From Undrafted to Unstoppable: Logan Thompson’s Capitals Story

Written by Emily Vasseur, LCPC

Logan Thompson is only one of 91 undrafted players currently playing in the National Hockey League. Of those 91, there are only seven undrafted goaltenders currently playing during the 2025-2026 season. In the Capitals’ fanbase, he has become someone that fans can put their faith in and know he is going to take the game seriously and lay it all on the line to win hockey games. While arriving to the Capitals in June 2024, be brought with him a reputation built on perseverance, preparation, and earning every opportunity. Thompson’s journey is not an exception within the organization, but part of a larger pattern. The Capitals have become a place where overlooked or conventional paths are not just accepted, but embraced – their own version of an Island of Misfit Toys.

The Train with Square Wheels was one of the misfit toys introduced in Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964). It’s a toy that can’t run properly because it has square wheels, making it somewhat useless by conventional standards. Like the other misfit toys, the story goes on to highlight how it is not broken, but just needs to find a place where it is valued, accepted, and appreciated for what it is. This is a great metaphor for Logan Thompson’s story. He may have now followed a transitional or expected path to get to the NHL, but when he was given trust, opportunity, and the right environment, he has been known to flourish.

Thompson was initially underestimated. He had to work hard to prove himself. He attended Brock University in Ontario and balanced hockey, school, and a large amount of outside pressure. He reported moments of doubt, testing his mental resilience, stating “There were times where I wanted to quit, because I was just kind of over it.” (Silber, 2025). He stayed committed to his dreams and went on to sign an entry-level deal with the Vegas Golden Knights after proving himself, despite previous critics doubting his performance (Vegas Golden Knights, 2020). He was then recently acquired by Washington where he has shown elite focus and consistency, currently seated consistently in the top five goalies in the NHL league his 2024-2025 season.

Though Thompson has been consistent, there was one game this season that the writer wants to highlight. On November 23, 2025, Thompson gave up four goals on six shots, something not like his typical statistics (Cerullo, 2025). He was then pulled from the goal and replaced by Charlie Lindgren, Coach Carberry stating in a post-game huddle that he was for “momentum.” He was then put in goal for the following game. This is something that does not always happen in hockey. 

The goalie position is an extremely mental position and getting pulled could have easily impacted Thompson’s confidence. Instead, he bounced back and went into the net on November 24, 2025 and registered a .957 save percentage. The writer credits a large part of this to the mental resilience that Thompson developed through a career that required him to prove himself repeatedly. Research in sports psychology shows that athletes who experience early career challenges often develop stronger persistence and self-efficacy, which directly impacts their performance under pressure (Carron & Eyes, 2012; Bandura, 1997). For Thompson, facing setbacks like being undrafted and pulled mid-game likely strengthened his ability to manage stress, maintain focus, and bounce back quickly — key aspects of psychological resilience that elite goaltenders rely on. This mental toughness, combined with a supportive environment in Washington, has helped him translate confidence into measurable on-ice results.

Another important theme related to the world of sports psychology is psychological safety. Psychological safety is a concept from both organizational and sports psychology that refers to a person’s perception that they can take risks, speak up, and make mistakes without fear of punishment or rejection (Carron & Eys, 2012). The culture that the Capitals — and notably Coach Carbery — have built in Washington promotes this feeling throughout the locker room. For a coach to put a goalie back in after a rough start just a day prior sends a powerful message of trust. It shows confidence not only in Thompson’s performance, but also in the journey he has taken to reach this point. As Carbery states, “He's taken that to another level. His level of focus… that is a very, very mentally strong person. His mental toughness and just his mental fortitude and his focus, all of the things that go into the mental side of the game — which is so critical for goaltenders — he continues to improve” (Silber, 2025). For both the coach and the player, trusting that Thompson would step back on the ice, remain calm, and focus on one shot at a time reinforces a positive sense of confidence and safety — key ingredients for elite performance. This environment of trust and support sets the stage to view Thompson as the Train with Square Wheels on the Capitals’ “Island of Misfit Toys,” a player whose unconventional path and perseverance have allowed him to thrive in the right setting.

Logan Thompson’s journey demonstrates how the right environment, combined with mental resilience, can allow a player to unlock his full potential. The Capitals’ culture of belonging, trust, and patience supports athletes in overcoming early setbacks, building confidence, and performing at their best. Concepts from sports psychology, such as psychological safety and self-efficacy, help explain why players like Thompson can rebound after challenges and thrive in a high-pressure environment (Carron & Eys, 2012; Bandura, 1997).

Like the Jack-in-the-Box or the Train with Square Wheels from the “Island of Misfit Toys,” each story highlights how being valued, trusted, and supported allows players to flourish. This narrative of redemption, confidence, and growth is just one piece of the Capitals’ approach. Future posts will explore other players, as well as Coach Carbery and the team’s leadership, to see how the same principles continue to shape the team and help athletes of all backgrounds find their place and perform at their highest level.

References (APA 7th edition)

Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W.H. Freeman.

Carron, A. V., & Eys, M. A. (2012). Group dynamics in sport (4th ed.). Fitness Information Technology.

Cerullo, C. (2025, November 24). Logan Thompson to start against Blue Jackets after giving up four goals on six shots in last start. Russian Machine Never Breaks. https://russianmachineneverbreaks.com/2025/11/24/logan-thompson-start-capitals-blue-jackets-goaltenders/

Silber, S. (2025, December 19). How Capitals’ Logan Thompson went from nearly quitting to becoming a top NHL goalie. The Hockey News. https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/how-capitals-logan-thompson-went-nearly-quitting-to-becoming-a-top-nhl-goalie

Vegas Golden Knights. (2020, July 13). VGK sign goaltender Logan Thompson to two‑year entry‑level contract. NHL.com. https://www.nhl.com/goldenknights/news/vgk-sign-goaltender-logan-thompson-to-two-year-entry-level-contract-317405106