By Erica Whyte / Rochester Americans
It didn’t take long for forward Tage Thompson to stand out at the AHL level, and not only because he is 6-foot-5.
After playing most of the NHL season with the Buffalo Sabres, where he tallied 12 points (7+5) in 65 games, the 21-year-old was sent to Rochester and made an immediate impact by recording five points (4+1) in his first three games as an Amerk. By the end of the regular season, Thompson notched nine points (6+3) in eight games, using his size and speed to establish himself as both an offensive weapon and a major contributor to Rochester’s special teams’ squad.
“I think I learned a lot throughout the course of the year in Buffalo,” Thompson reflected on locker cleanout day. “Coming down here was a big confidence builder for me, and I think when you have confidence it helps develop your game.”
“Maybe at times in Buffalo I was gripping my stick a little bit tight and was maybe a little too nervous to make plays,” the Phoenix, Arizona, native continued of his time with the big club. “So, coming down here with this group of guys, and with ‘Tayls’ as a coach, he reinforced that it’s alright to make mistakes, just go out there and have fun and work hard.”
Following a successful Development Camp and Prospects Challenge last summer where he played alongside Sabres young guns and was coached by Amerks head coach Chris Taylor, it took Thompson no time to integrate into the young, dynamic Amerks group.
“The guys are great. I’ve trained and skated with most of them in the summer in Buffalo before the season started, so I think coming down here and knowing some of them helped ease me into the transition,” he explained.
“They’re just great guys all the way around. They put the team first, they put everyone in front of themselves, and when you have a room like that, it makes it really easy to play in.”
Looking towards the offseason, Thompson will be focusing on one thing specifically: filling out his frame.
“I’m tall, obviously. I need to fill out. I’m a little skinny right now. Working on that and getting stronger,” he said. “Once I do that, I’ll be able to use my body more, taking pucks to the net, and using my size to hold guys off.”
As the son of Brent Thompson, former NHLer and current head coach of the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and younger brother, Tyce, who plays for Providence College, Thompson explained that he will be back to training relatively soon after returning home to Connecticut.
His summer plans are pretty simple:
“I’ll be working out and skating with my dad and my brother.”