MILAN - There will be moments during the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Milan, Italy, when the switch is flipped. Hilary Knight’s teammates can sense when it is coming. It may be during a potential gold-medal game. It could occur during a practice. It could be a simple moment in the locker room before puck drop.

It takes a special, elite player to be named to the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team a record-setting five times, and it comes as no surprise that when the red, white and blue need her most, Hilary Knight is ready to answer the bell.

“For Hilary to be going to five Olympics is crazy,” said Lee Stecklein, who won a gold medal alongside Knight at the 2018 Winter Olympics.

“We always like to say, Hilary’s peak is when she is in this mode. I can’t even describe what it is. You just catch it. She’s just got this level. And I don’t know how she’s still tapping that level, but that’s why she is who she is. That’s probably always what’s made her special. She’s just got this switch, this other level that she finds when you need it the most, when the team needs it the most, like whenever it is.  That’s why she’s the best.”

Knight was named captain of the U.S. Olympic Women’s Ice Hockey Team Monday in Milan alongside alternate captains Alex Carpenter and Megan Keller. The team will begin its pursuit of gold Thursday against Czechia (10:40 a.m. ET | USA Network | Peacock).

Knight immediately let out a grin during training camp with the U.S. Women’s National Team this fall in preparation for the Winter Olympics when asked about her ability to flip a switch.

“I just go into a killer mode,” Knight said. “If you watch any of the comic book movies, these people just transform into their alter egos or these superheroes. I go to a different place mentally and physically and believe that I can achieve anything. It’s this ultra human kind of composure.