Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins forward Christian Thomas was named to Team Canada's roster for the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang.
Thomas is in his first season in the Penguins organization, signed to an AHL contract in September. He's recorded nine goals and eight assists in 23 games this season.
At 25, Thomas is the youngest player on Canada's roster. Former Pittsburgh Penguins Andrew Ebbett, Rob Klinkhammer, and Maxim Lapierre also made the cut. Former Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguin Chris Lee is the oldest player on the roster, at 37.
"It’s a dream come true,” Thomas said in a press release by the team. “You never believe growing up that you’ll have the chance or an opportunity to play in an Olympics. It’s just a great opportunity."
This is not Thomas' first time representing his country in an international tournament. Thomas first played for Canada at the 2010 IIHF World U18 Championships. He's played for Canada in two pre-Olympic tournaments this season, the Karjala Cup and the Spengler Cup. He scored one goal in three games in the Karjala Cup, as Canada placed fourth. Thomas tallied one assist in four games as Canada won the Spengler Cup:
I spoke with coach Clark Donatelli one-on-one on Wednesday, and he discussed the possibility of Thomas making the roster.
"I know he had a really good tournament over there, he's been playing really well for us," Donatelli told me. "We're hoping for him, and he's a really good player. He'd be ecstatic and we'd be really happy for him. Anytime you get the chance to represent your country, it'd be great. It's an awesome experience of a lifetime, experience and memories you're going to create and long-lasting friendships. So that's just an awesome experience."
Thomas received some stick taps -- and ribbing -- on social media from his teammates:
Congrats to @cpt27 !! #olympian pic.twitter.com/H7qW7pvsZP
— Frank Corrado (@frankcorrado22) January 11, 2018
@cpt27 it’s been an honor being your personal skills coach ??#AmericanSkill ?? https://t.co/7Q6s9FZvCl
— Patrick McGrath (@P_McGrath13) January 11, 2018
Team Canada will play their first game in the preliminary round on Feb. 11 against Russia. The men's gold medal game is Feb. 25.
Canada's full roster can be seen here.