The Buffalo Sabres have signed forward Tage Thompson to a three-year contract extension with an average annual value of $1.4 million. Sportsnet hockey insider Elliotte Friedman was the first to report the story.
The 22-year-old has spent the past two seasons in the Sabres organization, racking up seven goals and five assists for 12 points in 66 games. With the Rochester Americans in the American Hockey League in that same span, Thompson has 21 points (12+9) in 24 games.
In the 2018-19 season, Thompson struggled in Buffalo with just seven goals and five assists for 12 points in 65 games. He was then sent to the Amerks, where he finished the season strong with six goals and three assists for nine points in eight games. He also added two goals for Rochester in three Calder Cup Playoff games.
This past season, the Sabres felt that Thompson needed some more grooming in the AHL and got off to a hot start with 12 points (6+6) in 16 games played.
Thompson was then called up to play one game for the Sabres on Nov. 17 when he suffered a significant shoulder injury. After originally believing that he was going to miss some time and later return, his recovery process did not go as expected and the team opted to have him go under the knife and miss the rest of the season.
The 6-foot-6, 205-pound forward was originally drafted in the first round (26th overall) in the 2016 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues out of the University of Connecticut. He spent part of two seasons with the Blues organization in the AHL and in the NHL before being part of the Ryan O'Reilly trade back on July 1, 2018.
Thompson is a big-bodied forward who has mainly slotted in on the wing, but has the ability to play down the middle when needed. He has a booming right-handed shot, while also possessing some good puck skills and some decent speed.
However, his decision making has coming into question, at times, and he also tends to hold on to the puck too long to try and make a play. Thompson has also tended not to utilize his size when protecting the puck and playing physical in certain areas of the ice.
It is likely that Thompson will compete for a depth spot on the Sabres roster next season, where he could see some time in an elevated role if his game is up to par at the NHL level.
Thompson was set to become a restricted free agent on Friday.