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.
""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.""
Read at ESPN.com
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