Report: Thomas Harley Will Travel to Boston to Stand on Guard as Team Canada's Emergency Backup Defenseman

There’s nothing like Boston in February, they say

Esa Lindell may not be the only Dallas Stars defenseman participating in the 4 Nations Face-Off after all.

After Team Canada lost Shea Theodore to injury in their opening game of the tournament against Sweden Wednesday night, the team was down to just the bare minimum of six defensemen.

Rumors swirled about what options they had for depth, but word came out from Chris Johnston on Thursday afternoon that Thomas Harley would be making his way to Boston tomorrow as a stand-by, in case Team Canada loses another defenseman:

While Hockey Canada declined to confirm the identity of its standby player, league sources said that 23-year-old defenseman Thomas Harley of the Dallas Stars was scheduled to travel to the Boston area on Friday. Like Theodore, he’s a left shot with some power-play acumen. He’s also a former world under-18 and World Juniors player who will be on the radar for the 2026 Olympics and other major international tournaments beyond it.

It’s an odd procedure for the tournament, as Harley can’t technically participate in team activities such as practice unless Canada loses another defenseman. He’s basically just supposed to stay in town as a “in case of emergency” option for Canada, should a player fall ill or get injured before or during Saturday’s tilt against the U.S.A., Monday’s game against Finland, or (should Canada qualify) the championship game a week from today.

Harley’s selection may have been slightly less surprising to folks who heard the DLLS Stars podcast yesterday with assistant GM Mark Janko, who said this of Harley and Wyatt Johnston: “[They] almost made it. If [Team Canada] would have had another injury or two, I think you probably would have seen both those guys on it.”

Notably, Harley was asked about the possibility of being selected for the 4 Nations Face-Off by Mike Heika back on January 28. You can watch that interview here. When asked about the possibility of making the team, Harley shrugged it off, even though Pete DeBoer had said he thought Harley should be “in the conversation” for a spot on the team.

“It’s pretty cool,” said Harley of DeBoer’s comments. “If I was a betting man, I don’t know if it’s gonna be me. It’d be cool if it was, but just gonna continue to play my game.”

It’s a good thing Harley isn’t a betting man, turns out.

As most folks know, Harley was born in New York to Canadian parents, but chose to represent Canada on the international level in juniors. Harley was cut from the 2020 Canadian World Juniors team, but played for the 2021 team (notably after having played an NHL game in the 2020 Edmonton bubble).

When asked about the process of choosing to play for Team Canada, Harley was unequivocal:

“I was raised a Canadian, so I do cheer for Canada. But you know, it’s gonna be some great hockey to watch. Best on best is always very entertaining, and you see who rises to the challenge.

Those words turned out to be prescient, as Harley gets the call (polite request?) to be the equivalent of an emergency backup goalie for Team Canada’s defense.

Of course, everyone will be hoping no further injuries happen. But if the intensity and pace of the Canada/USA game on Saturday night is anywhere close to the first game of the tournament, there’s no telling what might happen.

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More than anything, this [selection/notice/friendly request to stay in town] proves what Stars fans have been seeing for a while: Thomas Harley has arrived. Of course, Team Canada has Jim Nill as an associate general manager and Pete DeBoer as an assistant coach, so it’s not like Harley is being plucked by people who are unfamiliar with him. But as of today, a whole lot more people are realizing just how good the Stars’ defenseman is.

In 2022-23, Harley was a late-season recall for Dallas who became a staple in the playoffs, playing 16-17 minutes per night. In 2023-24, Harley stepped up as the team’s number one defenseman when Miro Heiskanen went down with an injury, tallying 15 goals and 47 points as the Stars finished first in the Western Conference. Harley would average nearly 24 minutes a night in the playoffs while putting up a +8 plus/minus, with both marks leading the Stars’ defense.

And this year, Harley has once again had to step up after Mark Stone collided with Heiskanen’s knee, taking out Heiskanen for what seems likely to be the next month or two. That means Harley is all but certain to spent the next couple of months as the Stars’ top blueliner, including taking over top power play duties.

While the Stars might be hoping that Harley doesn’t need to play in the tournament at all, it’s a pretty massive honor even to be almost-selected, or whatever you call this. It also shows just how much recognition Harley has earned, that he’s the next man up for such a stacked team as Canada.

If you have to cut a vacation short, I suppose this is a pretty good reason to do so.