Yardbarker
x
Denver’s Aidan Thompson confident points will come
Stephen Garcia/Reporter-News via Imagn Content Services, LLC

On the surface alone, the points are not there yet. But Aidan Thompson is not worried.

However, it’s fair to say that expectations were high coming into the 2023-24 season. The University of Denver forward and Chicago Blackhawks prospect tallied 10 goals and 22 assists in 32 games as a freshman. Thompson’s 32 points were the fourth-most on the Pioneers’ roster.

Coming into this year, the Fort Collins, Colorado, native was expected to replace some of the production that departed the program in the likes of Carter Mazur, Casey Dornbach, and Justin Lee, among others.

Thompson started the year with a third-period goal in the season opener against Alaska-Fairbanks. It’s been his only goal thus far with five assists, including a two-assist game last Saturday against Arizona State, rounding out his six-point total on the young season.

“It’s been kind of a slow start to the season, but sometimes that’s just how it goes,” Thompson told The Rink on Monday afternoon. “It doesn’t always go your way. It’s just not falling right now. Things will come, I think. Our team has a process, and that’s what we will continue to do.”

A new season means adjustments, even for the returning players. Thompson has been settling in and learning to play with new teammates. The 21-year-old started the year alongside junior forward Tristan Broz and freshman Miko Matikka.

He’s also seen time with freshman forward Sam Harris and senior team captain McKade Webster. Over the last couple of games, he’s been reunited with Broz and Matikka as Denver looks to find the line combinations that best suit the program and its players.

And while Thompson has been developing chemistry with players he had not played with before, the young forward has also been working on his shot selection. Through the first ten games, he’s shooting pucks at just a 4.5 percent clip, down from almost 14 percent a year ago.

However, it’s more about firing accurate shots on net, not just shooting for the sake of shooting.

“Hitting the net a little bit more, focusing on that,” he said of his approach to shooting this season. “More shots at the net, the more shots that can go in. Then, just a little bit unlucky so far this year, I think (the goals) will come in bunches. So, right now, they just haven’t fallen as I’ve wanted, but they will.”

Aside from pure production, Thompson continues to do the little things right: playing aggressive, being hard on pucks, and being a pest on the forecheck.

Like most players between their freshman and sophomore seasons, Thompson spent a lot of time developing off the ice, getting stronger to go up against bigger and older competition.

The results have immediately translated in the faceoff dot.

As a freshman, he won just over 50 percent of all draws. Outside of the first weekend this year, Thompson’s added strength has helped him to dominate in the faceoff dot. He has won 57.5 percent (73 of 127) of all draws over his last eight games.

Looking ahead to this weekend, Denver will host Omaha in what will be the first of six consecutive home games.

Against the Mavericks last season, Thompson recorded a goal and an assist with three shots on goal. It kick-started a three-game point streak and a stretch of points in seven of eight games.

The young forward will hope for a similar fortune but also understands it is just a process of sticking with his game. The results will come.

“I think I’m playing well,” Thompson said. “I actually think I’m playing better than I did at times last year. Things just haven’t been going in, and that’s going to happen at times throughout the year.

“With guys last year, we put up big numbers who had dry spells, and they just stuck with it. I can’t really worry about it too much, just focus on doing everything I can for the team and continue to win games.”

The post Denver’s Aidan Thompson confident points will come appeared first on The Rink.

This article first appeared on The Rink and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

+

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.