Makes No Sense to Leave Jason Robertson off Team USA

That Jason Robertson didn’t make Team USA is one of those decisions that makes you stop, put the coffee down, and reread the list just to be sure you didn’t miss something. He’s leading all American players in scoring. He’s doing it without much noise, which may be part of the problem.

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The Word “Fit” Has Been Used a Lot When Choosing Team USA

The simple explanation coming out of USA Hockey circles is “fit.” Not talent. Not production. Fit. That’s always the word that shows up when an outstanding player gets left behind.

What I’m told — and what Michael Russo hinted at — is that Team USA didn’t see a clear role for Robertson in the bottom six. They trusted other players more in penalty-killing situations, defensive matchups, faceoffs, and grinding minutes. Coaches choose those players because they know exactly what they’re getting.

Robertson, fairly or not, still carries the label of a scorer who needs the puck and space. Scouts don’t always “wow” at his shifts. He doesn’t always jump off the screen. And yet, when the night ends, two goals are sitting quietly next to his name. That contradiction — quiet shifts, loud results — has followed him for years.

Robertson Has Built His 200-Foot Game

What’s different this season — and why this decision stings — is that Robertson has clearly rounded out his game. He’s engaged. He’s going to hard areas. Robertson also creates his own chances instead of waiting for them. By every visible measure, he’s doing exactly what selection committees say they want players to do.

And yet, history matters here. Team USA has lived on the wrong side of thin margins for a long time, and Bill Guerin clearly believes structure — not firepower — is the correction. Guerin and his staff seem convinced that they need to slow the game down, check, and defend. Team USA doesn’t want to turn it into a track meet against Team Canada, because that usually ends badly.

Robertson Is Out Because Coaches Don’t See Him in the Bottom Six

That’s where Robertson becomes the odd man out. Not because he can’t score — he clearly can — but because the staff doesn’t trust him in a third-line role. Robertson falls into the uncomfortable middle space.

But the irony is that if Team USA needs a goal late or loses a top-six winger to injury, Jason Robertson is probably the first call they make. That alone tells you how thin this reasoning really is.

He didn’t miss the team because he isn’t good enough. He missed it because Team USA chose caution over creativity. They’d better be right because leaving elite scorers at home has a way of haunting tournaments decided by one goal.

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