Goaltender Logan Thompson has been nothing short of impressive in his first season with the Washington Capitals. He has started 27 games with the team, boasting a 23-2-3 record so far, and has made a fantastic addition to the goalie tandem alongside Charlie Lindgren. He recently signed a six-year, $35.1 million contract extension with Washington, meaning he’ll be hanging around the nation’s capital for the foreseeable future. Let’s take a look at Thompson’s past as we look forward to his future on the ice with the Capitals.
Early Life
Logan Thompson was born in Calgary, Alberta. His hockey career began fairly late by NHL standards, as he started his goaltending career with the Calgary Bisons of the U15 Alberta Midget Hockey League. His junior career began shortly after when he split the 2014-2015 season between the Grande Prairie Storm of the Alberta Junior Hockey League and the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League. He continued on with the Wheat Kings for three seasons and really made an impact– a .905 save percentage, a 63-41-10 record, and a WHL Championship appearance.
Logan Thompson’s College and Professional Hockey
The prolific goaltender moved forward in his career, finding himself joining the Ontario University Athletics team for the 2018-2019 season. He posted an 18-6-0 record and a .934 save percentage with the team. Thompson was also named to the Ontario University West Division All-Rookie and First All-Star teams, also winning the Rookie of the Year and Goalie of the Year awards. Clearly, Logan Thompson was something special. He signed an amateur tryout contract with the ECHL’s Adirondack Thunder and made eight appearances with the team. On a professional tryout contract with the AHL’s Binghamton Devils, he played just one game. In May 2019, the Washington Capitals’ AHL affiliate Hershey Bears signed Logan Thompson to a one-year contract, but he spent most of his time with the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. Something at the professional level was just not yet clicking for the netminder, but that would soon change.
Vegas Golden Knights
In July 2020, the Vegas Golden Knights signed Logan Thompson to a two-year, entry-level contract, starting him with the team’s AHL affiliate, the Henderson Silver Knights. He found much better successes that season, being named the AHL goaltender of the month in February before being recalled to Vegas to replace backup goalie Oscar Dansk. He made his NHL debut on March 11th, 2021, against the Minnesota Wild, where he posted a 4-3 loss. He was sent back down to Henderson afterward, where he would win the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the league’s best goalie for the 2020-2021 season. He was also named to the AHL’s All-Rookie and Pacific Division All-Star teams that season.
During his time under Vegas’ contract, he was named to the Canadian national team for the 2022 IIHF World Championship. He appeared in four games before suffering an injury, but ultimately helped the team take home a silver medal.
Thompson got his first official NHL start with the team on January 4th, 2022, where he stopped 23 shots but tallied a 3-2 loss to Nashville. He was, however, re-signed to a three-year contract extension. His first NHL win came on February 20th of that year with a 4-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks. The next month, he had a stellar performance over the Seattle Kraken to record his first NHL shutout. The next season, LT was named the Golden Knights’ starting goaltender after injuries to both Robin Lehner and Laurent Brossoit. He was named to the Pacific Division All-Star Team in 2023 and, despite injury, got to share in Vegas’ Stanley Cup victory that season. Throughout his time with the Golden Knights, he tallied a 56-32-11 record and a .934 save percentage, making him a big factor in the team’s success.
The Washington Capitals
Logan Thompson made a bold move and requested a trade from Vegas, as he knew he would never be the team’s primary starter. He was hungry for more–and he got what he wanted. Thompson was traded to the Washington Capitals during the 2024 NHL draft in exchange for two third-round picks. He has been the team’s starter for 27 games and has become a reliable, reflexive, and solid part of the team’s goalie tandem. He has been a large part of the Capitals’ season success, and his future in Washington is bright.
ITR 38: Quenneville is a Duck – Inside The Rink
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