Jack Thompson (4.25 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — B+) Defense
Neutral Zone NHL’s Ian Moran’s comments, April 2020: Jack’s a great skating two-way defender. He retrieves pucks with a purpose having his head on a swivel and locating the F2 and F3. He’s the kind of skater who can evade tight forecheckers and generate passing lanes with his wheels. Although he has good offensive skills and can wheel the net, Jack really isn’t a threat to take many chances going coast to coast. He makes good crisp outlets and joins the rush as an option… not the lead. In the offensive zone Jack has a cannon. He’s been firing bullets since he was a young kid and his shot really is an asset. I think his mentality of moving the puck quickly and having a cannon is going to make him a very useful power play guy in professional hockey. He’s got a smooth touch and gives great one touch passes. The type that NHL shooters love. Combine that with his ability to one time it and he might be a real power play guy in the NHL. In my opinion Jack’s ability to process the game quickly, his dynamic skating and that move the puck first attitude are going to make him a valuable top 4 NHL guy once he’s done filling out. Although we had him at #75 in February, I think he’s going to go higher. He’s a smooth skating righty with a cannon, and those guys are in demand.
February NHL Draft Rankings: Jack was ranked #75 in Neutral Zone’s February rankings.
OHL Gold Cup, May 2017: Thompson was very impressive all tournament with his steady play and strong skating ability. He rarely made a mistake and consistently made good decisions when the puck was on his stick. He has the ability to make a precise first pass or carry the puck with speed and gain the offensive zone. His key attribute is his foot speed and mobility and Thompson used it effectively defensively eliminating time and space from opponents.
OHL Draft December Rankings, December 2017: Jack was ranked 3rd overall behind only Quinton Byfield and Evan Verling.
OHL Draft October Rankings, November 2017: Jack was ranked 4th overall behind Quintin Byfield, Evan Vierling and Cameron Butler.
Toronto Titans, November 2017: Jack is a highly skilled, multi-dimensional defenseman with vision, puck moving ability and mobility. The smooth skater quarterbacks the power play and shows his composure and high hockey IQ with the extra time and space. Defensively, Jack competed in his own zone, closed the gap well on opposing forwards, and was able to transition from defense to offense very effectively. His speed, four-way mobility, puck possession skill and heavy shot make him a serious scoring threat anytime he’s in the offensive zone. He also has a powerful one-timer which he let go several times on the power play. Thompson is one of the best two-way defensemen in the ETA and should be a highly coveted OHL Draft prospect given his expansive skill set. Another tournament where future NHL Draft hopefuls excelled and were evaluated: Alec Belanger, Luca Profaca, Jack Bar, Michael Renwick, Lleyton Moore, David Gucciardi, Dylan Robinson, Roman Schmidt, Michael Bianconi, Jake Murray, Ryan O’Rourke, Owen Power, Jamie Drysdale, Cole Hipkin, Robbie Stewart, Zack Terry, Logan Boutros and Michael Suda.
World Selects Invite (2002), June 2017: Thompson is a highly athletic, mobile defenseman who brings a lot of talent to the table. He’s an effortless skater with soft hands and swift, accurate passing ability. He plays a tight gap through the neutral zone and isn’t afraid to step up on his own blue line and force the play to the outside. He uses his size and reach well to keep opponents off balance and out of the scoring areas and he has an active stick to block passing and shooting lanes. He excelled on the power play where he showed his ability to carry the puck and deliver tape to tape passes in stride. He did a nice job keeping pucks in the offensive zone and moving across the offensive blue line to create time and space for himself and make plays. He’ll be a sought after OHL Draft prospect next season given his size, skating ability and skill. He ended the tournament with 1 goal and 3 assists in 9 games. The defensemen who dominated at the 2017 WSI looks like a who’s who of the 2020 NHL Draft Ygor Smirnov, Jacob Truscott, Ryan O’Rourke, Jarod Crespo, Ronan Seeley, Connor Kelley, Gerard Keane, Jamie Drysdale, Vasily Machulin, Owen Gallatin, Lleyton Moore, Michael Bianconi, Timothy Lovell, Nate Schweitzer, Hank Kempf, Eamon Powell, Hugo Styf, Donovan Sebrango, David Jesus, Michael Suda, Christian Jimenez as well as 2021 prospects Daniil Chayka, Vinnie Iorio and Bryce Montgomery.