Tage Thompson

Tage Thompson
Thompson with the St. Louis Blues in 2017
Born	(1997-10-30) October 30, 1997 (age 27) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S.
Height	6 ft 6 in (198 cm)
Weight	220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb)
Position	Center
Shoots	Right
NHL team Former teams	Buffalo Sabres St. Louis Blues
National team	United States
NHL draft	26th overall, 2016 St. Louis Blues
Playing career	2017–present

Tage Nathaniel Thompson (born October 30, 1997) is an American professional ice hockey center and alternate captain for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League (NHL). Thompson was selected 26th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the 2016 NHL entry draft. Thompson played his collegiate hockey at the University of Connecticut.

Early life

Thompson was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and lived across the United States, attending 11 different schools before accelerating his graduation from Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, after his junior year, at the University of Connecticut's request. ^[1]

Playing career

After playing in the U.S. National Development Team in the United States Hockey League, Thompson embarked on a collegiate career with Connecticut in the Hockey East conference. Thompson appeared in all 36 games during his freshman season at UConn in 2015–16 and was second on the team with 32 points on 14 goals and 18 assists. He also led the nation with 14 power play goals. ^[2] Thompson wears jersey number #72 with his current team the Buffalo Sabres.

In the 2016–17 season, and after his selection by the Blues in the draft, Thompson appeared in 34 games with the Huskies as a sophomore. He missed two games while participating with Team USA in the IIHF World Junior U20 Championship in Canada which resulted in Thompson earning his second Gold Medal. During his 34 games, Thompson led the Huskies with 19 goals and 32 points. ^[3] After the completion of the Huskies season, Thompson opted to conclude his collegiate career and signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the St. Louis Blues on March 7, 2017. ^[4] He immediately joined the Blues affiliate, the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, on an amateur try-out contract for the remainder of the 2016–17 season.

Thompson made his NHL debut in the Blues' first game of the 2017–18 season against the Pittsburgh Penguins on October 4, 2017. ^[5] He played four NHL games before being sent down to the San Antonio Rampage on October 13. ^[6] He was recalled to the NHL on December 18, and scored his first NHL goal three days later, in a 3–2 loss against the Edmonton Oilers. ^{[7] [8]}

On July 1, 2018, he was part of a trade by the Blues that sent Patrik Berglund, Vladimír Sobotka and a 2019 first-round draft pick, and a 2021 second-round draft pick to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Ryan O'Reilly. ^[9]

On October 5, 2020, as a restricted free agent, Thompson signed a three-year, $4.2 million contract extension with the Sabres. ^[10]

Entering the 2021–22 season with low expectations for the Sabres, Thompson enjoyed a breakout season playing on the top line with Jeff Skinner and new acquisition Alex Tuch. He tallied his first career hat-trick on February 19, 2022, in a 5–3 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. ^[11] He would finish the season with 38 goals and 68 points in 78 games. On August 30, Thompson signed a seven-year, $50 million contract extension with the Sabres. ^[12]

Thompson in a game against the Seattle Kraken in 2022.

On October 31, 2022, Thompson scored a hat-trick and tallied three assists in an 8–3 win over the Detroit Red Wings. He was the sixth player in franchise history to collect six points in a game, ^[13] and he would do so again a little over one month later. On December 7, against the Columbus Blue Jackets, he scored five goals in a game including four in the first period, becoming the fourth player in NHL history to do so. He added an assist for a total of six points. His five goals also tied the Sabres franchise record for goals in a game, joining Dave Andreychuk. ^[14] He also became only the second American-born player to score five times in a game; the first one, Mark Pavelich, did it 39 years before Thompson. ^[15] In January 2023, he was named to the 2023 NHL All Star Game, the first of his career, but would be replaced by defenseman Rasmus Dahlin due to injury. ^{[16] [17]} On February 23, Thompson became the first Sabres player to record four hat-tricks in a season since Drew Stafford in 2010–11, doing so in a 6–5 overtime win versus the Tampa Bay Lightning. ^[18] Three days later, on February 26, he scored in a 7–4 win against the Washington Capitals, becoming a 40-goal scorer for the first time in his career, and the first player to do so for the Sabres since Jeff Skinner in 2018–19. ^[19] Later in the season, he became the first Sabres player to record 90 points in a season since Daniel Brière did so in 2006–07, picking up an assist in a 2–1 loss to the Florida Panthers. ^[20] In 2023–24, his output per game dropped by 35% from the previous season, scoring 56 points in 71 games.

Personal life

Thompson's father, Brent Thompson, is a former NHL player and current assistant coach for the Anaheim Ducks. At the time Tage was born, Brent was a member of the Phoenix Coyotes organization. ^[21] His mother, Kimberly Oliver Thompson, hails from Phoenix, Arizona. His younger brother, Tyce is forward in the New York Islanders farm system. ^[22]

Thompson is a Christian. ^[23] He and his wife have two sons. ^[24]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2013–14	P.A.L. Jr. Islanders 16U AAA	USPHL		16	17	14	31	8		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	U.S. NTDP Juniors	USHL		25	7	7	14	20		—	—	—	—	—
2014–15	U.S. NTDP U18	USDP		64	12	14	26	32		—	—	—	—	—
2015–16	University of Connecticut	HE		36	14	18	32	12		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	University of Connecticut	HE		34	19	13	32	24		—	—	—	—	—
2016–17	Chicago Wolves	AHL		16	1	1	2	2		10	2	1	3	4
2017–18	St. Louis Blues	NHL		41	3	6	9	12		—	—	—	—	—
2017–18	San Antonio Rampage	AHL		30	8	10	18	4		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		65	7	5	12	20		—	—	—	—	—
2018–19	Rochester Americans	AHL		8	6	3	9	4		3	2	0	2	2
2019–20	Rochester Americans	AHL		16	6	6	12	8		—	—	—	—	—
2019–20	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		1	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2020–21	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		38	8	6	14	17		—	—	—	—	—
2021–22	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		78	38	30	68	37		—	—	—	—	—
2022–23	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		78	47	47	94	39		—	—	—	—	—
2023–24	Buffalo Sabres	NHL		71	29	27	56	43		—	—	—	—	—
NHL totals				372	132	121	253	168		—	—	—	—	—

Medal record
Representing   United States
Ice hockey
World Championships
	2018 Denmark
	2021 Latvia
World Junior Championships
	2017 Canada
World U18 Championships
	2015 Switzerland

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2015	United States	WJC18			7	0	1	1	2
2017	United States	WJC			7	1	4	5	4
2018	United States	WC			10	1	2	3	16
2021	United States	WC			8	1	4	5	2
Junior totals					14	1	5	6	6
Senior totals					18	2	6	8	18

Awards and honors

Award	Year	Ref
College
HE Third All-Star Team	2017
NHL
NHL All-Star Game	2023	[25]

References

1. Olsen, Becky (May 26, 2015). "Tage Thompson Celebrates U18 Worlds Title With a Tumble". usahockeyntdp.com. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
2. "Tage Thompson player profile". Connecticut Huskies. January 2, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2016.
3. "UCONN Huskies Team Stats". Connecticut Huskies . March 2, 2017. Archived from the original on October 23, 2016. Retrieved March 2, 2017.
4. "Thompson agrees to three-year entry-level contract". St. Louis Blues. March 7, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
5. Pinkert, Chris (October 4, 2017). "Projected Lineup: Oct. 4 at Pittsburgh". NHL.com. St. Louis Blues. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
6. Pinkert, Chris (October 13, 2017). "Blues recall Blais from San Antonio". NHL.com. St. Louis: St. Louis Blues. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
7. Thomas, Jim (December 18, 2017). "Blues recall Thompson from San Antonio". Calgary, AB: St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
8. "Caggiula scores late, Oilers beat Blues for third straight win". Sportsnet.ca. Edmonton: Sportsnet. December 21, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2017. Thompson got a shot through traffic past Talbot for his first career NHL goal.
9. "Sabres sending forward Ryan O'Reilly to Blues". The Sports Network. July 1, 2018. Retrieved July 1, 2018.
10. Ryndak, Chris (October 5, 2020). "Sabres sign Thompson to 3-year contract". Buffalo Sabres . Retrieved October 5, 2020.
11. Ryndak, Chris. "Thompson's 1st-career hat trick comes in home loss to Colorado". NHL.com. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
12. LaBarber, Jourdon (August 30, 2022). "Sabres, Thompson agree to 7-year contract extension". NHL.com. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
13. LaBarber, Jourdon (November 1, 2022). "'One of those nights' | Thompson makes history with 6-point outing". NHL.com. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
14. Wyshynski, Greg (December 7, 2022). "Sabres' Tage Thompson ties team record with 5 goals vs. Columbus". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 8, 2022.
15. Merz, Craig (December 7, 2022). "Thompson scores five of nine Sabres goals in win against Blue Jackets". NHL.com. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
16. LaBarber, Jourdon (January 6, 2023). "'Pure excitement' | Thompson to represent Sabres at All-Star Game". NHL.com. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
17. "Dahlin replaces injured Sabres teammate Thompson at All-Star Game". TSN.ca. February 2, 2023. Retrieved July 24, 2023.
18. Long, Corey (February 23, 2023). "Sabres recover, defeat Lightning on short-handed OT goal". NHL.com. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
19. "Dylan Cozens scores 3 in Sabres' 7-4 rout of Capitals". ESPN. February 26, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
20. "Sabres' Tage Thompson: Game-time decision Thursday". CBSSports.com. April 6, 2023. Retrieved April 8, 2023.
21. Compton, Brian (October 9, 2017). "Thompson followed in father's footsteps to NHL with Blues". NHL.com. New York: NHL. Retrieved December 11, 2017.
22. Anthony, Mike (December 25, 2015). "UConn's Tage Thompson, Who Has A Sweet Shot, Owes Much To Tough-Guy Dad". Hartford Courant. Retrieved March 29, 2018.
23. "Tage Thompson's Testimony" . Retrieved February 21, 2020.
24. Lysowski, Lance (October 12, 2022). "'You want what's best for him:' How Tage Thompson's wife helped fuel his Sabres emergence". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on October 12, 2022. Retrieved October 14, 2022.
25. "2023 NHL All-Star Weekend: Everything you need to know". ESPN.com. January 6, 2023. Retrieved January 6, 2023.

External links

• Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com , or  Eliteprospects.com , or  Hockey-Reference.com , or  The Internet Hockey Database

Awards and achievements
Preceded by Robby Fabbri	St. Louis Blues first round draft pick 2016	Succeeded by Robert Thomas