Don Thompson (ice hockey)

Don Thompson
Don Thompson
Born	February 4, 1949 (age 75); Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
Weight	150 lb (68 kg; 10 st 10 lb)
Position	Forward
Played for	Michigan State ; New Haven Nighthawks
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1969–1975

Last updated February 09, 2024

Donald Thompson is a Canadian retired ice hockey forward who was an All-American for Michigan State.^[1]

Career

Thompson briefly played for the Niagara Falls Flyers in 1968–69 but soon left the team so he could register as a freshman at Michigan State University. In doing so, he would be able to count the year as his freshman season and begin to play as a sophomore on the varsity squad in 1970. Shortly after Thompson joined Michigan State, the NCAA changed its long-standing police to limit student athletes to three seasons of varsity play. Beginning with the 1969–70 season, all incoming players had four years of eligibility. As a consequence, when Thompson was named as the WCHA Sophomore of the Year for 1970, he was the final player to receive that award.

Despite the lost season, Thompson became a standout player for the Spartans in the early-1970s. He led the team in scoring in each of his three seasons with the club and was named an All-American in 1971.^[2] As a senior, he finished sixth in the nation in scoring. When Thompson graduated he was the Sparta's all-time leading scorer, however, nearly all of his records were surpassed due to the deluge of scoring that occurred in the mid-1970s.^[3]

After college, Thompson played senior hockey briefly before becoming a beneficiary of the rapid expansion of professional hockey. Due to both the NHL's and WHA's demand for players, Thompson was able to sign a professional contract with the New Haven Nighthawks. He played parts of two seasons with the team, providing depth scoring and helping them reach the second round in 1974.

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

			Regular Season					Playoffs
Season	Team	League	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM	GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
1966–67	Etobicoke Indians	MJBHL	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
1968–69	Niagara Falls Flyers	OHA	5	2	3	5	0	—	—	—	—	—
1969–70	Michigan State	WCHA	24	14	18	32	24	—	—	—	—	—
1970–71	Michigan State	WCHA	31	19	38	57	35	—	—	—	—	—
1971–72	Michigan State	WCHA	35	32	35	67	66	—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	Clinton Comets	EHL	5	2	3	5	2	—	—	—	—	—
1972–73	New Haven Nighthawks	AHL	33	2	12	14	8	—	—	—	—	—
1973–74	New Haven Nighthawks	AHL	61	9	17	26	14	10	4	1	5	2
1974–75	Peoria Blades	CnHL	—	0	4	4	2	—	—	—	—	—
NCAA Totals			90	65	91	156	125	—	—	—	—	—
AHL Totals			94	11	29	40	22	10	4	1	5	2

Awards and honors

Award	Year
All-WCHA First Team	1970–71	^[4]
AHCA West All-American	1970–71	^[1]
All-WCHA Second Team	1971–72	^[4]

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References

1 2 "1970-1971 All-American Team". The American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved 2017-06-21.
↑ Seibold, Jack (2003). Spartan Sports Encyclopedia: A History of the Michigan State Men's Athletic Program. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-1-58261-219-5.
↑ "Michigan State hockey 2018-19 Media Guide" (PDF). Michigan State Spartans. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
1 2 "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.

External links

Biographical information and career statistics from Eliteprospects.com , or The Internet Hockey Database

Awards and achievements
Preceded by George Morrison	WCHA Sophomore of the Year 1969–70	Succeeded by Award Discontinued

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[AHCA-1] 1 2 "1970-1971 All-American Team". The American Hockey Coaches Association. Retrieved 2017-06-21.

[2] Seibold, Jack (2003). Spartan Sports Encyclopedia: A History of the Michigan State Men's Athletic Program. Sports Publishing LLC. ISBN 978-1-58261-219-5.

[3] "Michigan State hockey 2018-19 Media Guide" (PDF). Michigan State Spartans. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 23, 2019. Retrieved March 4, 2021.

[WCHA-4] 1 2 "WCHA All-Teams". College Hockey Historical Archives. Retrieved May 19, 2013.

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Don Thompson
Born	(1949-02-04) February 4, 1949 (age 75) Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Height	5 ft 5 in (165 cm)
Weight	150 lb (68 kg; 10 st 10 lb)
Position	Forward
Played for	Michigan State New Haven Nighthawks
NHL Draft	Undrafted
Playing career	1969–1975