Thompson combines a unique blend of size, speed and skill, making him one of the NHL’s toughest forwards to defend.

Tage Thompson is doing something special in his sixth NHL season.

After struggling in the early goings of his career, Thompson has transformed himself into one of the top NHL forwards in 2022-23. Approaching the midpoint of the season, Thompson is sixth in NHL scoring with 31 goals and 58 points in 41 games.

The 25-year-old power forward has found a home in Buffalo following the trade from St. Louis back in 2018. The Blues drafted Thompson 26th overall in 2016 before shipping him out two years later as part of a package deal for Ryan O’Reilly. Thompson had a breakout 38-goal campaign in 2021-2022 with the Sabres before exploding into superstar status this season.

What exactly is Thompson doing this season that is making him one of the NHL’s premier players? After all, the Arizona native only scored 18 goals in his first four years in the league before hitting his stride with Buffalo last season. Read on to find out and see what skills you can help teach your players.

Coaching

The first thing that needs to be taken into consideration is coaching. Sometimes all it takes is the right person behind the bench to unlock a player’s true potential. Don Granato took over as Sabres coach prior to Thompson’s breakout season in 2021-22, and the impact of that coaching change can’t be ignored.

Granato coached Thompson when the Sabres’ forward was a 17-year-old playing for USA Hockey’s developmental program in 2014-15. Granato had seen the potential in Thompson and knew he could unlock something special if he gave Tage the right opportunities.

After Thompson struggled with playing time under Buffalo’s previous coach, Ralph Krueger, Granato took a leap of faith and moved Tage from second-line wing to top-line center. Thompson saw a four-minute increase in average ice time from 2020-21 to 2021-22, and the budding superstar rewarded his coach for his leap of faith.

Thompson has thrived on a line with Alex Tuch and Jeff Skinner, using his speed and size to create scoring chances. When he was a winger, defenders could use the boards to pressure Thompson to tighter areas of the ice. The move to center opened up the ice for Thompson and allowed him to use his unique skill-set to its full ability.

Thompson’s ability to drive to the net while using his size to shield the puck is something that’s highlighted in the clips below. You’ll see Thompson drop his shoulder in all three clips to protect the puck as he drives to the net with speed. With his incredibly long reach, it’s almost impossible to knock him off the puck.

In the sequence below, Thompson once again drives to the net, but this time he sets up his teammate Alex Tuch for a goal. Thompson uses his large frame to protect the puck and ensure Kraken blueliner Adam Larsson can’t knock it off his stick. With his long reach, he’s able to keep the puck off to the side before sliding it to Tuch in front.

Driving to the net

Driving the puck to the net to create scoring chances should be a key part of any power forward’s game. For a player to become strong on their skates and resilient while being checked, they must work on getting and staying low. This article explains how a player can achieve the “Power Position” by providing multiple drills that can make someone a force protecting the puck and evading defenders.

Another impressive quality from Thompson is his patience. Considering he has one of the most lethal shots in the game (which we’ll touch on later), it’s impressive that he can hold onto the puck for extended periods of time to either change the angle of his shot or out wait the goalie with a deke.

In the clips below, you’ll see Thompson possess the puck in a primary scoring area but hesitate to shoot or pass right away. Thompson has the self control to hold onto the puck and make a patient play that results in a higher-quality chance. This stems from the confidence Tage has in his skill set, including a unique ability to stick-handle in tight spaces while maintaining control.

To learn how to become a more patient player with the puck, check out The Simplest Way to Teach Hockey Players to Play Fast. You’ll also want to work on some basic stickhandling drills, which Swaggy P’s stickhandling masterclass video can help with. Something you just can do at home is place some type of obstacle between you and a net and practice moving in on the object and pulling back or to the side to buy yourself time and space.

The “obstacle” drill will come in handy for sequences like the one below. Thompson rushes down the ice against Detroit and uses a toe drag push out move on a defender to give himself time and space. Thompson looks as if he’s going to attempt a toe drag on a Detroit defender, but he pulls the puck back on his forehand, which opens up a new shooting lane.

A Blazing Shot

When discussing Thompson, we’d be remiss not to mention one of his signature attributes – his blazing shot. Thompson has scored 14 of his 31 goals this season with the man advantage, where he often launches one timers from the left circle.

Thompson has grown into his large frame and utilize his strength to unleash slap shots that get clocked around 100 MPH. His hardest shots come when he anticipates the pass from the blueline and begins drifting a few steps backwards before stepping into the shot. That allows him to build more momentum and transfer more power with his release.

Timing is everything with one timers, and Thompson times the passes in between his feet really well. He’s always in great position prior to the shot, which ensures he gets full power on the shot when he transfers his body weight from back foot to front foot. There’s also once instance where he drops to a knee to get under the puck and achieve more velocity on the shot. This is a technique to use when you know you want to beat a goalie high.

There’s a lesson to be learned here for power play defensemen as well. Rasmus Dahlin has set up the majority of Thompson’s power play goals, and he always keeps his head up at the blueline when making plays. Dahlin keeps opposing penalty killers and the goalie honest by faking shots or looking them off. That gives Thompson a little more space and an extra split second to get his shot off.

Thompson’s story is a great lesson of patience and coaching. There was clearly a reason he was a first-round draft pick, but it didn’t all come together right away. At 6 feet 6, it took Thompson time to grow into his body. Thompson has figured it out now, and his unique blend of size, speed and skill makes him one of the NHL’s toughest forwards to defend.