Penn State defenseman Jackson Smith had his Michael Jordan moment, though not in the way he might have expected.
Smith, the 14th overall pick by the NHL’s Columbus Blue Jackets, appeared to be a lock for Hockey Canada’s 2026 World Junior Championship roster. The highly regarded blueliner represented Canada at the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and was a member of the 2025 U18 World Championship team, building a resume that suggested a smooth path to the junior hockey showcase.
Instead, Smith was surprisingly left off the final roster, failing to make the cut among Canada’s top under-20 talent compared to a moment reminiscent of the oft-cited story of Michael Jordan being cut from his high school varsity team at Laney High School.
“I was a bit shocked,” Smith said Tuesday while speaking with the media. “Then I used that as motivation that I haven’t really had before. It felt pretty good coming back here and having a good start to the second half. Hopefully I can keep going and build on that so I have a shot to make it next year.”
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Smith has responded in emphatic fashion since the international break, tallying three goals and two assists to spark Penn State’s second-half surge that has led to a five-game winning streak.
He now leads all Nittany Lion defensemen in every major scoring category and ranks fourth among Big Ten defensemen, trailing only Wisconsin’s Ben Dexheimer, Notre Dame’s Paul Fischer, and Michigan’s Ben Robertson.
Smith will look to continue that momentum this weekend as No. 8 Penn State travels to Madison to face No. 5 Wisconsin at the Kohl Center. The series opens Friday night with puck drop scheduled for 8 PM (Eastern).
