| Tage Thompson | |||
|---|---|---|---|
_by_Sandro_Halank%25E2%2580%2593027.jpg) Thompson with the United States in 2025 | |||
| Born | (1997-10-30)October 30, 1997 (age 28) Phoenix, Arizona, U.S. | ||
| Height | 6 ft 6 in (198 cm) | ||
| Weight | 220 lb (100 kg; 15 st 10 lb) | ||
| Position | Center | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team Former teams | Buffalo Sabres St. Louis Blues | ||
| National team |  United States | ||
| NHL draft | 26th overall,2016 St. Louis Blues | ||
| Playing career | 2017–present | ||
Tage Nathaniel Thompson (born October 30, 1997) is an American professionalice hockey player who is acenter andalternate captain for theBuffalo Sabres of theNational Hockey League (NHL). Thompson was selected 26th overall by theSt. Louis Blues in the2016 NHL entry draft. Thompson played his collegiate hockey at theUniversity of Connecticut.
Thompson was born inPhoenix, Arizona, and lived across the United States, attending 11 different schools before accelerating his graduation fromPioneer High School inAnn Arbor, Michigan, after his junior year, at theUniversity of Connecticut's request.[1]
After playing in theU.S. National Development Team in theUnited States Hockey League, Thompson embarked on a collegiate career withConnecticut in theHockey East conference. Thompson appeared in all 36 games during his freshman season at UConn in2015–16 and was second on the team with 32 points on 14 goals and 18 assists. He also led the nation with 14 power play goals.[2] Thompson wears jersey number #72 with his current team theBuffalo Sabres.
In the2016–17 season, and after his selection by the Blues in the draft, Thompson appeared in 34 games with the Huskies as a sophomore. He missed two games while participating with Team USA in theIIHF World Junior U20 Championship in Canada which resulted in Thompson earning his second Gold Medal. During his 34 games, Thompson led the Huskies with 19 goals and 32 points.[3] After the completion of the Huskies season, Thompson opted to conclude his collegiate career and signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the St. Louis Blues on March 7, 2017.[4] He immediately joined the Blues affiliate, the Chicago Wolves of the AHL, on an amateur try-out contract for the remainder of the2016–17 season.
Thompson made his NHL debut in the Blues' first game of the2017–18 season against thePittsburgh Penguins on October 4, 2017.[5] He played four NHL games before being sent down to theSan Antonio Rampage on October 13.[6] He was recalled to the NHL on December 18, and scored his first NHL goal three days later, in a 3–2 loss against theEdmonton Oilers.[7][8]
On July 1, 2018, he was part of a trade by the Blues that sentPatrik Berglund,Vladimír Sobotka and a2019 first-round draft pick, and a 2021 second-round draft pick to theBuffalo Sabres in exchange forRyan O'Reilly.[9]
On October 5, 2020, as a restricted free agent, Thompson signed a three-year, $4.2 million contract extension with the Sabres.[10]
Entering the2021–22 season with low expectations for the Sabres, Thompson enjoyed a breakout season playing on the top line withJeff Skinner and new acquisitionAlex Tuch. He tallied his first careerhat-trick on February 19, 2022, in a 5–3 loss to theColorado Avalanche.[11] He would finish the season with 38 goals and 68 points in 78 games. On August 30, Thompson signed a seven-year, $50 million contract extension with the Sabres.[12]
.jpg)
On October 31, 2022, Thompson scored a hat-trick and tallied three assists in an 8–3 win over theDetroit Red Wings. He was the sixth player in franchise history to collect six points in a game,[13] and he would do so again a little over one month later. On December 7, against theColumbus Blue Jackets, he scoredfive goals in a game including four in the first period, becoming the fourth player in NHL history to do so. He added an assist for a total of six points. His five goals also tied the Sabres franchise record for goals in a game, joiningDave Andreychuk.[14] He also became only the second American-born player to score five times in a game; the first one,Mark Pavelich, did it 39 years before Thompson.[15] In January 2023, he was named to the2023 NHL All Star Game, the first of his career, but would be replaced by defensemanRasmus Dahlin due to injury.[16][17] On February 23, Thompson became the first Sabres player to record four hat-tricks in a season sinceDrew Stafford in2010–11, doing so in a 6–5 overtime win versus theTampa Bay Lightning.[18] Three days later, on February 26, he scored in a 7–4 win against theWashington Capitals, becoming a 40-goal scorer for the first time in his career, and the first player to do so for the Sabres sinceJeff Skinner in2018–19.[19] Later in the season, he became the first Sabres player to record 90 points in a season sinceDaniel Brière did so in2006–07, picking up an assist in a 2–1 loss to theFlorida Panthers.[20] In2023–24, his output per game dropped by 35% from the previous season, scoring 56 points in 71 games.
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Representing United States | ||
| Ice hockey | ||
| World Championships | ||
 | 2025 Sweden/Denmark | |
 | 2018 Denmark | |
| 2021 Latvia | |
| World Junior Championships | ||
| 2017 Canada | |
| World U18 Championships | ||
| 2015 Switzerland | |
Thompson represented theUnited States at the2025 IIHF World Championship, where he recorded six goals and three assists in ten games. During the2025 IIHF World Championship final he scored the game-winning overtime goal againstSwitzerland and helped Team USA win their first gold medal since1933.[21][22]
On January 2, 2026, he was named to Team USA's roster for the2026 Winter Olympics.[23]
Thompson's father,Brent Thompson, is a former NHL player and last served as an assistant coach for theAnaheim Ducks. At the time Tage was born, Brent was a member of thePhoenix Coyotes organization.[24] His mother, Kimberly Oliver Thompson, hails fromPhoenix, Arizona. His younger brother,Tyce is a forward forBarys Astana of theKontinental Hockey League (KHL).[25]
Thompson is aChristian.[26] He is married with three children.[27]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2013–14 | P.A.L. Jr. Islanders 16U AAA | USPHL | 16 | 17 | 14 | 31 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | U.S. NTDP Juniors | USHL | 25 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2014–15 | U.S. NTDP U18 | USDP | 64 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 32 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2015–16 | University of Connecticut | HE | 36 | 14 | 18 | 32 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | University of Connecticut | HE | 34 | 19 | 13 | 32 | 24 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2016–17 | Chicago Wolves | AHL | 16 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | ||
| 2017–18 | St. Louis Blues | NHL | 41 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2017–18 | San Antonio Rampage | AHL | 30 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 4 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 65 | 7 | 5 | 12 | 20 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2018–19 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 8 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2019–20 | Rochester Americans | AHL | 16 | 6 | 6 | 12 | 8 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2019–20 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2020–21 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 38 | 8 | 6 | 14 | 17 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2021–22 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 78 | 38 | 30 | 68 | 37 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 78 | 47 | 47 | 94 | 39 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2023–24 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 71 | 29 | 27 | 56 | 43 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2024–25 | Buffalo Sabres | NHL | 76 | 44 | 28 | 72 | 35 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 448 | 176 | 149 | 325 | 203 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | United States | U18 |  | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| 2017 | United States | WJC | | 7 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | |
| 2018 | United States | WC |  | 10 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 16 | |
| 2021 | United States | WC | | 8 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | |
| 2025 | United States | WC | | 10 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 14 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 6 | ||||
| Senior totals | 28 | 8 | 9 | 17 | 24 | ||||
| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| College | ||
| Hockey East Third All-Star Team | 2017 | |
| NHL | ||
| NHL All-Star Game | 2023 | [28] |
Thompson got a shot through traffic past Talbot for his first career NHL goal.
| Awards and achievements | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | St. Louis Blues first round draft pick 2016 | Succeeded by |