Dallas Stars and college sports reporter
Arlington native Seth Jones has been on the verge of playing in the Olympics for over a decade, and roadblocks always seemed to stand in his way.
On Wednesday, USA Hockey announced yet another barrier keeping him off the roster for next month’s Winter Games in Milan.
Less than a month after the Florida Panthers defenseman was announced as part of Team USA’s men’s ice hockey roster, the team announced Jones will be replaced by Anaheim Ducks defenseman Jackson LaCombe because of injury.
Jones is on injured reserve after being struck near the left collarbone by a shot from New York Rangers forward Alexis Lafreniere that deflected off the stick of his teammate in the Winter Classic on Jan. 2, just two days after he was named to the Olympic roster.
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Jackson LaCombe has been named to the 2026 U.S. Olympic Men's Ice Hockey Team, replacing Seth Jones.#MilanoCortina2026
Details: https://t.co/Rb28VuWgks pic.twitter.com/lkX5Cqscpi
The 31-year-old would’ve been the first Texan to represent Team USA in the men’s tournament since Brian Leetch, who was born in Corpus Christi, played in the 2002 Games. Jones was one of four Texans to qualify for the Olympics this winter, joining Coppell’s Hannah Bilka (women’s hockey), Dallas’ Emily Chan (figure skating) and Plano’s Amber Glenn (figure skating).
The 2026 Games mark the third time Jones has narrowly missed out on a trip to represent his country on the biggest stage.
When he was drafted by the Predators, GM David Poile was also USA Hockey’s GM for the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Jones was the youngest player to make the orientation camp roster in 2013 and was in serious consideration for the last defenseman spot on the 2014 team before it ultimately went with someone more experienced.
That was the last time NHL players participated in the Olympics. In 2022, Jones was one of the first three players named to the U.S. Olympic team alongside Patrick Kane and Auston Matthews before the NHL withdrew its players six weeks before because its regular-season had been disrupted significantly because of COVID-19.
Jones wasn’t selected to last year’s United States roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off.
“It [had] been a long time coming,” Jones’ father, Ronald Jerome “Popeye” Jones, who is an assistant coach for the Dallas Mavericks, told The Dallas Morning News in a recent interview. “I almost thought maybe he was too old now at 31 as the rise of U.S. hockey has taken over the United States.”
But the opportunity came — and Jones’ father said he was ecstatic about it, knowing the impact it could have on young kids across Texas and the country.
“It’s great for a Texan to be on the U.S. Olympic team for the kids to see around Dallas here that they could actually be on an Olympic team one day themselves,” Popeye Jones said. “I spoke to him about not only being a Texan but being an African-American that’s on the team and being a trailblazer for kids that want to follow in your footsteps.
“He’s always wanted to grow the game the best that he could, the game that he loves. It’s very rewarding that he can be a role model for so many kids.”
Jones was born in North Texas while his father was playing for the Mavericks, but they relocated to Colorado, where he began playing hockey at the age of 5. His family returned to Texas when he was 12, and Jones continued to play through the Dallas Stars’ development programs before leaving home and joining the USA Hockey National Development Team Program as a teenager.
The program allowed him to build relationships that put him on a stage to represent the U.S. in a number of international competitions.
But Jones’ Olympic dreams will have to wait another four years.
Twitter/X: @Lassimak
Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Lia Assimakopoulos covers the Dallas Stars, SMU and college sports for The Dallas Morning News. She joined The News in June 2022 as a high school sports reporter and previously contributed to Sports Illustrated, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and NBC Sports. A native of Bethesda, Md., Lia graduated from Northwestern University in 2022.
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