Logan Thompson has a laser-focused mindset entering the 2025-26 NHL season.
“I just want to win games,” the 28-year-old netminder told reporters Thursday after the Washington Capitals’ first practice of training camp. “I don’t want to get scored on.”
Thompson, 28, returns for his second season as the Capitals’ number-one netminder after landing in DC via trade in the summer of 2024 and wants to build upon the success of the previous year’s campaign.
“I want to do my job and help get as many wins for the Washington Capitals as I can,” he continued. “Get back to where we were last year. Keep proving people wrong.”
In his first year with the Capitals, Thompson posted a sparkling 31-6-6 record with a 2.49 GAA and .910 save percentage. The top-level performance earned him a fourth-place finish in Vezina Trophy voting, and his win total was the most tallied by a Capitals goalie since Braden Holtby in 2018-19 (32 wins).
The Capitals’ race to the top of the Eastern Conference standings was in part fueled by Thompson’s heroics and his almost undefeated early record. He’d love to repeat that same kind of success, but he’s still keeping expectations realistic.
“There’s lots to build off. I don’t think I’ll go 22-2 at Christmas. I think that’s going to be pretty hard to duplicate,” Thompson said Thursday. “There’s a lot of positives to build on and obviously there’s a lot to learn from last year.”
Thompson could hit a significant career milestone before the holidays if he gets off to a similarly hot start. He needs 13 more wins to reach 100 in his career, and if he reaches the mark before playing his 166th career game, he’ll land among the top 10 fastest in NHL history to do so.
“I’m just going to come here with a positive attitude and try and play as hard as I can every time I get the chance,” he added.
Thompson brought in his childhood coach, Justin Cardinal, from his native Calgary to work with Capitals’ goalie coach Scott Murray during training camp. He believes it will help him get “back to the fundamentals” and “reset” ahead of the season.
“I think it’s good to get to another perspective. [Cardinal has] worked with me since I was nine or eight years old, so it’s just good to start from scratch again,” Thompson said. “I think it helps Scotty maybe see things that he doesn’t, or maybe an easier way to kind of get through to me. Sometimes I can be a little boneheaded, but it’s good to have two sets of goalie coaches here.”
After signing a six-year, $35.1 million contract extension with the club in January, Thompson stayed in the DC area over the summer. He served as a guest coach alongside Holtby at development camp and was one of the first Capitals players to hit the ice for informal skates ahead of training camp.
The Capitals’ top goaltender could get his first taste of preseason action on September 21 against the Boston Bruins.
