After not hearing his name called in 2017 and 2018, the third time was the charm for Tyce Thompson, who was selected in the fourth round, 96th overall, of the 2019 National Hockey League draft by the New Jersey Devils.
“Having it happen the third time around made it that much more special,” said Thompson, a 20-year-old right wing from Oyster Bay, N.Y., who registered 25 points (8-17—25) in 42 games this past season as a freshman with the Providence Friars. “It’s an honor to be drafted.”
The 6-1, 178-pounder didn’t immediately realize he was nabbed by Jersey’s Team. Once he found out, excitement took over.
“I was talking with my family and friends at the draft, and then when I heard my name called, I didn’t hear who selected me,” Thompson recounted. “I didn’t know until I walked down the stairs and saw the jersey. It was very cool.”
In addition to exhilaration, the right-handed shooter was also relieved.
“I kind of expected to go around that range, and New Jersey was a team that I was talking to during the year, so I wasn’t too worried around that time,” Thompson revealed. “If it went further down in rounds, maybe I would’ve been more worried. But I expected that was where I would fall, so it was definitely a relief that I didn’t have to wait any longer to hear my name. It was a blast.”
The Devils actually thought Thompson was going to be off the board by the time they were on the clock with the 96th pick.
“He went to college and got a lot of opportunity on a really good team and had pretty good success,” Devils director of amateur scouting Paul Castron said. “Our guys didn’t think he would be there when we got him. We are really happy because he’s such a hardworking kid. He’s got a great shot, and he’s going to get even more opportunity at Providence next season.”
Thompson totaled 25 points (7-18—25) in 20 games at the Salisbury School and appeared in three regular-season matches and two Clark Cup playoff contests with the United States Hockey League’s Dubuque Fighting Saints during the 2016-17 season as he prepared for his first draft.
After not being selected, Thompson returned to Dubuque for the 2017-18 campaign and recorded 32 points (12-20—32) in 60 regular-season games and one goal in five postseason matches.
Then another draft came and went without him donning an NHL jersey.
Instead of sulking, Thompson used the undrafted experiences as motivation to keep developing. He also received words of encouragement from his father, Brent, the head coach of the American Hockey League’s Bridgeport Sound Tigers, and his brother, Tage, a 21-year-old right wing who was taken 26th overall in the 2016 NHL draft by the St. Louis Blues and has notched 21 points (10-11—21) in 106 games with the Blues and Buffalo Sabres, whom he was traded to on July 1, 2018.
“They were both telling me the draft doesn’t matter; it’s what you do afterward,” Thompson said. “You have to just play your game, and if you play well you’ll be noticed. I knew I just had to go into Providence and do my thing. I wasn’t really worried about the draft at all at that point. I told myself it doesn’t matter if I get drafted, but it would be awesome to hear my name called. Every kid who plays hockey dreams of getting drafted. And it was special when I heard it, but it’s not the end all, be all. I’m excited that it happened, but there’s a lot more work to do.”
The main reasons Thompson committed to Providence were the coaching staff, which includes head coach Nate Leaman and associate head coaches Kris Mayotte and Ron Rolston, and the successful environment they’ve created.
“The coaches all know what they’re talking about,” Thompson asserted, “and they know what they’re doing. I wanted to be a part of a winning team, and they have a winning culture there. I felt like it was the best place for me to go to develop and also help the team win. I think my first year went really well, both as a team and me personally.”
It sure did.
On the team front, the Friars reached the Frozen Four semifinals, where they lost to the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. And individually, Thompson matured as a person and a player.
“I got more confident throughout the year,” he explained. “I was nervous and a little timid – tentative at times – for the first couple of games. But I played with a lot of great, older guys there who I could lean on and talk to, and that was huge. As each game went by, I started trusting my ability. Playing with confidence was the part of my game that grew the most throughout the year, and when you play with confidence you play better and make more plays.”
What also helped Thompson was his familiarity with the college game from watching Tage, who played two campaigns (2015-17) for the UConn Huskies.
“I talked to my brother a little bit, not a whole lot, before the season,” Tyce said. “I went to a bunch of his games and actually went up for one of his practices to watch and see how they practice and how hard it is and how big and strong everyone is. Realizing that and knowing where I needed to be to play at the college level made a difference and helped me entering the season.”
The only individual milestone Tyce didn’t reach also had to do with Tage.
“I wanted to score more goals and points than him as a freshman, but that wasn’t the case,” said Tyce, who fell short of Tage’s freshman totals of 14 goals and 32 points. “We are both competitive, and I wanted to beat him and have some bragging rights there. It all worked out though.”
Yes, it did -- for both Tyce and the Devils.
