Shock Twist: Jones Withdraws from Olympics, LaCombe Steps Into Team USA Spotlight

In the unpredictable world of hockey, where injuries can shuffle the deck in the blink of an eye, Team USA finds itself adapting once again. Panthers coach Paul Maurice shed some light on goaltender Jones’ expected recovery timeline—stretching between two to four weeks, a reality that shook up the roster just before the official Team USA announcement. Enter LaCombe, a 25-year-old Anaheim Ducks draftee who’s been quietly turning heads this season with an impressive 31 points in 49 games. Though relatively fresh on the international scene, having clinched gold at the 2025 IIHF World Championship, LaCombe’s call-up wasn’t just a spur-of-the-moment fill-in; Ducks coach Joel Quenneville praises him as a deserving choice ready to seize this spotlight. With the tournament’s high stakes—12 teams battling through preliminary rounds for a shot at a gold that America hasn’t claimed since ’80—the pressure’s mounting. LaCombe’s chance to don the red, white, and blue isn’t just a personal milestone; it might very well be a pivotal moment for the whole squad. LEARN MORE

Panthers coach Paul Maurice was asked about Jones’ status Tuesday, before the Team USA announcement.

“There was originally a week-to-week idea,” Maurice said. “Then it was 2-4 [weeks] or whatever, but it will be the full extent of that.”

LaCombe has 31 points (six goals, 25 assists) in 49 games this season. The 25-year-old, who was a second-round pick (No. 39) by Anaheim in the 2019 NHL Draft, has 91 points (22 goals, 69 assists) in 197 regular-season games.

LaCombe did not play for the United States at the 4 Nations Face-Off last season, but won gold with the U.S. at the 2025 IIHF World Championship.

“Just got a call last night from (U.S. general manager) Bill (Guerin),” LaCombe said Wednesday, “and, obviously, it was an unfortunate situation that happened (Jones’ injury), but he just told me I was on the team now.

“Obviously, anytime you get to do that, it’s so special, and I would take so much pride in wearing that jersey and being part of it.

“I know a few of the guys pretty well. I played with ‘Fabes’ (Brock Faber) over there for a while in college (Minnesota), and some other guys kind of in passing, but got to meet them all in the summer. Obviously, tremendous group and tremendous type of guys, so I’m just really excited to be part of that.”

Ducks coach Joel Quenneville said LaCombe was deserving of being selected as Jones’ replacement.

“I think everybody’s happy for him,” Quenneville said. “I know that when they were talking about him, I know he got off to a great start to the season, and he’s been really good in this last little stretch here as well. Everybody roots for him. He’s a very likable kid, and he’s one of the guys as well, but it’s a big opportunity.

“He had a little bit of an opportunity last year at the World Championships and did a nice job. I don’t know who he’s going to be playing with, or how his situation is going to be there as far as how much he’s going to get in there, but hey, it’s a tremendous honor.”

The tournament will feature all 12 teams playing three preliminary games in their respective groups.

The three group winners and the best second-place team will get a bye into the quarterfinals; the other eight teams will play single-elimination games to determine the other four quarterfinalists. The gold medal game will be played Feb. 22.

Team USA, which is in Group C, will open against Team Latvia on Feb. 12, then play Team Denmark on Feb. 14 and Team Germany on Feb. 15.

The United States has not won a gold medal in men’s hockey since 1980 in Lake Placid, New York.

NHL.com independent correspondents George Richards and Ryan Boulding contributed to this report