“I think it fits me well”: Logan Thompson enjoys playoff limelight with Washington Capitals

From being ignored at age 10 to excelling in the playoffs at the NHL, Logan Thompson 's path to the crease for the Washington Capitals has been anything but normal. But now, the 28-year-old goalie is seizing the moment he's waited a long time for—and doing it while wearing a number that few others were willing to wear.
Wearing No. 48 with pride: Logan Thompson’s number reflects a career defined by perseverance
Logan Thompson, who sports No. 48, says the numbers represent the road he's traveled: frequently overlooked, ever struggling for an opportunity. “I feel like no one really wanted me along the way and no one wanted that number. So I think it fits me well,” he told NHL.com. “I love that number, and I wear it with pride,” he said. “It’s been, I think, my whole life, and it’s still happening, not getting chances or being written off by people around the League. The only things I have are me, my work ethic and my number, and the guys in this dressing room. So I just enjoy it all I can.”
That underdog mindset is fueling a breakout playoff run.
“He’s our wall back there,” Capitals forward Tom Wilson said. “He’s calm. He just keeps us in every single game. It’s nice having a goalie that’s going to give it his all. He’s been our MVP all year and he’s playing great.”
Logan Thompson's play is all the more significant considering his tough journey to this point. After remaining undrafted and with no ECHL offers after a stellar WHL career in Brandon, the Calgary native attended Brock University . There, he had a 2.22 GAA and .934 save percentage in 2018–19, earning a pro tryout with Adirondack in the ECHL and subsequently signing with South Carolina, Washington's affiliate, in 2019.
He shared time in goal with Parker Milner, who remembered Thompson's competitive fire. “He was really a gamer, and I think that’s proven to be true across the rest of his career,” Milner said.
“Coming back to an organization that knows me and gave me a chance from the start, I think it should show a lot of people around the League that this team didn’t give up on me,” Thompson said. “They know who I am. They know that I’m not perfect, but they believe in me, and it means a lot.”
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Washington cemented their faith in Thompson by inking him to a six-year, $35.1 million extension last January, keeping him out of free agency. And yes — he finally got to wear No. 48 again.