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Panthers' Seth Jones leaves Winter Classic after being hit by puck
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- Panthers' Seth Jones leaves Winter Classic after being hit by puck
U.S. Olympians and potential Olympians have been dealing with injuries all season long and it continued on the day that the full team was announced .
Florida Panthers defenseman Seth Jones took a puck up high on a shot from the New York Rangers ' Alexis Lafreniere in the first period on Friday, Jan. 2 and left the Winter Classic with an upper-body injury. He went to a medical tent, took the long walk to the dressing room and didn't return to the game.
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Jones had been announced as one of eight U.S. defensemen heading to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy. He made the team after impressing Team USA management with his play during the Panthers ' Stanley Cup run.
"You saw the impact that he had on the Florida team to win the Stanley Cup," USA coach Mike Sullivan said. "He's a big, strong kid that skates extremely well. I think he has the ability to play on both sides of the puck and impact the game on both sides of the puck."
Seth Jones injury update
Panthers coach Paul Maurice said Monday that Jones is week-to-week, but the team expects him back before the Olympic break.
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Jones' injury is the latest that the U.S. Olympic team has dealt with this season. All six of the first players named had missed time. Florida's Matthew Tkachuk has yet to return from offseason hernia surgery, and Ottawa 's Brady Tkachuk (thumb surgery) and Boston 's Charlie McAvoy (broken jaw) are playing again. Vegas ' Jack Eichel returned Friday after missing seven games with a lower-body injury.
Carolina defenseman Jaccob Slavin , named Friday, is out with a second injury and has been limited to five games. New Jersey 's Jack Hughes has returned after finger surgery for an injury suffered at a team dinner. Columbus' Zach Werenski was activated on Saturday from his lower-body injury.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Seth Jones injury update: US Olympian hit high by puck, leaves game
