Just over 24 hours after Team USA announced its men’s hockey roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy, Jason Robertson publicly shared his reaction to being left off the roster.
The Dallas Stars forward did not make last year’s United States roster that competed in the 4 Nations Face-Off either. But after leading all Americans in points to start this NHL season, many thought he earned his spot in the upcoming February tournament. Robertson was among them.
“Yeah, I thought that this year was different than last year,” he said Saturday. “Obviously, last year, I didn’t think I was good enough. Now, I think I did. It’s their choice, their decision. That’s it.”
Related
Sports Roundup
While Robertson’s goal-scoring abilities are among the best in the world, Team USA tends to look for players who fit certain roles and the physical style they hope to play. Robertson’s skill wasn’t enough to make up for a defensive or physicality gap in his game.
Still, the decision by Team USA GM Bill Guerin to leave one of the nation’s top goal scorers at home has baffled fans of the game. Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said it surprised him, too.
“Obviously, he’s our player and our guy and you’re hoping for him, and there’s not one coach of the 32 of us that doesn’t think their guy should be on the team,” Gulutzan said. “Not one of us in the league. I would have loved to see him on it. He’s been so good for us. But I’d hate to be making those decisions.”
There are still 39 days until the men’s hockey tournament begins. In the NHL, that’s plenty of time for one of the players selected to the roster to suffer an injury and need a replacement.
Robertson, who was invited to Team USA’s orientation camp over the summer, would likely be towards the top of the list they turn to. Stars defenseman Thomas Harley made Team Canada in a similar fashion for the 4 Nations Face-Off and maintained that spot on the Olympic roster after proving himself in that tournament.
But Robertson said Saturday he isn’t sure if he’s on a reserve list for Team USA. He said there hasn’t been much communication between him and the national team at all.
Even if the call doesn’t come, it may not be the worst thing for the Stars. While Robertson’s teammates and coaches are hoping he does get the chance, the extra rest and motivation could make him even more dangerous than he’s been to start this season — where he’s logged 24 points and 25 assists in 41 games.
“Obviously, it hurts your ego, but I’m not going to change the way I play, and I’m happy to keep doing it here,” Robertson said. “I think I just strive to be the best whenever I can be. It just so happened this year was an Olympic year. That’s not gonna stop me from doing that the rest of the season.”
Twitter/X: @Lassimak
Dallas Stars grant goalie Casey DeSmith non-roster status due to personal family matterStars forward Jason Robertson snubbed from Team USA Olympic hockey roster