
It doesn’t take long to notice that Buffalo Sabres center Tage Thompson stands out and has a lot to offer on the ice.
However, no coach in the National Hockey League knows how to get more out of the 25-year-old star than Sabres coach Don Granato.
Granato had a major hand in Thompson’s hockey upbringing, coaching him during the 2014-15 season in the U.S. National Team Development Program and then watching his rise from the University of Connecticut to the professional ranks and present-day NHL stardom.
“It’s nice to kind of come full circle,” said Thompson, who was born in Arizona and also spent time growing up in Orange, Conn., while his father, Brent, played professionally. “(Granato) saw me when I was younger and knew what kind of player I was back then and the potential I had. Reconnecting on this side of things and having him be our coach, I’m very thankful for all of the opportunities he’s given me.”
The type of player he has become is something special, something elite.