On Wednesday, Dallas Stars assistant GM Mark Janko told DLLS that Thomas Harley and Wyatt Johnston were ‘very close’ to making Team Canada at the 4 Nations Face-Off.
On Thursday, Harley was reportedly making plans to fly to Boston as an emergency alternate after Shea Theodore was ruled out for the remainder of the tournament with an injury.
Things change fast.
Harley is likely cutting his vacation short and jumping at the opportunity of potentially playing for Canada, something most players also wouldn’t think twice about. Whether he is flying to Boston with a sunburn or farmer’s tan, we will have to wait to find out.
Whether he will even play in the tournament is also something we need to wait to find out. In fact, he may not even be able to take part in any team practices or meetings.
Harley is really a “break glass in case of emergency” option for Canada. As long as they have six healthy defensemen available, Harley can’t officially join the team. Rosters are limited to 23 players, meaning each nation can really only carry one extra forward and defenseman — Travis Sanheim was the blue line scratch in the win against Sweden and will be replacing Theodore in the lineup for the time being.
Unfortunately, Harley’s only chance of playing would come with another injury on the Canadian blue line, which is something nobody is hoping for.
If he does get his shot, it will be the third time he has dawned the red maple leaf on his chest. Harley last played for Canada at the 2021 World Junior Championship, where he tallied one goal in seven games.
Harley was born in Syracuse, New York, but his duel citizenship allowed him to choose which side to play for internationally. He opted for Canada.
The best news out of all of this is what it means for the 2026 Milan Winter Olympics. With NHL players returning to the Olympics for the first time since 2014, the door is wide open for Harley to play on the biggest international stage.
Clearly, Hockey Canada believes he is among the top eight defensemen available right now. Plus, Olympic teams will be allowed to carry 22 skaters (two more than 4 Nations) and three goalies, so the chances for Harley are even better.
The same can be said for Johnston and Matt Duchene, who Janko also said were in the conversation for this tournament.
If anyone had doubts that Thomas Harley was ready to be a full-time top-four NHL defenseman, I think those doubts have been flushed down the toilet, hopefully never to resurface in the form of a clog (for all you DieHards).
I asked Stars coach Pete DeBoer about Harley after Alex Pietrangelo announced he would not play in the tournament. DeBoer said that Harley will not only play for Canada in the future, but that he should be in the conversation right now. Harley said he wouldn’t pick himself for the 4 Nations if he were a betting man.
I think he has already proven himself wrong. And if Harley gets into a game in this tournament, I’m guessing he will happily admit just how wrong he was.
