Jackson LaCombe is an Olympian.
The Ducks’ No. 1 defenseman will skate for the Americans in Milan after USA Hockey announced in a news release that LaCombe had been selected to replace injured Florida Panthers blue-liner Seth Jones.
Jones appeared to break his collarbone after being struck by a puck during the Winter Classic against the New York Rangers on Jan. 2. His lingering recovery opened a window of opportunity for LaCombe, who was in camp with Team USA during the offseason.
“I got the call from (U.S. and Minnesota Wild GM) Bill Guerin last night, he told me I was going to be on the team,” LaCombe said in the Ducks’ social media posts. “He told me the situation and what happened. You never want to see something like that happen to someone, but on my end I was super excited and I didn’t really know what to say.”
LaCombe said the feeling was “surreal” and indescribable, and that he shared the news with his parents, saying they and he were all “super excited.”
He will join prospect goalie Damian Clara (Italy), forward Mikael Granlund (Finland), currently injured center Leo Carlsson (Sweden), defenseman Radko Gudas (Czechia), and goalie Lukáš Dostál (Czechia) as Ducks at the Winter Games.
He also represented the red, white and blue at their first World Championship triumph in 92 years this past spring, as well as in 2021. Then, he won World Juniors gold alongside teammate Sam Colangelo, former comrade Trevor Zegras and four California-born players, including Calgary’s Dustin Wolf and Philadelphia’s Cam York.
LaCombe’s ascent has been sharp since debuting for the Ducks after turning pro in 2023 following the conclusion of his time with the University of Minnesota. His first season was rocky, with the steep learning curve of moving from the NCAA to the NHL being exacerbated by a readily apparent lack of confidence.
With the help of his inner circle as well as former Ducks coach Greg Cronin, LaCombe addressed both the mental and physical facets of his game, gaining strength and focus. Part of his training to become more assertive on the ice was to get on the mat, leaning into offseason martial arts training.
“For me, it was such a big adjustment (from college to the pros). The game’s faster and you have to think differently,” LaCombe told RG Media. “There were so many skills that I wanted to work on, going into last season and this season, too, where you see other guys flourish and do so well. I wanted to focus on those things and also try new stuff, like with martial arts, where I could work on my intensity and my physical presence. It also gave me a big boost and helped me get more confident mentally.”
That unconventional, multipronged approach paid off, as LaCombe catapulted himself above lottery pick Pavel Mintyukov, the more physically robust Tristan Luneau and the 10-speed transmission skater Olen Zellweger. They were all their respective junior leagues’ defensemen of the year, while LaCombe was a less heralded prospect who didn’t hit his stride at Minnesota until his junior year during his draft-plus-two season.
Yet it was LaCombe cashing in to the tune of $72 million this fall, signing the most lucrative contract in franchise history.
Next, he’ll pursue a chunk of gold that money can’t buy.