ANAHEIM, Calif. — Quinn Hughes. Zach Werenski. Charlie McAvoy. Jaccob Slavin. Brock Faber. Noah Hanifin. Jake Sanderson.

Teams throughout the Olympics had to contend with the best defense corps in the tournament, the backbone, along with star goalie Connor Hellebuyck, that helped the United States bring home its first gold medal since the 1980 “Miracle on Ice” squad.

Imagine if you’re Jackson LaCombe trying to crack that stellar set of seven. As an injury replacement for the Florida Panthers’ Seth Jones, the 25-year-old Anaheim Ducks rearguard was a long shot to get on the ice in Milan unless another defender got hurt. That’s how it played out, as LaCombe didn’t see a single minute of action.

Then again, he couldn’t complain about the depth of the U.S.

“It’s definitely a lot,” LaCombe said Wednesday with a smile. “It’s pretty crazy.”

The lack of playing time didn’t keep the talented Ducks blueliner from packing a gold medal in his suitcase for Team USA’s celebratory trip back to the States. The team landed in Miami for a night of revelry before going to Washington to be honored by President Trump at the White House and the State of the Union on Tuesday. But LaCombe had to cut his fun short and travel back to Southern California for the resumption of the Ducks’ NHL season Wednesday night against the Edmonton Oilers.

With the Ducks in a tight Pacific Division race and looking to snap a seven-year playoff drought, LaCombe opted to skip the gathering of the victorious Team USA men at the State of the Union and be rested for a morning skate ahead of Anaheim’s 6-5 win over Connor McDavid and the Oilers.

“For me, it was just so special to love our country,” LaCombe said. “I love whoever is in office. It was such an honor, but I just wanted to be back here for the game, and it was a tight window, so I couldn’t really make it work. That’s the only reason why. I just want to be ready to go back with these guys.”

LaCombe is a big-minute performer for the Ducks, a No. 1 defenseman who averages a team-leading 24:30 per game and has accumulated 37 points. But among the collection of NHL stars each night at Milan Santagiulia Arena, he was reduced to being a spectator.

It wasn’t his time, but it could be in 2030 when the Winter Olympics return in the French Alps. While he stayed ready for U.S. coach Mike Sullivan, LaCombe used the opportunity to learn from the starry seven playing ahead of him.

“I think there’s a lot,” LaCombe said of the learning experience. “You see the way they prepare, and you see their skills on the ice and all those things. But I think just their work ethic was huge for me to pick up on. Obviously, they do so many good things just to be ready to play. That was huge for me to learn.”

The games became study sessions as much as a chance to cheer on his teammates.

“I think it’s crazy to see, obviously, from a different perspective,” he said. “Obviously, the guys in the game see it one way, but just being able to watch from above, you just see so many little details to pick up on. You see how fast the game is and how good (the) teams we’re playing. For me, just to be able to pick up on all that and just to learn from those guys who are all elite players is really special.”

The 2030 Olympics will be played in Nice, France. Will LaCombe be a factor on the American blue line then? He’ll be 29 and figures to still be a main cog for Anaheim after signing an eight-year extension worth $72 million — the most lucrative contract in Ducks franchise history — in October.

It won’t be easy. Hughes will be 30 and should remain the leader of Team USA’s back end. Faber and Sanderson will still be in their primes at 27. Werenski and McAvoy will be 32. But Slavin, who’s long been one of the NHL’s top shutdown defenders, will be 35. Hanifin will be 33. And LaCombe is building a track record with USA Hockey. He was also part of the gold medal-winning U.S. team at last year’s world championships, and could be on the roster for the 2028 World Cup of Hockey.

There will be motivation for LaCombe to work his way into being more than an extra when it’s time for the next Olympics.

“It’s definitely something you want to do,” he said. “Obviously, it’s been a lot the last few days, so it’s hard to look forward to that far. We’ve just been so excited, just celebrating and taking it all in, and obviously, it has been pretty crazy, so I haven’t thought too much about that. But definitely, when you think about it, you obviously want to be part of it anytime you get a chance, and it’s so special to do that.

“We all love our country so much. Whenever we represent the USA, it’s so special.”