he completed on April 20, 2024, in Game 1 of a first-round playoff series against the New York Knicks. It was a move he might have been too hesitant to try earlier this season and during the 2024-25 campaign. He said it was instinctual on Tuesday.
“The last time I tried it, I got hurt,” said Embiid, who had 34 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists against the Grizzlies. “Maybe that’s a sign that I’m feeling good. At first I was going to lay it up. … I think it’s a good sign. … To get that first one, I got to make it look exciting.
The 10-year veteran has missed 17 games this season, primarily because of swelling, soreness, and injury management of both knees.
Embiid played in just 19 games last season before undergoing arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on April 11. It was his second left knee surgery in 14 months and third in nine years. He had surgery on Feb. 6, 2024, after suffering a torn meniscus in his knee eight days earlier in a game against the Golden State Warriors. That surgery limited his regular season to 39 games.
Before that injury, Embiid was a front-runner to win a second straight MVP award and third consecutive scoring title.
Before this setback, Embiid was having a historic 2023-24 regular season. He was leading the league (and setting a career high) in scoring at 35.3 points per game, to go along with 11.3 rebounds, a career-best 5.7 assists, and 1.8 blocks.
