MANKATO, Minn. – Currently in his 12^th season of professional hockey, Minnesota State alumnus Teddy Blueger was named to team Latvia's 2026 Winter Olympic roster. The Olympics are held in Milano Cortina Feb. 6-22. In doing so, he becomes the sixth former Maverick hockey player to skate for their country in the Olympics (Nina Tikkinen, Emilia Andersson, David Backes, Rebekah Kolstad, Nathan Smith).
 
Blueger, a center, brings previous international experience to team Latvia and competed for his home country in four World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. In 2017 and 2018, he was also selected to play for Latvia at the IIHF World Championships.
 
From Riga, Latvia, Blueger was named to the opening night roster for the Vancouver Canucks in October and has played in two games this season. He made his NHL debut as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins on Jan. 30, 2019 and was selected by Pittsburgh in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft (129^th overall). Blueger joined former Maverick Ryan Carter (2004-06) as the second former Maverick to win the Stanley Cup, when he was a member of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2022-23.
 
Blueger has played 420 regular season games in the NHL with 50 goals, 103 assists and 153 points. He also has appeared in 37 playoff games with two goals and four assists.
 
As a member of the Mavericks, Blueger skated in 155 games over four seasons, with 31 goals, 77 assists and 108 points from 2012-16. An alternate captain as a senior, he was named the team's most valuable player and his career point total stood 10^th on the MSU all-time scoring chart when he departed the program.