Ducks’ Jackson LaCombe brings new confidence to Team USA at Olympics

IRVINE — When Jackson LaCombe sat in the locker room on his first day of training camp in 2023, he had all the not-so-commanding presence of a gangly teenager holding up the wall at a high-school dance.

That was reflected on the ice for much of his first season, too, when the murmurs were many.

Was he an ‘alpha’? Should he have spent a year in the minors between college and the NHL? Would he get lost amid a crop of higher-profile Ducks prospects on the blue line?

But as LaCombe was breaking in his red, white and blue gear for the Olympics, hockey’s premier tournament, there was a different question: would he become the only American defenseman ever to win gold at the World Championships, World Junior Championships and Winter Olympics?

LaCombe departed for Milan, where he’ll skate with Team USA, the second most likely gold medalist according to experts and oddsmakers alike. If the Americans can ascend to the top of the medal stand, LaCombe and Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson will be the first two U.S. players to capture gold at the Olympics, World Championships and U20 World Junior Championships.

It’s a feat that’s even rarer than the vaunted 30-member Triple Gold Club, which is composed of players who triumphed at the Olympics and Worlds as well as won the Stanley Cup.

“That’d be really special, to be part of that, and that’s our objective, is to win,” LaCombe said.

LaCombe, 25, played in a national title game in college, won World Junior gold alongside some future Ducks teammates (Trevor Zegras and Sam Colangelo) and was part of the first group of Americans to win the Worlds in over 90 years last spring. But at the NCAA and NHL levels, he took a season to get acclimated. He was well aware there would be little or no grace period in Italy.

“Everything happens really fast. It’s important to build that team chemistry quickly. Everyone’s so good and everyone knows what to do and how to play in different systems,” LaCombe said.

Major steps in LaCombe’s development came off the ice, with his work on the Jiu-Jitsu mat and on the psychological side of his profession both coming to the fore in the summer of 2024. He said he had considered the emotional side of this opportunity, having been named to Team USA as a replacement for the injured Seth Jones.

“There’s a lot of excitement and other feelings, but you’ve just got to take a step back, relax and just enjoy the moment,” he said.

Ducks captain Radko Gudas, who will join goalie Lukáš Dostál with Czechia’s Olympic selection, said he had a close vantage point as LaCombe emerged from his shell and transformed from face in the crowd to a No. 1 defenseman with the numbers, salary and minutes to match.

“Confidence would be the biggest thing. He started trusting himself, moving his feet a lot more and believing in his own ability to break out and make plays,” Gudas said. “He had all the tools (as a rookie), he just didn’t believe in his own abilities or didn’t trust that he could make those plays.”

Gudas said that while LaCombe was devouring ice time and playing in every imaginable situation for the Ducks, his role would likely be more measured on the second-ranked team in the world. Or perhaps not.

“Who knows? Maybe after two games, they’re going to realize how good of a player he is, and they’re gonna play him 30 minutes,” Gudas said. “He’s one of a kind, he’s a great skater and a humble kid who would do anything for his country.”

Gudas said that playing both with and against the elite among the elite would have lasting impact on LaCombe and raise his level even higher when he returned to Orange County.

“When you’ve got the best of the best playing around you, you want to be, if not better, you want to be out there and match their greatness,” Gudas said.

Ducks coach Joel Quenneville concurred. He coached two of the most accomplished players of all-time in Joe Sakic and Jonathan Toews during previous stops with Colorado and Chicago, respectively.

Sakic not only won gold at the Olympics, Worlds and World Juniors, but also the World Cup, in addition to winning two Stanley Cups as a player and a third as an executive. Toews won three Stanley Cups, two World Junior titles, two Olympic gold medals, a World Championship and a World Cup.

“It’s an eye-opener, it’s a great honor, it’s a great opportunity just to absorb as much as you can absorb, and, at the same time, enjoy it,” said Quenneville of the Olympic experience. “Every guy’s got a different opportunity, in terms of quantity or quality of ice time.”

“Just being part of that is so special,” he continued. “You have a lifetime moment that you can always share at the appropriate time, whether it’s when you first get back or during your first playoff run or whenever it may be. There’s gonna be some moments where somebody’s gotta step up and say something meaningful that’ll hit home.”

Quenneville, who is in his first year with the Ducks, praised LaCombe’s disposition and saw his mild manner matter-of-factly, expressing confidence in his ability to handle the bright lights of the Olympic stage.

“He quietly goes about his business. When I say quiet, I mean really quiet,” Quenneville said. “His play will do a lot of the talking for him.”