{"id":141191,"date":"2025-09-08T07:41:23","date_gmt":"2025-09-08T07:41:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/141191\/"},"modified":"2025-09-08T07:41:23","modified_gmt":"2025-09-08T07:41:23","slug":"tage-thompson-on-the-path-from-4-nations-snub-to-worlds-hero-to-olympic-hopeful","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/141191\/","title":{"rendered":"Tage Thompson on the path from 4 Nations snub to worlds hero to Olympic hopeful"},"content":{"rendered":"

PLYMOUTH, Mich. \u2014 The United States was one goal short of defeating Canada in the final of the 4 Nations Face-Off in February, which naturally has led to plenty of second-guessing after the fact.<\/p>\n

With a deep talent pool and a roster restricted to 13 forwards, there were always going to be snubs, and those included Clayton Keller, Cole Caufield and Jason Robertson.<\/p>\n

But in the past four seasons, there\u2019s only one American other than Auston Matthews in the top 10 in the NHL in goal scoring, and that\u2019s the Buffalo Sabres\u2019 Tage Thompson.<\/p>\n

Thompson is tied for 10th in that span (158), including 47 in 2022-23 and 44 last season \u2014 the latter tied for third-most in the NHL and the most by an American.<\/p>\n

\u201cTage was very much in the mix on the 4 Nations team, and he\u2019s an incredible athlete,\u201d U.S. coach Mike Sullivan told The Athletic at the U.S.\u2019s recent Olympic orientation camp. \u201cBut one of the challenges \u2014 just our approach with that 4 Nations team was it\u2019s different than an All-Star team. You\u2019re not just taking the 20-something best players. You need players to fill roles.<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of the things we talked about a lot was player deployment. Go through a game: Who\u2019s the first over the boards on your penalty kill? You\u2019ve got a face-off on the left side, you\u2019ve got a face-off on the right side, five-on-six at the end of a game. Who\u2019s defending? What do your matchups look like? You need different skill sets for different things. And so you\u2019re essentially trying to build a team.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not just saying, \u2018OK, who are the best 20 players in the league?\u2019 Especially if their skill sets might be redundant.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s what it came down to with Thompson, the hulking 6-foot-6, 27-year-old forward who can play in all situations. One thing that may have hurt him is his NHL team. Fair or not, he plays for Buffalo, which hasn\u2019t made the playoffs in any of Thompson\u2019s seven seasons. U.S. general manager Bill Guerin said over and over again during last year\u2019s selection process that he was looking for players who had experience playing in pressure-packed situations.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no doubt Thompson was stung by USA Hockey\u2019s decision to keep him off the roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cA big goal of mine was to make that team,\u201d Thompson said during a sitdown with The Athletic. \u201cAnd I felt like I had done enough to maybe make the team, but obviously those are things you can\u2019t control. I think, for me, it was the mindset I had was, I\u2019m just going to do my job to help the team win. Play my game, and if they pick me, that\u2019s awesome, and if they don\u2019t, then (I) can\u2019t really do anything about it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thompson used the exclusion as motivation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was a little disappointed. Felt like I had something to prove. But I think honestly that probably helped me the second half of the year and just gave me a little bit extra something to play for.\u201d<\/p>\n

From the snub in early December to season\u2019s end, he scored 33 goals \u2014 the third-most goals in the NHL, behind only Leon Draisaitl\u2019s 35 and David Pastrnak\u2019s 34.<\/p>\n

Fast forward several months, and Thompson has a new goal: to represent the United States at next February\u2019s Winter Olympics in Milan. The United States will have one extra forward spot to fill, and there are players from the 4 Nations roster whose spots aren\u2019t certain. Those could include Brock Nelson, Chris Kreider and even, as valuable as he is, Vincent Trocheck. Matthew Tkachuk\u2019s health is up in the air after surgery last month, too, although Sullivan and Guerin are fully anticipating him being ready by the Olympics.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, the way the U.S. brass talks now, it almost feels like Thompson is a shoo-in after scoring the golden goal in overtime to deliver the United States its first World Championship gold medal since 1933.<\/p>\n

Tage Thompson makes USA GOLDEN! \ud83d\udc4f\ud83c\udfc6#MensWorlds<\/a> #IIHF<\/a> @usahockey<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/exwtHHDrsA<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 IIHF (@IIHFHockey) May 25, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Still, after last season\u2019s disappointment, there\u2019s no chance Thompson is getting ahead of himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou never know, right? I would hope scoring that goal would make a difference, but it\u2019s also one play. It doesn\u2019t define me as a player or mean that I had a great tournament or anything by that means,\u201d Thompson said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s one of those things that was an awesome moment and something that I\u2019ll remember forever, but at the same time, I don\u2019t believe it solidifies me. I still think that (I\u2019ve) got to obviously have a great summer and carry it over into the season and use that for the first half of the season as a trial. But I am motivated to help my (Sabres) team win and to make the Olympics.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt definitely will be there. It\u2019s hard not to think about it. But when we get into the grind of the season, not that you forget about it, but it definitely maybe goes to the subconscious or the back of your brain a little bit. Like, I want to be an Olympian, but getting the Sabres back into the playoffs is always at the forefront.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Leading the Sabres to their first playoff appearance since 2011 is Tage Thompson\u2019s top priority. (Maddie Meyer \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n

Plus, as Thompson looked around the room as Sullivan and Guerin addressed the group of 44 Olympic hopefuls the night before camp officially started, he couldn\u2019t help but realize how tough a team this will be to crack. Remember, he was hardly the only so-called snub.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s ridiculous, the amount of talent that\u2019s here,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cBut I think that\u2019s a good thing. And the fact that there are that many good American (forwards) makes everyone better, including myself, because you\u2019re always challenging each other. You\u2019re always pushing and trying to fight for spots and trying to outdo the guy next to you.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think that\u2019s why USA Hockey is growing at such a rapid rate, and the talent has gotten higher. It\u2019s because you have all these players that are the best of the best, and you bring them all together. And they want to be the best of the best, and it just pushes guys to keep improving, keep growing their game, and I think it\u2019s great. It\u2019s obviously fun to be a part of, as nerve-racking as it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

And Thompson took to heart Sullivan\u2019s reminder that not everybody can play the No. 1 power play or even the No. 2 or be the first over the boards at even strength or on the penalty kill.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think there\u2019s one guy out of all 44 here that wouldn\u2019t accept any type of role to be included on an Olympic team,\u201d Thompson said. \u201cIt happens once every four years, and careers aren\u2019t that long. So, it\u2019s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. So, if they tell you, \u2018This is your role,\u2019 obviously, you\u2019re going to do it. So, I think just accepting a role, whatever I get, if I make the team, then, yeah, I\u2019m going to do it to the best of my ability.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sullivan says there\u2019s no doubt Thompson\u2019s got a shot.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome of those decisions are very difficult,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cOnly so many guys can play in the power play. Who\u2019s going to kill penalties for us? Who\u2019s really good in the face-off circle? It\u2019s difficult. Tage is one of those guys. I mean, he\u2019s without question one of the more talented players in the league, and he\u2019s emerging. He\u2019s only getting better. But we have tons of tough decisions up front. Same thing on the blue line.\u201d<\/p>\n

One of the toughest blue-line decisions will be former Norris Trophy winner Adam Fox, who had a tough 4 Nations, made a series of mistakes leading to Connor McDavid\u2019s pivotal overtime championship-clincher and will play for Sullivan, who takes over as Rangers coach this season.<\/p>\n

Sullivan says the start of Fox\u2019s season will determine whether he\u2019s an Olympian.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m probably stating the obvious when I say this, but performance matters,\u201d Sullivan said. \u201cI think Foxy knows he\u2019s capable of a better game. And him and I have had discussions about it, and I think he\u2019s inspired with the opportunity to bring a better version of himself. And I told him when I became his coach that I was going to do everything in my power to help him become the best version of himself.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd not only is that good for the New York Rangers, it\u2019s also good for the U.S. team. He\u2019s a Norris Trophy winner, and he\u2019s a young guy. He\u2019s not ageing out. He\u2019s capable of an elite game. And it\u2019s our job as coaching staff to help him get there. And we\u2019re certainly going to do everything we can to do for that, but we think, we believe, that Foxy\u2019s capable of a next-level game. A Norris Trophy-caliber game. You don\u2019t win the Norris Trophy if you\u2019re not capable of that, and we believe he still is.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Top photo: Jonathan Nackstrand \/ Getty Images)<\/p>\n