Name: Tage Thompson
2015/16 Team: University of Connecticut (NCAA)
Stats: 34GP, 14 goals, 18 assists, 32 points, 12 PIMS, -14
Future Considerations Ranking: NR
NHL Comparable Player: James Van Reimsdyk
Tage Thompson is a huge power forward. Standing at 6’5″, 185lbs he is tall but needs to put on some more muscle. Thompson is a force to be reckoned with and often is the first player on the forecheck and often settles in front of the net aiming for the tip in or to cause havoc in front of opposing goalies.
While he has good playmaking skills he plays a simple game, going from A to B as fast as he can without using fancy moves.
Thompson is also a defensively responsible forward. This isn’t just code for, he is big and can push people around, he knows where he should be and what he should be doing to cut down the shooting options. It says a lot that the University of Connecticut have been known to play him as a defenseman during their penalty kill. I suspect if the Dallas Stars were to draft him it wouldn’t be as a defenseman but as a forward.
His numbers in the NCAA are pretty impressive for a first year player and shows that his overall game is solid. He might not be the flashiest player in the world but he’ll be a big body and a team player.
Like many players who are very tall his skating is a work in progress. While it has been improving steadily it isn’t the strongest element of his game. To make it in the NHL he would need to get a bit quicker and more mobile.
Fortunately Thompson will have plenty of time in the NCAA to work on his skating and to fill out his giant frame for a move to the professional leagues in the future.
While he is listed as a center he has played on the right wing, giving him some versatility in where he fits in the line up.
Will the Dallas Stars see a future power forward in Thompson and decide to take him 25th overall in the draft?