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St. Louis Blues Prospect Tage Thompson Selected for US World Juniors Team

By Patrick Karraker

Jun 24, 2016; Buffalo, NY, USA; Tage Thompson poses for a photo after being selected as the number twenty-six overall draft pick by the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft at the First Niagra Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 24, 2016; Buffalo, NY, USA; Tage Thompson poses for a photo after being selected as the number twenty-six overall draft pick by the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft at the First Niagra Center. Mandatory Credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports /
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Tage Thompson, the Blues’ first-rounder this year, received some serious acclaim on Monday.

Forward Tage Thompson, who was the St. Louis Blues‘ first selection in the 2016 NHL Draft, coming off the board at 26th overall, was honored in a major way on Monday. USA Hockey released its camp roster for the 2017 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships, which kick off on December 26 in Canada, and Thompson was included on that roster.

Thompson, a 6-foot-5, 200-pound center, is currently in the midst of his sophomore season at the University of Connecticut. In 17 games for Connecticut this season, Thompson has 10 goals, eight assists, and a plus-1 rating. While the front office seemingly still has high hopes for Ivan Barbashev, Thompson is likely the organization’s top forward prospect at this point. It’s theoretically possible that he could decide to turn pro after this season, but that’s a more likely possibility following the 2017-18 season.

In yet another sign that St. Louis is becoming one of the country’s premier hockey hotbeds, four St. Louisans were also included on the roster: goalie Joseph Woll and forwards Luke Kunin, Clayton Keller, and Logan Brown. Those three forwards–as well as winger Matthew Tkachuk, who is currently playing for the NHL’s Calgary Flames, and center Trent Frederic, who has been limited by an upper-body injury at the University of Wisconsin this season–were part of a group of five St. Louis natives selected in the first round of this year’s draft.

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Three forwards must be cut from the roster before the team begins tournament play, so Thompson and the St. Louis guys aren’t necessarily out of the woods yet. Obviously, though, it’s a major accomplishment just to be named to the camp roster.

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