Why Team Canada May Have Snubbed Logan Thompson Despite Elite Season
Photo credit: Sportsnet
NHL analyst Steve Valiquette revealed that Capitals' Logan Thompson may have been left off Team Canada because of some issues with his attitude and personality.
Washington Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson was not among the Hockey Canada invitees for the National Teams Orientation Camp, even though he enjoyed a strong season.
Invitees to the camp in Calgary from Aug. 26-28 include Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, and Samuel Montembeault, among others. Interestingly, Vezina finalist Darcy Kuemper was also left out.
Leaving Out Thompson Means Passing on a Proven Vezina-Caliber Goalie
Logan Thompson placed fourth in Vezina voting last year and wore one of the league's best save percentages, but missed the 4 Nations Face-Off last fall.
He had the second-best save percentage in the NHL at the time, and the best of the Canadian goaltenders.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman indicates that while it's an important camp to prepare Canada's roster for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, this is not an Olympic roster.
"Can anyone not on the list be added in season, and I was told the answer to that question is yes, there is a long list of players that includes some of who are not coming to Calgary this summer," Friedman said. "Don't assume that only these players are eligible."
Thompson does have a chance to crack into it leading up to February, but being left out is partly a mystery considering his numbers.
Thompson was 31-6-6 with a .910 save percentage during the 2024-25 season, in which he kept Washington at the top of the Eastern Conference. Even when injured late in the season, he had a .917 save percentage for 10 playoff games.
Past Tensions With Coaches Could Be Hurting Thompson's Olympic Chances
There's also speculation, per NHL analyst Steve Valiquette, that troubled working relationships with assistants Pete DeBoer and Bruce Cassidy, in his Vegas days, could be an issue, but it's just speculation.
"I don't think Cassidy and DeBoer were going to have (Thompson at 4 Nations)," analyst Steve Valiquette said on Sportsnet's Real Kyper & Bourne last year, adding, "I think it was (personalities at the top). They didn't have a great experience with him in Vegas.
"There were times they wanted him to play and he wasn't available. I know a little bit about what happened there, and I can't get into it," Valiquette added. "It was never going to happen."
"There were times they wanted him to play and he wasn't available. I know a little bit about what happened there, and I can't get into it," Valiquette added. "It was never going to happen."
Statistically, among Canadian goaltenders with 43 or more games under their belts, Thompson was third in save percentage, with the second-most wins and the lowest losses, ahead of all three Canadian invitees to camp.
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