Jack Thompson – Sudbury Wolves – Player Profile

Height: 6’0”

Weight: 180 Pounds

Date of birth: March 19, 2002

Hometown: Courtice, Ontario

Position: Defence

Shoots: Right

OHL Draft: Round 2, 30^th overall, 2018 Priority Selection

NHL Central Scouting Rankings

When it comes to the 2020 National Hockey League Draft, the general consensus is that Jamie Drysdale (Erie Otters) will be the first blueliner selected when we finally have a draft. Ryan O’Rourke (Sault Ste Marie Greyhounds) is considered a very early second rounder with a chance to move into the first round.

Then there’s the next group that includes Donovan Sebrango and Ville Ottavainen (Kitchener Rangers), Ruben Rafkin (Windsor Spitfires), Kirill Steklov (London Knights), Isaak Phillips (Sudbury Wolves) and today’s profile, Phillips teammate Jack Thompson.

Pull a name out of a hat, stick them in a blender – you can choose your own synonyms – this can literally go in multiple ways.

Thompson played his Minor Midget AAA with the Toronto Toros during the 2017-2018 season where he scored 17 goals and added 21 assists in 36 games. He followed that up with 5 goals and 4 assists in 10 playoff games.

The 2018-2019 season saw Thompson appear in 52 games for the Wolves. In 52 games, Thompson scored 6 goals and assisted on 10. But it was the 2018 playoffs where it became evident that Thompson’s offence can and will translate to the OHL. In 8 games, he scored once and assisted on 4 others.

During this shortened season, Thompson played in 63 games while scoring 13 goals and adding 19 helpers, finishing first among draft eligible defencemen in goals and third in points.

If there is one concerning stat with Thompson – I know many of you don’t put emphasis on it – it’s Thompson’s plus/minus. Of all the regulars on the Wolves, Thompson was the only player to finish with a negative with a minus-7.

Thompson is still a young, raw defender with a boatload of potential that is going to require patience and a strong development system at the next level. Thompson is a very good skater with excellent mobility with the tools to be able to skate out of trouble in his own zone and run the powerplay from the point. However, he doesn’t always make the right decisions in those situations. Not a big deal though. Experience and development can most importantly, gaining confidence can play a huge role in limiting those errors.

Thompson’s talents show that he can be an effective powerplay quarterback. As mentioned, he can control the powerplay from the blueline. He walks the line with his excellent mobility and he sees the ice so well that he can thread the needle, but again, sometimes he makes the wrong decisions and turns it over. He has a superb shot from the point. Its hard, heavy and accurate and he puts pucks into places that can produce second chance opportunities.

Defensively, Thompson holds his ice well and is usually in position. His skating allows him to recover quickly. He possesses an active stick in the d-zone. He has the ability to skate the puck out of the zone or to make that first good pass, Again, it’s about patience and developing and gaining experience so that he limits the turnovers he is prone too.

There’s been a lot of eyes on the Sudbury Wolves this season because Quinton Byfield is widely considered the number two prospect for the 2020 draft so there’s been a lot of eyes on Thompson. The decision Scouts have to make is whether they believe in the rawness and the potential they see or is he always going to be the offensive defender that is going to cost you on any given night?

We’re betting on the potential.