Aidan Thompson (4.5 Star Amateur Rating, NHL Grade — C+) Forward
(1) Brain – High IQ player who has the mental awareness to play in every game situation. Down a goal late in the game? Aidan can play the point and not be a liability. Up a goal with a minute to play? Although he is a winger, he is a conscientious low forward who will not cheat looking for an empty netter. He has the mental ability to read an opposing defenders gap on a line rush and manipulate the angle into his favor. He changes speeds and creates space while his head is up. Defensively, Aidan back checks with a sense of purpose and his ability to get sticks on pucks shows a high level of anticipation.
(2) Vision & Poise – Plays with his head up in all situations and is aware of where everyone on the ice is. Aidan likes to use his speed to drive the defenseman wide, carry the puck behind the net and use his vision to find his teammates who are the late attackers. He is patient with or without the puck and does not force plays.
(3) Feet – He can fly. Excellent edges and very quick laterally. He can roll of off checks and attack the net in an instant. His first step in extraordinary.
(4) Compete or Effort – A maximum effort player who does not just fly around mindlessly, although we have noted that his shifts can be long. We feel this will change as he plays at higher levels and is not a result of being selfish, but rather the belief in himself that he can “get it done”.
(5) Contact or Physicality – Aidan appears to be thicker and stronger than his listed weight of 161lbs. He can initiate contact while protecting the puck and battles for ice in the scoring areas. We do not feel Aidan is a banger, but we do notice that he has a very strong stick and wins battles.
(6) Release – Aidan has a quick accurate release and shoots with a purpose. We noted that on wrap-arounds he does not just try to beat the opposing goalie to the far post, but will try to create a chaotic rebound situation by banking the puck off of the goalie’s pads. His shots create rebounds, not offensive zone face-offs.
(7) One Timer Ability – He can shoot the puck with authority and we feel he will only be more deadly after spending time training at the University of Denver.
(8) Body Language – Only not extremes.
(9) Special Teams Potential – We feel that whoever drafts Aidan will be getting a player who has the hockey IQ and physical skills to be a top 9 forward. He has the potential to contribute in all situations after he finishes his college hockey career at Denver.
(10) Intangibles – He is smart. He can fly. And he is poised. Aidan is a classic “draft and stash” type of player who everyone will be wondering why teams didn’t take earlier in the draft once he turns pro.
We have been watching Aidan since the Spring of 2017. He continually improves and impresses us every time we see him. All told we have 12 Amateur Reports on him, but here are snapshots from four;
From U14 USA Tier 1 Nationals in April of 2017 – Thompson has a lot of jump in his legs and very good edges. He pushed defensemen into bad gaps with his speed and attacked the net off the edge. He has good lateral movement and made people miss in space. He is tough and worked hard. We really liked his PK play. As he adds strength, he will be able to get to the net more often as his approach with the puck is very good.
World Selects Invite (2002) in June of 2017 – Thompson is a high energy, high pace little guy who is always buzzing. A Colorado native who played with the RoughRiders this season but didn’t go unnoticed by WHL scouts where he was taken in the seventh round by Portland. His feet are always moving and he’s fast enough, quick enough and shifty enough to beat defenders in open ice and off the rush. He did take a real cheap shot in the Dynamo game where he slashed a player in the back of the knees and was ejected; so we’d like to see more maturity, but at his size you like seeing him playing with grit and a chip on his shoulder.
Tier 1 U16 Super Showcase in January of 2018 – He was his usual self, which is fiery and competitive. For a smaller player he throws the body around and is always in the traffic areas. He can make plays with defenders on him with his quick hands. A great mix of compete and skill and brought them both consistently. College: Denver
USA Hockey Select 16 National Development Camp in July of 2018 – Thompson is one of the most exciting prospects in the entire camp; he’s fast, he’s tough, he’s skilled and never quits on a play. He was more of a play maker than a goal scorer with Colorado Thunderbirds this season but showed he can do both here finishing the week with an even 2-2-4 line in 5 games. While he has a quick, hard release and scored a brilliant breakaway goal coming out of the penalty box, his best plays were in his passing game. What separates him from other top play makers in the camp is that he can see the ice and make any pass at top speed without having to slow down. He is also one of the most fierce competitors here; he flies all over the ice relentlessly pursuing the puck and finishing checks. He fearlessly goes into corners and drives the net and often comes out of scrums with bigger, stronger players with the puck on his stick. He has an explosive first step to come off the wall and get to the net, he has slippery hands to beat any defender in open ice and the poise and sense to manage time and space and make plays. When he tried to get too cute and lost possession or caused a turnover, he stopped on the puck and hustled back to regain possession which he was able to do nearly every time. The former WHL pick and highly touted Denver commit was selected by Lincoln in the second round of the USHL Draft. He’ll return to Colorado next season where he’ll be their go-to-guy up front and have more opportunity to show what he can do at both ends. One of the premiere forwards in the country. College: Denver
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling / Hickling Imaging