Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson has evolved into one of the games best forwards, and that productivity didn’t start this year.
Over his past 82 contests, Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson has pulled off an unthinkable 98 points, 52 goals, and 46 assists. Not bad for a player who, over his first 171 career games, looked like a perennial draft bust, with just 51 points, 28 goals, and 23 assists.
But it isn’t just the scoring that has made Tage one of the league’s best players; it’s the way he’s scoring. It seems like every time Tage finds himself in a one on one situation with an opposing goaltender, he’s winning the battle.
And you can credit those wins to his remarkable puck-handling skills near the net. He uses his long reach to fool opposing goaltenders, deking one way, before literally taking bringing the puck toward the opposite end of the goal, and finding twine.
Buffalo Sabres forward Tage Thompson evolved into one of the NHL’s best
You can’t score goals if you don’t put yourself into position to score them, which causes Tage to impress me even further. When the Sabres are in the offensive zone, he constantly finds ways not only to get open, but to give himself a good look at the net.
When the Sabres were struggling in almost all facets in November, Tage often prevented the infamous shutout. In 2022-23, he has 46 points across 30 games, with 24 goals and 22 assists, putting him on pace for an exceptional 126 points, 66 goals, and 60 assists.
While those are lofty numbers, it wouldn’t surprise me if Tage not only hit, but superseded them. He is one of those players who is becoming more effective as the season progresses, and you will most likely see him land his first NHL All-Star appearance in early 2023.
Overall, Tage has been the Blue and Gold’s best forward this season. And although he’s playing at an elite level this season, it’s hard to fully grasp how good he has been until you check out his stats dating back to the 2021-22 season.
(Statistics provided by Hockey-Reference)
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