05-03-2022, 02:29 PM(This post was last modified: 05-03-2022, 06:37 PM by Allegiant. Edited 1 time in total.)
DRAFT DAY, TOMMY THOMPSON, AND THE BUFFALO STAMPEDE
The S65 SHL Entry Draft was only days removed from the crushing disappointment that was the conclusion of the SMJHL playoffs, with the Quebec City Citadelles ending an otherwise solid run by dropping the finals to the perennial favourite Newfoundland Berserkers. Still nursing the wounds they accrued over the course of the playoffs, this year’s crop of Citadelles made the trip to the draft in the hopes of hearing their names called. The first up was Faust Faker, going fifth overall to the Toronto North Stars. Next up would be Sophie Bordeleau to the Edmonton Blizzard, in a move that surprised relatively few. Third from the Stampede would be Tommy Thompson, in a move that came as a shock to many viewers.
Most pundits believed that Tommy Thompson would fall to the San Francisco Pride at eighteenth overall, with that selection itself being judged as ‘somewhat high’ for a player of Thompson’s alleged calibre. There were also rumours going around before the draft that Thompson was a player who would never make it out of the SMJHL, or who perhaps had professional pursuits in mind after taking advantage of a generous junior paycheck. Thompson spoke with reporters before the draft and dispelled these rumours, making it clear that he has every intention to play at a high level in the SHL. He admitted, however, that his road might be longer than some other players, due to his self-described lack of natural athleticism and reliance on grit and determination.
While scouts may have differing opinions about Thompson, the fact remains that he jumped well up the board compared to where he was expected, and even higher up the board from where he himself had identified himself as being likely to go at the start of the season. A couple scouts recall that when he signed for the Quebec City Citadelles, he himself warned general managers not to select him in the first round for fear that he might not live up to the expectations that some might have had for him. Ultimately, his play may have contributed to that undeserving air: in 55 games for the Citadelles, Thompson recorded just 18 points in the form of 7 goals and 11 assists. Along the way, he did record a respectable +10 for whatever that statistic can be judged to be worth.
While nobody could doubt the selections of Bordelau and Faker so high in the draft, there are abundant reasons to cast doubt on Buffalo’s selection of Tommy Thompson. But there may be more to the pick than meets the eye, initially. It is a little known fact that Tommy Thompson is represented by the same player agency that previous Buffalo Stampede draft bust Will Windsor belonged to, if a player selected well into the fourth round could ever really be labelled a bust. That agency has had previous successful players under its name, such as Winston Windsor and Karsten Kadinger. Jari Heikkinen had all the signs of becoming a successful player, but despite turning into a league-ready bottom pairing defenceman, couldn’t progress fast enough to be worth keeping over more promising depth players.
It is worth noting, however, that the previous failure of Will Windsor for the Buffalo Stampede came as a result of a gambling fourth round selection, only made at the advice of a close personal friend of Will Windsor, Okabe. Multiple teams had registered passes before Windsor was selected. This year, Buffalo had ample time to scout Tommy Thompson beforehand. This perhaps sheds some light into the selection. Tommy Thompson himself spoke about the draft:
“Coming into it, there were more teams than I really expected interested. I don’t know if all my answers really impressed them, I mean. I’ll admit myself that saying you envision yourself as a kind of defensive guy in a league where scoring wins championships might not be the best way to endear yourself to coaches. And I know a couple teams, I mean, I said I didn’t want to play for them. I told everyone, even teams that I had previous sort of thrown a little shade at that I would play anywhere and I would stay anywhere. But there were a couple teams that were well ahead of the rest in terms of, you know. Where I wanted to go.”
“Everyone had me at eighteen to San Francisco, and yeah. They were up there. But Buffalo is a great fit and I was really excited when they picked me. I was kind of thinking, this would be a great opportunity if they took it, but then they traded out of one of their picks, so I figured, if they only have one first rounder they’re not going to take a chance on me. But they did, and I’m glad they did.”
In a positive turn of events, Buffalo would select Portgas D. Ace in the third round, meaning Thompson can look forward to at least one friendly face when he makes his way to the Stampede training camp later this week. Thompson isn’t expected to make the team anytime soon, but the Citadelles boast rather deep ties to the Stampede, something which should help to ensure the positive development of both Thompson and Ace going forward.
It will be a long time coming until the results of the draft are felt by any team, but all the pressure is on Tommy Thompson now to ensure that he lives up to the Stampede’s apparent faith in him by proving himself worthy of the thirteenth overall selection. For Thompson’s part, he has stated that he is committed:
“Look, I know that I’ve been the number one spokesperson for casting doubt on myself. I mean, I did it in this interview. But I’m not in this for a joy-ride through the juniors and an easy paycheck. I want to win the Four Star Cup with Quebec, and then I want to make it to the SHL. I don’t just want to make it, either. I want to win and I want to be a big reason for a win. I played, what, eight minutes a game this year? I’m going to be on the first line in Buffalo one day. But hey, if I have to play eight minutes here or eight minutes there while I sharpen my skills, it is what it is.”
Allegiant
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