WASHINGTON, D.C. — There are dark horses.
There are long shots.
And then there is Logan Thompson, a goaltender of no pedigree swiftly building his case to represent his country in best-on-best hockey.
Not only was Thompson passed over in the NHL Draft after four seasons in the WHL, his first taste of pro hockey arrived only after a full season at Brock University, when he made good on an amateur tryout with the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder.
The Calgary native got struck from the Thunder’s roster after eight appearances.
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He then inked a Professional Try-Out with the Binghamton Devils only to get dropped after allowing five goals in his AHL debut.
His first legit pro contract, with the AHL Hershey Bears in 2019-20, did result in a full season’s worth of paid work — down in the ECHL, where he rode the South Carolina Stingrays’ bus.
From these humble beginnings has sprung an All-Star Game representative, a Stanley Cup champion, a guy confident enough to request a trade away from a contender, and — surprise — a candidate for Canada’s crease.
“I thought making the NHL was really farfetched for me. And now hearing my name involved with Team Canada, I never really thought that was ever going to be a thing. So, I’m just happy to be in that discussion. I guess we’ll see,” the upbeat Thompson said in a recent sit-down with Sportsnet.ca.
“Every kid dreams about representing his country. And I’d be happy to be there at any role they’d want me to be. Whether that’s practice goalie, backup, or playing games, I would just be very honoured.”
Think about it, Don Sweeney. Your 4 Nations Face-Off roster is due two weeks from today.
Thompson, who did win a silver medal with Canada at the 2022 world hockey championship, is off to the best start of any goalie in the 50-year history of the Washington Capitals.
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With his emotional, 40-save starring role in Sunday’s victorious return to Vegas, Thompson (8-0-1) is the only NHL goalie with five or more starts undefeated regulation, and a major reason for the Caps’ third-place-overall standing Monday morning.
Among Canadian goalies with winning records, only veteran Cam Talbot in Detroit (.927) has a better save percentage than Thompson’s .913.
“I’m just having a lot of fun. It’s good to get here — a fresh start. Everyone accepted me with welcome arms, and I’m just having fun playing hockey and just loving the game. That’s the biggest thing. There hasn’t really been a bad day or a day when I don’t want to come to the rink. You come here, and we’re a big family,” Thompson said.
The 27-year-old thinks back to the one NHL draft he did attend, in June 2024.
Ironically, Thompson was signing autographs for Golden Knights fans inside Sphere in Las Vegas when he learned that he’d been dealt to Washington for a couple of third-round picks.
“It was difficult. I mean, I did ask to be traded,” Thompson explains.
“But at the same time, me and Kelly McCrimmon did have a really good relationship for many years. I was there for a while, and I expressed that I wanted a bigger role, and they just expressed that they had Adin Hill. He was their future goalie moving forward, and that was it. I was a little disappointed and not as upset to ask for a trade, but I think it was the best thing for me and my career.”
If there is a chip on Thompson’s shoulder, he is channeling it the best way possible — with a smile on his face. He has snatched the 1A designation from partner Charlie Lindgren and delivered under pressure.
Coach Spencer Carbery tapped Thompson for both of Washington’s grudge matches with Vegas this season, and the goalie stopped 64 of 68 shots in a pair of W’s.
“He was outstanding. Just proud of him for the way that he battled tonight,” Carbery told reporters in Vegas, following Sunday’s 5-2 win. “Just happy for him and proud of him to beat his former team twice.”
When we caught up with Thompson inside the Capitals dressing room, he looked around at the nameplates and saw leadership from the veteran core and kinship with new teammates who, like him, have been passed over or traded by teams that did see them as integral to success.
Pierre-Luc Dubois. Jakob Chychrun. Andrew Mangiapane. Jakub Vrana. Brandon Duhaime. Rasmus Sandin. Sonny Milano. Dylan Strome. Matt Roy. Lars Eller.
There’s a raft of imports from around the league. Guys who have bounced around and now must band together quickly. (Not so unlike the original Golden Knights, hey.)
“I think the guys that the team brought in were a bunch of guys hungry for a second opportunity. A lot of the guys they brought in are guys that still have something to prove,” said Thompson, who wants to make your pre-season predictions look foolish.
“From the noise around the media — you try to stay off it — I think everyone was doubting us. And I think that fuelled a lot of us too. It’s nice when everyone’s rooting against you, and you come out with a start like this. It’s definitely encouraging and definitely gets the confidence going in this room.
“Look around at the names. For me as a goalie, I saw it in training camp. You’re sitting here like, ‘We’re a good team. We have some elite talent here.’ And I knew that we were gonna surprise everyone. I didn’t know we’d be off to this good of a start, but I’m also not surprised.”
Just as we shouldn’t be surprised if Logan Thompson gets named to Team Canada.
