(NEXSTAR) - Zach Werenski, a defenseman for the Columbus Blue Jackets, is poised to make his Olympic debut in Italy next month, but he has already made headlines as the top points-getter in last year's Four Nations Faceoff. He was also named Best Defenseman at the World Championships, where Team USA captured gold for the first time in 92 years. The opportunity to compete in the Olympics is a dream come true for Werenski. He expressed the significance of this milestone during a recent Nexstar interview, emphasizing that it is one of only two achievements that he aspired to growing up: winning a Stanley Cup and an Olympic gold medal. During last year's Four Nations Faceoff, Werenski and his teammates experienced thrilling matchups, especially against Canada. "Something about stepping on to the Bell Center ice in Canada versus the Canadians and then going to Boston and seeing all the USA jerseys in the crowd and people chanting 'USA.' Just an incredible moment," Werenski reflected. He added that this creates a unified atmosphere among hockey fans that he expects the Olympics will replicate. Werenski will be among 23 U.S. players making their Olympic debut. It's been 36 years since the American men last won gold in hockey. He remarked, "The U.S. hasn't won a gold medal at the Olympic Games since 1980. That's been a long time and USA Hockey has come such a long way." He noted the presence of many American superstars currently in the NHL, contributing to a growing expectation for success. "I think we showed that last year at the Four Nations and our series with Canada was one to one. Our expectation is gold and that's it. I feel like we all believe that in that room," Werenski stated. Now, they are focused on teamwork and execution to achieve their goals. Team USA will begin round-robin play on Feb. 12 against Latvia. The team aims to capitalize on their recent successes and unite to bring home the Olympic gold. All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by Nexstar. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat from a broadcast script into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by Nexstar staff before being published