Buffalo Sabres superstar Tage Thompson received a call from Team USA general manager Bill Guerin ahead of February's 4 Nations Face-Off to inform him he didn't make the final American roster, a decision that caught the two-time 40-goal scorer off guard.
"When I received the news, obviously it sucked," Thompson told ESPN's Emily Kaplan in an interview released Tuesday. "That was a big goal of mine and I wanted to be on the team. To be honest with you, I felt like I would do a good enough job last year."
Although the 27-year-old Arizona native was brought in as an emergency injury replacement for the championship clash against Canada, he didn't see the ice as the Edmonton Oilers' Connor McDavid scored the game-winning overtime goal in a 3-2 Canadian triumph for the gold medal.
Now, Thompson is aiming to do everything in his power to make sure he's on the plane to Italy as part of the American delegation at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Thompson talks Winter Games
The 2016 first-round pick has come a long way since arriving to Buffalo in the July 2018 blockbuster trade sending Ryan O'Reilly to the St. Louis Blues. He went from almost being labeled a bust to emerging as one of the NHL's most lethal scorers.
Thompson, a 6-foot-6 behemoth who moves with a nimbleness of someone far smaller, told Kaplan he's worked tirelessly to become a far more well-rounded player with an eye toward earning a consistent place on the United States national team.
"In the early stages of my career, I was in a different role and was playing more of a fourth, third line checking, defending role," the standout forward said. "As I've progressed in my career, I've been given opportunities to move up, with the ability to score and create plays. If that's something they already have and they don't need, then I also believe with my size and my speed, I can play pretty much any role that they need me to. PK, power play, whatever."
Competition for a spot on the roster in Italy will be fierce, so proving he doesn't need first-line and power-play minutes to make a significant impact will be crucial.
For his part, the University of Connecticut is confident he's up to the task.
"You're looking at the 25 best players in the country," Thompson told Kaplan. "So now it's, what role are you going to play and who is going to do their job the best? I believe I can do any of those roles the best."
Tage's impact at the 2025 World Championships
After the Sabres failed to qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the 14th straight year, Thompson joined Team USA at May's 2025 IIHF World Championship.
The center played well with nine points (six goals and three assists) across 10 tournament games. The highlight came two minutes into overtime of the gold-medal game as he unleashed a wicker wrister from the top of the circle to secure a 1-0 championship victory for the Americans.
It marked the first time Team USA finished atop the podium at the event since 1933.
"It's a crazy stat," Thompson told reporters. "It's something that everyone in that room took to heart. When we got here, we all knew we wanted to be a part of something special, and I think each guy in that room committed, whether you were playing power play, top minutes, or you were in and out of the lineup or not playing at all. Everybody was positive, pulling for each other and after one common goal. That's why we won."
He previously helped the United States win gold medals at the 2015 U-18 World Championships and the 2017 World Junior Championships.
Star's uncertain role with the 2025-26 Sabres
Thompson will arrive to Buffalo training camp this month facing questions about where he'll play, center or wing? His breakout seasons came in the middle of the ice, but his offensive production remained strong as he shifted out to right wing midway through last season.
It'll represent another opportunity for the Sabres cornerstone to show Team USA executives his versatility, which is a key component of building a small roster for a short tournament.
Regardless of where he lines up, recent history suggests Tage will be highly effective. He's averaged nearly a point per game (290 points in 303 appearances) across the past four seasons despite playing for a franchise that's unfortunately become an NHL laughingstock.
If he can deliver those type of numbers while often being asked to single-handedly carry an offense entirely on his broad shoulders, there's no reason to believe he couldn't provide elite production while playing with an American squad that should seriously contend for gold in Italy.
All told, as long as Thompson puts together a strong first half of the new campaign, he should find his name on the Team USA Olympic roster early next year.