The Team USA roster is stacked with superstar forwards like Jack Eichel, Auston Matthews, and the Tkachuk brothers. The fact that Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson is projected to be on the third line shows how talented this group is.
While Thompson may be on the third line, he is in a position to make a major impact, and it wouldn't be surprising if he ended up leading the team in goals by the time the Olympics are over. During practices, he has been on a line with Kyle Connor and Dylan Larkin, two players who can score but also excel at setting up teammates for shots.
This line looks tailor-made for Thompson, who just needs him to get to his spots, and Connor and Larkin are going to find him for the one-timer.
Tage Thompson on Team USA's top power play unit should create plenty of scoring chances
The other reason he has a great chance to lead the team in goals is that he has been skating with the top power play unit for Team USA. According to The Athletic's Michael Russo, Thompson has been skating with Auston Matthews, Matthew Tkachuk, Jack Eichel, and Quinn Hughes as their number one power play unit.
While the Sabres' power play hasn't been very impressive, as they rank 16th in the league in power play goals and power play percentage, that is not due to Thompson. In fact, he is one of the reasons they have been able to keep this part of their game afloat with five power-play goals this season. At points in his career, he has shown to be excellent on the power play, like in the 2022-23 season when he had 20 power play goals.
It has been over a decade since NHL players have been able to participate in the Olympics. The last time was the 2014 Olympics, and that year, Phil Kessel led Team USA with five goals in six games. Thompson has been on quite a hot streak entering the tournament with eight goals in the last 12 NHL games.
There is no reason he can't keep that momentum going into these Olympics and finish with six or more goals.