Oettinger says playing for U.S. at 2026 Olympics 'obviously motivation'

STAMFORD, Conn. -- Jake Oettinger has two big goals for the upcoming season: one that he can go after right away, and one that will have to wait.

The 26-year-old goalie has done a lot of soul-searching since he was pulled by the Dallas Stars in Game 5 of the Western Conference Final, a 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers that ended the Stars' season one round short of the Stanley Cup Final for the third consecutive year.

And though redeeming himself in the Stanley Cup Playoffs is the long-term goal, being named one of the three goalies on the United States' roster for the Olympic Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 will be within reach as soon as the Stars begin their season on Oct. 9.

"It's not something I think about every day, but it's obviously motivation," Oettinger said at the third annual Shoulder Check Showcase on July 24. "This would be one of the cool stories of my career. It's something I have circled."

Connor Hellebuyck, who won the Hart Trophy as the NHL's most valuable player last season and the Vezina Trophy as the League's top goalie for the second consecutive season, will likely be one of the three goalies named to Team USA when the rosters are announced in January. Oettinger was Hellebuyck's backup at the 4 Nations Face-Off and made 21 saves in his lone start, a 2-1 loss to Sweden at TD Garden in Boston on Feb. 17.

However, Oettinger may get the chance to replace Hellebuyck as the starter for the Olympics after he and the Stars outplayed the Winnipeg Jets in the Western Conference Second Round, when they eliminated the Presidents' Trophy winners in six games. Although Hellebuyck had two shutouts in that series, Oettinger had the better goals-against average (2.02 to 2.20) and save percentage (.929 to .905).

Coincidentally, the Stars open their 2025-26 regular season in Winnipeg.

"I think for me, I get off to a great start, then that's all I can control," Oettinger said. "That's all I'm going to try to focus on, is playing my best early on and hopefully get a chance."

This season will be the first of an eight-year, $66 million contract ($8.25 million average annual value) that Oettinger signed on Oct. 17, 2024. That only raises the expectations on him after he went 36-18-4 with a 2.59 GAA, .909 save percentage and two shutouts in 58 starts last season to help Dallas win 50 games and finish second in the Central Division with 106 points.

Although Oettinger and the Stars were able to maintain that success early on in the postseason against the Colorado Avalanche, who they eliminated in seven games in the first round, and the Jets, the bottom fell out in the Western Conference Final. Following a 6-3 win in Game 1, the Stars were outscored by the Oilers 19-5 in the next four games, including the 6-3 loss in Game 5, when Oettinger was pulled for Casey DeSmith just 7:09 into the game after allowing two goals on two shots.

After that loss, Oettinger was the subject of criticism by then-coach Pete DeBoer.

"You get to the same spot three years in a row and you hope that you can do it and then get over the hump," Oettinger said. "When you put that much into it and you have nothing to show for it, it's extremely disappointing."

The Stars fired DeBoer on June 6. Glen Gulutzan was hired to replace him on July 1.

"You never want to see anyone lose their job, and with how good we've been the last three years, it's tough," Oettinger said. "But the reality is that's part of the job and every coach gets fired. I've got best friends getting traded left and right. It's just kind of how the job goes."

And yet, the Stars will have another chance to get over the hump with a roster that has remained mostly intact.

To start with, they will have their first full season of Mikko Rantanen, who led Dallas in points (22) in the postseason after coming over in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes on March 7. Forwards Roope Hintz, Wyatt Johnston and Matt Duchene, as well as defensemen Miro Heiskanen and Esa Lindell are also signed long term, and although forward Jason Robertson and defenseman Thomas Harley are each in the final season of his contract, they are set to become restricted instead of unrestricted free agents.

"We just have to make sure we're pushing this thing one degree," Gulutzan said on July 2.

That one degree could be the difference in winning the second Stanley Cup championship in Dallas/Minnesota North Stars history (1999).

"It's a group thing, just coming together at the right time," Oettinger said. "We've put it together for different stretches of the playoffs, but it doesn't matter how well you play for two rounds if you can't put it together for the third. You win a round and move on. We have to move on and be better at putting it together for every round."