Sabres assistant coach Seth Appert, a coach with USA Hockey before joining the Rochester Americans in 2020, helped develop several of the stars competing for gold at Milano Cortina 2026 – personal relationships that only added to Wednesday’s stress.
“I was still in here in the coaches’ war room, by myself, definitely talking to the television – sometimes yelling at the television,” Appert said. “But the hockey’s been fabulous. You could probably argue yesterday was one of the greatest days that our sport has seen, in terms of three overtime games, the quality of hockey, three games that were tied late. It was a great day for our sport.”
Michigan-born forward Josh Norris, too, is close with much of the American roster, so he’s been similarly proud of their tournament so far.
“Some of those guys on the team, I’ve been friends with since I was 15, 16. Just really cool to see a dream for them come true, and all the work they’ve put in,” Norris said. “I think U.S. hockey is in a really good spot, and their team’s so deep and so good.”
The Buffalo coaching staff, though not present in Italy, helped inform Team USA’s usage of Thompson, who has two goals in four Olympic games – including one as a fixture on the Americans’ top power-play unit.
Thompson often mans the left flank on the Sabres’ power play, but the 6-foot-6 forward has been a dangerous net-front presence for the U.S. He also created power-play goals down low in Buffalo’s last two games before the break.