""I mean, I kind of knew. I had a slow start last year," he told ESPN last week. "There are so many great players in Canada. Even if I went out and played great and didn't make the team, it's not like I was going to be butt-hurt.""
""Going into the second half of the season, it was extra motivation to show them that I could play," he said. "That maybe I did belong out there. I used it to fuel my game and push it in the right direction.""
""Obviously I was upset, but I used it as motivation," Keller said. "I think I played my best hockey of the year after that. We really came out strong and made a push for the playoffs""
""probably not gonna be the exact lineup that we take to the Olympics.""
The NHL will pause its season for the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy, creating renewed competition for national-team roster spots. Many players responded to omission from 4 Nations Face-Off rosters by using the snub as motivation to improve performance and strengthen Olympic cases. Connor Bedard accepted his exclusion after a slow start, while Tage Thompson and Clayton Keller said being left off spurred stronger second-half play and playoff pushes. Thompson recorded 24 points in 27 games after the break, including 18 goals. Players from Canada, the U.S., Sweden and Finland competed at the 4 Nations, and many will carry over to Olympic rosters, though final selections remain fluid.
Read at ESPN.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]