{"id":19405,"date":"2025-12-26T17:46:44","date_gmt":"2025-12-26T23:46:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/2025\/12\/26\/stars-forward-jason-robertson-showing-physicality-as-opponents-do-all-they-can-to-stop-him\/"},"modified":"2025-12-26T17:46:44","modified_gmt":"2025-12-26T23:46:44","slug":"stars-forward-jason-robertson-showing-physicality-as-opponents-do-all-they-can-to-stop-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/2025\/12\/26\/stars-forward-jason-robertson-showing-physicality-as-opponents-do-all-they-can-to-stop-him\/","title":{"rendered":"Stars forward Jason Robertson showing physicality as opponents do all they can to stop him"},"content":{"rendered":"

Team USA’s Roster Selection for the 2026 Winter Olympics<\/h1>\n

Team USA GM Bill Guerin gave some insight into what he\u2019s looking for when selecting the nation\u2019s men\u2019s hockey roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan in February.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you can\u2019t check, it\u2019s probably not the tournament for you,\u201d Guerin told The Athletic last month.<\/p>\n

Experts and fans started to speculate what that would mean for top Americans in the NHL known for skill over physicality. Stars forward Jason Robertson, who leads all Americans in goals (23) and points (44) this season, was one named in that conversation.<\/p>\n

Robertson’s Physical Game<\/h2>\n

If there was any question whether Robertson could thrive in a physical game, the Stars\u2019 last two have cleared that up \u2014 and his opponents have helped make his case.<\/p>\n

After Friday\u2019s 8-3 win in Anaheim, Ducks forward Frank Vatrano was fined $5,000 \u2014 and somehow escaped a suspension \u2014 after tackling Robertson on the ice. Vatrano was given 16 minutes of penalties for the play, including a 10-minute misconduct that ended his night early.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n

Frustration is setting in for the Ducks <\/p>\n

Frank Vatrano gets two minor penalties for roughing and unsportsmanlike conduct, as well as a 10-minute misconduct for going after Jason Robertson. pic.twitter.com\/sTXDr9Sydu<\/p>\n

\u2014 Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) December 20, 2025<\/p>\n

Robertson’s Performance Against Toronto<\/h3>\n

Robertson finished with two goals and an assist in the win.<\/p>\n

In Sunday\u2019s 5-1 win over Toronto, Robertson again had to fight his way through. He put his team up 1-0 late in the first period, outmuscling Jake McCabe for a loose puck and scoring. <\/p>\n

The Leafs did all they could to prevent him from scoring again, like midway through the second period when Mikko Rantanen found him open with a stretch pass on the power play, but Troy Stetcher dragged him down to the ice. On that same power play, Morgan Rielly cross-checked Robertson and shoved him down in front of an official.<\/p>\n

Neither play resulted in a penalty.<\/p>\n

Robertson’s Thoughts on the Physical Game<\/h4>\n

\u201cThis is the way hockey has been going lately,\u201d Robertson said. \u201cI want to be stronger on my skates, definitely. It\u2019s a physical game out there. It\u2019s just the way the game\u2019s going. I\u2019m trying to win more and more puck battles.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robertson is on pace for a career-high 52 goals and is well above a point-per-game clip. He\u2019s also recorded 24 hits this season, and while that number may not seem all that impressive, his coaches and teammates say they\u2019ve seen a commitment to checking that Team USA can\u2019t overlook.<\/p>\n

Coaches’ and Teammates’ Opinions<\/h5>\n

\u201cI think they should take a good look at him because he\u2019s really committed to checking here in the last bit,\u201d Stars coach Glen Gulutzan said. \u201cRobo\u2019s physicality comes in different ways. It\u2019s in those battles. He\u2019s hard to handle. He\u2019s a big man.\u201d<\/p>\n

At this point, it would be shocking if Robertson didn\u2019t make the Olympic roster, which must be submitted by Dec. 31, even after getting left off last year\u2019s Team USA roster for the 4 Nations Face-Off. But his recent play has shown he\u2019s ready to handle what is set to be a grueling tournament. If 4 Nations was an indicator, the players selected won\u2019t take it easy. It may be one of the more competitive best-on-best tournaments in sports.<\/p>\n

Other Team USA Contenders<\/h6>\n

Jake Oettinger, Robertson\u2019s Stars teammate and possibly fellow Team USA member, also made his case again Sunday for why he\u2019s one of the best American-born goalies in the league. He finished with 27 saves, robbing Team USA star Auston Matthews point-blank, and adding an assist on Mavrik Bourque\u2019s empty-net goal.<\/p>\n

Both Americans showed their versatility Sunday night. <\/p>\n

Twitter\/X: @Lassimak<\/p>\n

\"Dallas
\nStars\u2019 winning streak snapped as Red Wings pull away in back-and-forth battle in Detroit<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n

Roope Hintz, Jamie Benn and Wyatt Johnston scored for the Stars, but Detroit found a game-winner just 34 seconds into OT.<\/p>\n

\"Dallas
\nStars-Red Wings preview: Dallas heads to Detroit seeking fifth straight win<\/span>
\n<\/p>\n

The Stars are coming off Sunday\u2019s win over Toronto.<\/p>\n

Find more Stars coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.<\/p>\n

Conclusion<\/h1>\n

In conclusion, Jason Robertson has shown that he has the physicality and skill to make the Team USA roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics. His recent performance against Anaheim and Toronto has demonstrated his ability to thrive in a physical game and his commitment to checking. With his coaches and teammates praising his physicality, it would be shocking if he didn\u2019t make the Olympic roster.<\/p>\n

Frequently Asked Questions<\/h1>\n

Here are some frequently asked questions about Jason Robertson and the Team USA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Team USA’s Roster Selection for the 2026 Winter Olympics Team USA GM Bill Guerin gave some insight into what he\u2019s looking for when selecting the nation\u2019s men\u2019s hockey roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan in February. \u201cIf you can\u2019t check, it\u2019s probably not the tournament for you,\u201d Guerin told The Athletic last month. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":19407,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-19405","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dmn-dallas-news-prod.cdn.arcpublishing.com\/resizer\/v2\/SONYUOGW7FFQPE43ZC2OSPJ4LY.jpg?auth=4f8963fc8ab90760111d6fcd480769ffe53493f4fc229110b6f90b3ee384e527&quality=80&width=1200&height=630&focal=1553,609","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19405"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19405"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19405\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19408,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19405\/revisions\/19408"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/19407"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19405"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19405"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/dallas\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19405"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}