Tage Thompson is one of two remaining pieces from the Ryan O’Reilly trade for the Buffalo Sabres to attempt to get some positivity out of that deal. The 22-year-old winger is entering an important season of his career. He needs to take that next step and show that he’s able to be a full-time NHL player.

To say the first year in Buffalo didn’t go well for Thompson would be a bit of an understatement. His 5 on 5 impact data ranked him as legitimately one of the worst forwards in the league during the 2018-19 season. He probably should have been sent down the AHL early that season to continue his development.

Instead, Thompson was in and out of the lineup for the majority of the year. The Sabres were trying to force something that wasn’t there in typical Jason Botterill fashion to make up for the loss in that trade.

Tracking Data

Once he was returned to the AHL, things started to turn around for the big winger. He finished the 18-19 campaign strong with the Rochester Amerks, but it was this season where he took some big strides.

The AHL doesn’t make play by play data publicly available, therefore, we are not able to look at things like on-ice shot attempts, shot quality, or even time on ice. If you want to get that information in the public forum it needs to be gathered manually by watching games.

Well, a perk of this website is I’m doing just that. I tracked 26 games last season in total for the Amerks, to this point. I’m tracking a variety of in-game stats to give us a better idea of how the players on that roster are performing.

Thompson only played 16 games in total this past season with the Amerks, but he graded out as the best overall player on the team. In the games I tracked, he led the team at 5 on 5 in overall shot share (69%), individual shot attempts per game, and overall primary shot contributions. He led all forwards in on-ice shot attempts for and shot attempts against per games played at 5 on 5.

He did all of this while receiving neutral deployment with 50% offensive-zone starts. His primary linemates during his time with the Amerks were Rasmus Asplund and Sean Malone. That line was pretty dominant when they were on the ice. It’s also worth noting that Asplund played his best hockey with Thompson. He wasn’t the same after he was out of the lineup with the injury.

In the 16 games he played, he scored six goals and 12 points. Both of which led the Amerks before he missed the remainder of the season.

Eye Test

Thompson was noticeable throughout the game in the majority of ones that I tracked. One of the concerns I had about him was his inability to use his size as an advantage. He wouldn’t use his 6’5″ frame to drive on defenders or shield the puck effectively on the walls.

One thing that is interesting about Thompson is that he wasn’t always one of the biggest players on the ice growing up. I talked with Pete Judge that is currently a US Scout for the Guelph Storm of the OHL, but he worked with Thompson when he was 16.

“I worked with him when he was 16 and he was about 5’10 at the beginning of that season. He’s obviously 22 now and has had a few years of being big, but I think he’s really had a tough time adjusting to being a ‘big guy’,” said Judge. Pete mentioned how Thompson wasn’t the biggest player on his team until he was 18-years-old. He finished his thoughts on Thompson with an interesting look statement on his future: “I think he has such a unique opportunity to be a guy that size with some outstanding skill when he figures out how to use his body.”

The Arizona-born winger made great strides in that area of his game in the AHL. Chris Taylor and his staff deserve credit for getting him to improve that aspect. I have a few videos to show you what I observed.

This first one is just a simple video of him using his size behind the net to shield the puck from a defender.

Here he uses his body again to control the puck and take it up the wall. He eventually finds Zach Redmond across the ice for a scoring chance.

The last one here he uses his size to drive on the defender and create a rebound that Malone cleans up.

Thompson was always aggressive on the puck and forechecking defenders when I watched the games back. He used that tenacity and his long reach to cause turnovers all over the ice. The clip below you’ll see him cause three turnovers in one shift.

In this next video, you’ll see him create a neutral zone turnover that results in a goal for his club.

That shoulder injury that forced him to miss almost the entire season was a shame. He was showing signs of turning things around and the Sabres could have probably used him this year.

Things get interesting for Thompson this upcoming season. He’s no long waiver-exempt, which means if he’s sent down to the AHL he’ll need to clear waivers. That could force the Sabres hand into giving him a roster spot to start the season.

He’s also one of the Sabres many restricted free agents this offseason, but he should come in at under $1 million in annual average value. Evolving Hockey projects him to receive a one-year deal worth $800 thousand. If the plan is for the Sabres to cut some salary and come in well under the $81.5 million cap ceiling, they could use a player like Thompson stepping up.

There’s still reason to optimistic about Thompson turning into a middle-six winger. He has improved important areas of his game and in the right situation, he could begin to give the organization some positive return on that nightmare trade.

Photo Credit: Richard A. Whittaker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images