Hockey Canada announced Friday a roster of 42 NHL players that will be attending their National Teams Orientation Camp later this month. The list of players, which included Washington Capitals forward Tom Wilson, sparked typical conversation around who was snubbed from being included.
One of the primary absent names being discussed is Capitals goaltender Logan Thompson, who was not chosen despite finishing top four in Vezina Trophy voting and leading the Caps to the top spot in the Eastern Conference this past year.
According to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman though, there is still a chance that Thompson could play his way back into Canada’s plans.
“One of the things people wondered about is, does this just mean that only these players are now eligible for the Olympic team? As in, can anyone not on the list be added in-season? I was told the answer to that question is, ‘Yes,'” Friedman said on the latest episode of the 32 Thoughts Podcast, Sunday. “There is a long list of players that includes some who are not coming to Calgary this summer. So, don’t just assume that only these players are eligible.”
Canada has chosen to bring just three goalies to the orientation camp: Jordan Binnington, Adin Hill, and Sam Montembeault. The three netminders are the same who were selected to represent Canada during the 4 Nations Face-Off this past February.
Thompson had far better numbers than all three goalies when he was snubbed from the 4 Nations roster and finished the 2024-25 regular season outplaying all three. He also beat Montembeault in a playoff series duel, with the Capitals eliminating the Canadiens in five games.
2024-25 end-of-season statistics
Thompson’s prior absence was rumored to be due to his frosty relationship with his former Vegas Golden Knight head coaches Bruce Cassidy and Peter DeBoer, who Jon Cooper picked as two of his assistants. The two will keep those same positions for the Olympics.
If Thompson were to have another hot start to a season with the Capitals, the Canadian brass will likely have to act quickly to get him involved in their setup if they do change their minds. Friedman reports that the process of being deemed eligible to participate in the Olympics starts sooner than you may think.
“One of the reasons I was curious about it is, with the IOC and Olympics, you have to enter their [drug testing] protocol,” Friedman said. “If you don’t enter their drug testing protocol, then you can’t compete at the Olympics. And you have to get into it early. It’s not something you can just show up to, like a week before the Olympics. It has to start early. I know there were some players who were going through the process earlier this summer.”
The 2026 Milano Cortina Olympics will run from February 4-22, 2026, with NHL players participating in the Games for the first time since 2014.
