Tage Thompson may seemingly have come out of nowhere, but Auston Matthews called his rise to stardom before it happened
While there has been a lot of discussion lately about Mitch Marner's point streak, Jason Robertson's Rocket Richard-level goal scoring and Connor McDavid, well, being himself, there have been some other impressive accomplishments this season. One of those occurred Wednesday night, when Sabres forward Tage Thompson scored 5 goals in a 9-4 victory against the Blue Jackets. It was a very impressive night from a player who hasn't received a lot of media attention and is underrated by many. Thompson is so talented that even Auston Matthews picked him as the most underrated player in the NHL when asked before the season.
Clearly Matthews thinks very highly of the 25-year-old center, and it's easy to see why. Last year, Thompson had an impressive breakout campaign, posting 38 goals and 68 points in 78 games. This year, Thompson is on pace to crush those totals, with 21 goals and 34 points in 25 games, while playing as his team's number one pivot.
The Phoenix, Arizona native was acquired from the Blues in 2018 as a part of the Ryan O'Reilly trade and has since played a total of four seasons for the Sabres. After his stellar year, the Sabres locked Thompson up to a 7-year, $50M extension, and while it seemed a bit risky at the time, his start to this season is showing that he may be worth every penny and more.
Thompson has the build to be a very special player and if he keeps having the success he is having, he won't stay underrated for very long - if he still is at all. Luckily for the Sabres, Thompson will play a large role for them for years to come and stands a pretty good chance to continue shocking the hockey world, especially with all of the young, up-and-coming talent in Buffalo.
| POLL | ||
DECEMBRE 8 | 20 ANSWERS Tage Thompson may seemingly have come out of nowhere, but Auston Matthews called his rise to stardom before it happened Is Tage Thompson a bona-fide superstar in the making? Or just a flash in the pan? | ||
| Flash in the pan | 6 | 30 % |
| Superstar in the making | 14 | 70 % |
| List of polls | ||
