2026 Olympics: Filipino American hockey star left off US Olympic team

NHL

Jason Robertson, one of the top scorers in the NHL didn't make the Olympic team.

 

In the high-stakes world of international hockey, where the 1980 "Miracle on Ice" legacy still casts a long shadow, USA Hockey GM Bill Guerin made a move that has fans and pundits buzzing: leaving Filipino American Jason Robertson off the 2026 Olympic roster. 

General Manager Bill Guerin and Head Coach Mike Sullivan emphasized "stylistic fit" and "balance". They chose more physical, defensively responsible forwards like Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller to handle specific checking roles that they felt did not suit Robertson's "pure scorer" style.

Robertson didn't hide his disappointment. While he was left off the Four Nations roster last year, he felt this season's star-making goal production had proven he belonged. 

The Dallas Star winger admits the snub "hurts your ego" but maintained a professional front.

“I thought that this year was different from last year. Obviously last year [for 4 Nations], I didn’t think I was good enough," he told reporters. "Now, I think I did. It’s their choice and their decision, and that's it."

Management’s logic was simple, if controversial: they aren't just picking the 12 best players; they’re building a team with specific roles. While Robertson entered 2026 leading all American-born NHLers in points, Guerin and Coach Mike Sullivan prioritized "two-way play" and "physical presence".

View from the edge

Sullivan, who is the New York Rangers' head coach,  selected two members of the Rangers, Vincent Trocheck and J.T. Miller, despite having significantly less than half of Robertson's total.

Management’s logic was simple, if controversial: they aren't just picking the 12 best players; they’re building a team with specific roles. Guerin and Sullivan emphasized building a cohesive team rather than just selecting top point-producers.

Guerin said Trocheck and Miller fit the physicality of the  "grit-and-grind" style established during the 2025 Four Nations Face-Off.

Robertson's absence is akin to leaving NBA star scorer Stephen Curry off the Olympic basketball team because he's not a great defender. As we saw in the 2024 Paris Olympics, it was his scoring, not his defense, that won the Gold Medal for the US.

It should be noted that the two NHL players scoring more than Robertson, Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon, were named to Team Canada.

Critics argue that leaving home three of the top seven American goal-scorers—including Robertson—is a massive risk if the US struggles to find the back of the net in Milan. Even Dallas' goalie, Jake Oettinger, who did make the cut, called Robertson the "most pure goal-scorer" he’s ever played with.

“I think they leaned into familiarity,” said Malia Poblete, a writer for The Hockey News based in Eugene, Oregon. “A lot of the players had opportunities to connect in their careers earlier. However, there are no doubts these picks still have talent.”

FYI: The Olympic hockey games begins on Wednesday, Feb. 11, with  Slovakia taking on Finland. Team USA begins action on Thursday, Feb. 12, on NBC.

Robertson, born and raised in California, is one of several NHL players playing for US and Canadian teams of Asian heritage. They include:

• Nick Robertson (Filipino/American, Jason's brother): Toronto Maple Leafs
• Kailer Yamamoto (Japanese/American): Edmonton Oilers (recently with Seattle Kraken/Utah)
• Nick Suzuki (Japanese/Canadian): Montreal Canadiens
• Matt Dumba (Filipino/Canadian): Minnesota Wild (now Arizona Coyotes/Tampa Bay Lightning)
• Kiefer Sherwood (Japanese/American): Colorado Avalanche (now Nashville Predators)
• Kole Sherwood (Japanese/American): Columbus Blue Jackets
• Jonas Siegenthaler (Thai/Swiss): New Jersey Devils
• Akito Hirose (Japanese/Canadian): Vancouver Canucks

Robertson was named to the reserve Olympic team. If there are injuries he'd be the first off the bench, but as of now, he'll have to watch from the sidelines as Team USA tries to reclaim gold for the first time since 1980.

Despite the blow to his ego, Robertson stated he won't change his style: "I'm not going to change the way I play. I’m happy to keep doing what I do ... I just strive to be the best at whatever I can be. It so happened that this year was the Olympic year, and that's not gonna stop me from doing that the rest of the season. I love the game. I just keep playing. And that's the beauty of it."

EDITOR'S NOTE: For additional commentary, news, views and chismis from an AANHPI perspective, follow me on Threads, on X, BlueSky or at the blog Views From the Edge. 

TGIF Feature:: 2018 Winter Olympics - 12 Asian Americans on Team USA

Hailey Langland will compete in Snowboard Big-Air at the Winter Olympics.

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT!

AT MY AGE, I think it's OK for me to descibel the young Asian/American olympians as kids.

That's not meant to be an insult or to denigrate the hours upon hours of training they put into their sport, that's just a reminder, no matter the outcome of their efforts, they are among the best the United States has to offer, they're just teenagers or young adults who grew up listening to the same music, watching the same TV shows, reading the same news stories, getting basically the same classroom education as all of America's children.

But ... they are special! They'll be competing at the Winter Games being held in PyeongCheng, South Koreah which starts Fridiay, Feb. 9.

In order to reach the level of athleticism that they will be competing at, they've had to be disciplined, dedicated and willing to sacrifice their time that they might have used to do what us ordinary mortals do: make friends, go on dates, party all night, overindulge in junk food.

For the next couple of weeks, they will put everkything on the line as they compete against the best-of-the-best athletes from other countries - other kids. They will soar, twirl, race to represent their country - our country.

NBC broadcast these commercials featuring Nathan Chen and Chloe Kim - both of whom are expected to medal - to promote their coverage of the Games:

Since most people of color come from warmer climes, it is not surprising that the winter sports are dominated by people who grew up in snow country. Scandinavian countries, Germany, France, Italy, Canada traditionally do well in the Winter Games. Throw in the U.S.A,, too, because we pour in a lot of money into those developing athletes.

And let's face it: You won't find whole lot of bobsled runs, ice rinks or ski jumps in most big city neighborhoods. Accessibility to those venues is limited and the cost to go skiing is beyond a lot of people. Therefore, the winter sports don't have a whole lot of diversity.

RELATED: Filipino/American skier represents the Philippines

Team USA numbers 243 athletes, which is the largest team any nation has sent to a Winter Olympics. Of that group,  only 10 are African/American — 4 percent —  12 are Asian/American.

“We’re not quite where we want to be,” said Jason Thompson, the USOC’s director of diversity and inclusion. “. . . I think full-on inclusion has always been a priority of Team USA. I think everybody’s always felt it should represent every American.”

That's an understatement. The Summer Olympic team the USA sent to Brazil two years ago, of the 550 athletes, 23 percent (or 125) of the athletes were African/American. 

Asian/Americans on Team USA

Men's Figure Skating:

• Nathan Chen
• Vincent Zhou

Women's Figure Skating

• Karen Chen
• Mirai Nagasu

Ice Dance Pairs

• Maia Shibutani/Alex Shibutani
• Madison Chock with partner Evan Bates

Speed Skaters

• JR Celski
• Thomas Hong
• Aaron Tran

Snowboarding Half-pipe

• Chloe Kim

Snowboarding Big Air

• Hailey Langland

The opening ceremony for the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, South Korea, takes place 6-8 a.m. EST on Friday. (Feb. 9)  Don't worry, the channels will undoubtedly replay the ceremonies later in the day.
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Nagasu, Chen picked to represent US in women's figure skating

Presenting the USA's women's figure-skating team:Mirai Nagasu. from left, Bradie Tennell and Karen Chen.

ASAM NEWS

IT'S OFFICIAL this morning: Mirai Nagasu is one big bad-ass.
Four years after being denied a spot on the U.S. Olympic Team despite placing third at the 2017 U.S. Figure Skating Championships, Nagasu was not going to be denied this time.

The U.S. Olympic Committee named her to the team this morning after her second place finish Friday (Jan. 5) night in San Jose at the 2018 Championship.

She’ll be joined by first place finisher Bradie Tennell and last year’s U.S. Women’s Figure Skating champ, Karen Chen.

The three team members spoke exclusively this morning on Today.

“I really took time to remodel myself because I didn’t want to feel that regret. This has been about my journey , my goal to get here and last night was my dream come true, ” said Nagasu.

Chen who is mentored by skating legend Kristi Yamaguchi says the two have exchanged huge hugs and admitted both were in tears. Both are from Fremont near San Francisco.

All three teammates said they are ready to soak in the culture in South Korea at Pyeongchang

Chen was the most outspoken, simply saying “I think we got a great shot. We’re all very strong and we got this.”

In 2014, Nagasu was passed over for Ashley Wagner who was the fourth place finisher. At the time, Wagner was chosen based on her overall skating record and greater experience in international competition.

Last night, Wagner, 26, was “furious” at the judging and results.

“I know when I go and I lay it down — and I absolutely left one jump on the table — but for me to put out two programs that I did at this competition as solid as I skated, to get those scores, I am furious,” reported the Mercury News. “And I think deservedly so. I am a performer, and that second mark [for program components] is just not there.

“I am absolutely OK with them being strict on my rotations,” she added. “That’s what I think U.S. Figure Skating should demand from their judges. But you know, it has to be across the board, and I don’t necessarily feel like it’s been that way at this event. So we’ll see how things pan out.” “I feel like I need to stick up for myself, and I think I delivered when I needed to. But I want to be on that Olympic team, and I’m really mad that I’m in this position again.”

Nagasu last night had a different take on the results.

“I’m usually not one to be at a loss for words, but I am super happy with how things have gone,” Nagasu said to Team USA.org. “With mistakes, I scored the highest I’ve scored at a U.S. championships and right now I am super proud of myself… I think I really, really put in my vote for the Olympic team.”

Chen herself had quite a journey. She followed her championship in 2017 with a dud of a season. She finished no better than seventh at the Grand Prix assignments last year. On top of that, she came to this year’s championships with a virus. Despite feeling the aches and pains that comes with being sick, she persevered and put in her best performances of the season.

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Asian Americans dominate Team USA speed skating

Courtesy Team USA

Speedster JR Celski made his third Olympic team.

ASAM NEWS

THREE OF THE FIVE speedskaters on the U.S. Olympic team are Asian/Americans.

Leading the way is two-time Olympic veteran JR Celski. He’s one of three Asian Americans to make the team at the Olympic Trials in Kearns, UT. The others are Thomas Hong and Aaron Tran. John-Henry Kruger and Ryan Pivirotto round out the team.

Celski, whose mother is Filipino and father is Polish, is a two-time Olympic veteran who won a pair of bronze medals in 2010 in Vancouver in the 1500m and 5000m relay and a silver in the 500M in 2014 in Sochi, Russia.

“I’m ecstatic. A lot of up-and-down emotions. I really couldn’t get it together after the first fall today, but I turned it around and I told myself I have to come out and skate and do what I can, so I made it happen,” said Celski to Team USA.

Thomas Hong

Celski, who qualified by finishing second in the 1500 meter, went to the same middle school in Federal Way, Washington, as his teammate Tran. “We both went to the same middle school, went to the same high school and now we’re going to the Olympics together, so it means a lot,” Celski said. “I’m so happy for him, his family and everyone that supports him.”

“It’s amazing; he’s a great role model, great leader, and I’ve always been thankful that I’ve been able to skate with him,” Tran said about Celski who he considers his role model. “He’s just a great guy, great skater.”

Tran, 21, surprised the field by placing second in the 500M to qualify for the Olympic team.

Aaron Tran

The Olympics will be a homecoming of sorts for Thomas Hong. According to the Baltimore Sun, Hong, 20, was born in Seoul and moved to the United States with his family when he was 5.

He qualified by finishing fourth in the overall classification to earn a spot on the five member team.

“I’m tremendously excited,” Hong said. “I’m extremely familiar with Korean culture. I’ve lived there for parts of my life and I’m excited to go back.”

The 2018 Olympic Games will be held in PhyongChang, South Korea, Feb. 9-25, 2018.

(Views From the Edge contributed to this report.)