BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson will be wearing a different jersey for a few weeks in February. On Tuesday, Thompson was officially named to the 2026 Men’s Olympic hockey roster. He was the only player from the Sabres to be named to Team USA.
This will be Thompson’s first trip to the Olympics, but not his first time representing his country. This past summer, Thompson scored the game-winning goal of the World Hockey Championships, which really helped solidify his spot on the Olympic roster.
“When I heard him say I was on the team, just kind of a big sigh of relief, excitement, a bunch of different emotions going through you at the same time,” Thompson told Jourdon LaBarber from Sabres.com. “Really cool. It’s a goal I’ve worked towards for a very long time and dreamt of as a kid. For it to be coming true now is pretty special.”
Thompson, 28, is from Phoenix, Arizona, and has spent the last eight seasons with the Sabres. This season, Thompson is the Sabres' leading goal scorer with 20 goals and 17 assists in 39 games. Since the start of the 2021-2022 season, Thompson has the second-most goals from any American-born player.
“Anytime you get to put that crest on and represent your country, it means a lot,” Thompson told LaBarber. “I mean, the men and women who sacrifice their lives so we can live the lives we do over here, it’s why I get to play the game. It’s special to me. I take a lot of pride in being an American.”
