Thompson talks All-Star Weekend, long road to Vegas in Q&A with NHL.com
Golden Knights rookie also discusses which goalies he looks up to
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Logan Thompson's path to 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Weekend took him through towns like Ste. Catherine's, Ontario, and Glens Falls, New York, and North Charleston, South Carolina.
The goalie's journey to South Florida, where the NHL will gather this weekend for the annual midseason showcase of the League's best and brightest, included a season in Canadian university, two stops in the ECHL and two more in the American Hockey League.
But now Thompson, the 25-year-old rookie No. 1 for the Vegas Golden Knights, is entrenched in the NHL with a 19-13-3 record, 2.69 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and two shutouts this season. And he represent the Golden Knights with forward Chandler Stephenson at All-Star Weekend.
Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy will also be there coaching the Pacific Division.
"It'll be interesting to see what the weekend can do for him]," Cassidy said. "It is a cool event. I went to my first one a few years ago and the who's who is there of players. Me, I had my kids to deflect it all. I'm just kind of sitting there going, 'Wow, that's Connor McDavid, go get his autograph.' But listen, it can make him feel like he's part of the club now, which can give you more confidence. I hope that's the way he takes it. Or it can be, 'Hey, I want to be with these greats, so I have to make sure I get it done every day and be consistent to do that.' There's a lot of different ways he can look at it. For me, my message will be have a good time. You've earned it, so have a good time and when you get back, get back to work and prove to them why you were selected."
[RELATED: [Thompson shares Florida-themed mask for All-Star Game | Complete ASG coverage]
Thompson played at Brock University of the Ontario University Athletics in 2018-19 and finished that season with the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL and Binghamton of the American Hockey League.
He played the 2019-20 season with the South Carolina Stingrays in the ECHL and drew interest from Vegas general manager Kelly McCrimmon, the GM and coach for the Brandon Wheat Kings when Thompson played there.
Thompson signed with Vegas and played for the Henderson Silver Knights of the AHL in 2020-21, getting one callup to the big club and making his NHL debut in relief of Marc-Andre Fleury on March 10, 2021. He played with Henderson for the first half of last season before getting his big chance with Vegas because of injuries.
And now he's an All-Star.
"It's cool," Thompson said. "Obviously, I'm honored to be recognized by the League for sure. It was never really on my mind or on the radar for me, but it's cool. I think I'll enjoy it more when the weekend comes around and I'll appreciate it more when the weekend comes."
Last week, Thompson sat down after a morning skate at Madison Square Garden to talk about his journey. In this Q&A with NHL.com he talks about his path to the NHL, his days at Brock University, what else he would want to do in the game and much more.
I think about the path you took to get to the NHL, a lot off stops along the way, including Canadian university, and it makes me wonder if you ever thought at any point that you could be an NHL all-star?
"No, no way. Especially when I was playing Canadian university if you would have told me five years later I'd be an NHL regular or at an All-Star Game, I'd say, 'You're crazy.' I'm just happy to be here every day. Like I said, it was never on my mind. You look at all these players going, I never thought I'd ever be in the conversation. And still there are a lot of goalies that I look up to. I'm just going to be happy to be there."
Who do you look up to?
"You look at a guy like Connor Hellebuyck, who has been around. John Gibson, I've always liked what he's done in Anaheim. Fleury too. I got to know 'Flower' a lot when he was here and meeting him was like a dream come true, and playing with him just for a short period, really lucky."
And, of course, the first NHL game you played in you replaced Fleury.
"Yeah, and he's a fiery guy, he's got a lot of passion for the game, and I was just happy to be on the bench backing him up. It was cool for him to be there when I made my NHL debut. I had a lot of fun playing with him."
Is there any reason in particular that you gravitated toward those three goalies?
"They're big reasons why their teams are successful, and I think they're liked by everyone. You look at Flower, no one ever says a bad word about him and how much he cares and how hard he works. It's just something that I admire for sure."
Take me back to those Canadian university days. Who were you then? What were you interested in then?
"Well, then I was just a university kid, maybe eating too much junk food and drinking beer with my college friends. Just a typical student. Definitely wasn't a pro athlete or taking care of myself like I should have. But I was enjoying it. The reason I went to that university was it was just a change in scenery for me, Ontario, and just to have fun."
What would you be doing now if you didn't evolve into being an NHL goalie?
"I always wanted to get into sports management at Brock, kind of like what Kyle Dubas did, whether it was following his path to being an NHL general manager or maybe being an NHL agent one day."
Do you still have interest in that?
"Absolutely. I see a lot of analysts too and I think that would be something I would like to do too, just get on TV and talk more about goalies, maybe be a voice defending some goalies. I think we need some love out there."
So, sitting here at Madison Square Garden now, where we are in the visitors' dressing room, that's about as far as from where you thought you'd end up when you were at Brock?
"Yeah. Even coming to New York. This is my first time ever in New York right now. I've always wanted to see all these cities like Boston, New York, Tampa, all these places I wanted to go and now I get to do it while playing hockey. And this rink, it's just so iconic. Stepping on the ice here for the first time, it's awesome. I enjoy every single day I get to be here."
What did it take for you to get here four years later from playing Canadian university hockey?
"It all kind of started back in university, they gave me a chance. Talking with my agent, I got a coast [ECHL] offer right after that year and decided just to bet on myself and keep working hard. That's kind of how the conversation started. I knew it was a coast deal, but I wanted to look myself in the mirror at the end of the day and say, 'At least I tried. I didn't wait four years.' You know, I'd be finishing my university career right now. I wanted to just give it a chance and at the end of the day say if I didn't make it, at least I tried."
That was when you went to Adirondack. What was that like?
"I played eight games and then they sent their NHL contracts down and I was released from my contract. Then the Washington Capitals reached out to me. I was at their camp the previous summer and they reached out to me with an AHL/ECHL deal and that's where it started. All I really needed was a start, someone to believe in me. That's kind of all I've ever really needed is just that one opportunity and then let my play do the talking, slowly grind my way and work my way up from there."
Did you get comfortable as an NHL player last year, or are you now getting comfortable in this role this season?
"I think last year it was obviously awesome. We had a pretty good stretch there and almost made the playoffs. But this year there was still some doubt, was it a fluke or do I belong? The first five or 10 games I just settled in and now I'm just coming to work every day."
You said a few minutes ago that you're just happy to be here. Is that still your mentality, like pinch me I'm in the NHL, or is it different, like this is work and I need to make a difference?
"Obviously, every day I'm here I am happy to be here, but now that I'm here and I do still watch a lot of hockey, I want to be a name that people talk about. I want to be a game-changer. I want to be a top guy and I'm going to keep pushing for that."
