St. Louis Blues Draft Prospects: Tage Thompson
By Todd Panula
We continue to chug on toward the NHL Entry Draft for the St. Louis Blues. Our latest look is at a big center named Tage Thompson.
Tage Thompson was listed as the 28th best prospect by SportsNet in Canada. That would put him right in the St. Louis Blues wheelhouse if they do not make any moves to maneuver up the draft.
The odd thing is SportsNet gives almost no information on the kid. Almost everyone else on the list has a little bit of a scouting report given. Thompson’s basically just says that his father played in the NHL and he’s tall, which caught some scouts eyes. Nothing else.
Does that mean he’s not very good? Were they just not interested enough to do more intensive research? Probably neither, but it stood out.
It’s most likely just a situation where he doesn’t have as much available about him because he’s not your super polished player that’s played in Canada or made a big name in college.
Thompson is a big body though, that will take some grooming in the minors. He’s listed at 6’5, which gives him prototypical NHL height. However, depending on which source you use, he’s listed at anywhere between 189-194 lbs.
For someone that tall, he’s pretty slight of frame. At only 18 years of age, he’s got plenty of time to put some meat on.
The only problem with Thompson from a statistical point is a lack of consistency. In 36 games at the University of Connecticut, he put up 32 points. Pretty good numbers.
In the USHL, he scored 14 points in 25 games with the US Junior team. However, he only scored 26 points in 64 games with the USNDP U18 team.
Outside of that, most of Thompson’s drawback is simply being raw. He’s only 18 so he’s got a lot of developing still to do.
The Blues could be better off looking for someone more NHL ready (assuming there’s a player like that available) if they’re looking for help at center. Thompson could be a good project type player if the Blues can fill their ranks either through free agency, trade or having someone like Ivan Barbashev step up.
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Despite his rawness, he could prove to be a solid player for the future at a position that the Blues are a little thin at. It’s hard to come by 6’5 guys with real talent.
It’s hard to believe that Thompson is going to magically become a 30 goal scorer at the NHL level, but he can be a point producer. At the very least he would likely be ready by the time guys like Jori Lehtera or Patrik Berglund are no longer useful and would be able to replace their production.
An interesting little side note, if the St. Louis Blues drafted Thompson, is that he is already playing with someone in the Blues’ pipeline. Thompson’s teammate at UConn is Max Letunov, whom the Blues drafted in 2014. Both players led the Huskies in scoring with Thompson coming up second to Letunov’s 40 points.
Thompson does have a good upside. He’s a physical player but stays out of the penalty box, which is always a good thing for a bigger guy. He’s got enough skill to play center or on the wing and versatility is very important in today’s game.
The Blues are likely to be somewhat familiar with him since he’s playing with a guy already in their system. The Blues have needs at center and he’s been fairly capable at all levels.
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Thompson hasn’t wowed anyone so far, but he’s a steady guy. He’s averaged a point per game, or close to it, at all levels of play. He’s one of those players that probably wouldn’t get anyone’s blood pumping if the Blues called his name, but he still can be an NHL player and a decent pick up if the Blues remain lower in the first round.