Matt Thompson HoF Article

[FrostBeard 1,975]

Matt Thompson

Position: LW
Birthplace: Vancouver, Canada
Height: 6'5"
Weight: 235 lbs
Jersey Number: 11
Drafted: S61 Round 1, Pick 1 (Seattle from Toronto)
Username: Beketov

 

There are not many players who have received praises as high flying as those of Matt Thompson. After being drafted in S61, Matt Thompson created a true legacy, a path that most players can only dream of. It is clear that “Tommy Gun’ is and will be a household name in VHL History, remembered as one of the truly dominant players of his age. His ability to combine insane scoring ability and defensive mindset made Thompson a true threat on both ends of the ice. As a part of one of the most well-known rivalries in VHL, Thompson set his goals high and made everyone strive for the best. Three Kevin Brooks Trophies and four Scott Boulet Trophies just put him past the category of “A decent player, maybe a bit arrogant” and into the category “I want to be like him!”. 

 

Career Stats

 

Regular Season
576GP / 422G / 403A / 825P / +214 / 4339 SHT / 769 PIM / 1827 HIT / 446 SB / 74 GWG / 81 PPG
Postseason
65GP / 45G / 53A / 98P / +7 / 466 SHT / 71 PIM / 254 HIT / 31 SB / 4 GWG / 10 PPG

Career Awards
68    MAL    Kevin Brooks Trophy (Most goals)
68    MAL    Victory Cup (Best Regular season record)
68    MAL    Scotty Campbell Trophy (Most Valuable Player)
68    MAL    Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most outstanding)
68    MAL    Mike Szatkowski Trophy (Most points)
66    HSK    Victory Cup (Best Regular season record)
66    HSK    Kevin Brooks Trophy (Most goals)
66    HSK    Scott Boulet Trophy (Top Two-way forward)
66    HSK    Continental Cup (VHL Championship)
65    SEA    Scott Boulet Trophy (Top Two-way forward)
65    SEA    Victory Cup (Best Regular season record)
64    SEA    Brett Slobodzian Trophy (Most outstanding)
64    SEA    Victory Cup (Best Regular season record)
64    SEA    Scott Boulet Trophy (Top Two-way forward)
64    SEA    Mike Szatkowski Trophy (Most points)
64    SEA    Kevin Brooks Trophy (Most goals)
62    SEA    Scott Boulet Trophy (Top Two-way forward)
62    SEA    Dustin Funk Trophy (Most Improved)
59    YUK    Founder's Cup (VHLM Championship)

 

S59 Yukon

Regular Season
20GP / 0G / 0A / 0P / +10 / 5 SHT / 2 PIM / 14 HIT / 4 SB / 0 GWG 
Postseason
10GP / 0G / 2A / 2P / +7 / 11 SHT / 2 PIM / 9 HIT / 0 SB / 0 GWG 

 

After joining Yukon Rush at the trade deadline, it really didn’t look like this player is going to be the next big thing. His game was yet not well adapted to the fast-paced game of VHLM. That said, his activity on ice was noted and his team used his energy to score goals and while he did not manage to get any recognition for his scoring ability through the regular season games, Thompson showed that he has passion necessary to be a true star player. Matt managed to improve slightly in the post-season games but in the end, he was not the deciding factor in any of the playoff games. That said, Yukon Rush was able to go all the way and hoist the Founder’s cup! 

 

S60 Ottawa

Regular Season
72GP / 35G / 28A / 63P / +10 / 239 SHT / 48 PIM / 105 HIT / 2 SB / 6 GWG 
Postseason
13GP / 7G / 3A / 10P / +4 / 48 SHT / 20 PIM / 17 HIT / 0 SB / 3 GWG 

 

After spending off-season training, Matt Thompson had the first big moment of his long-lasting career - S60 VHLM Dispersal Draft. Matt was selected in the 2nd Round, 7th Overall by Ottawa Lynx, for that reason he had a lot to prove to everyone as his individual skill was not something many talked about after his first season in VHLM. Even though not yet able to show his full potential in the defensive aspects of the game, Thompson provided a huge goalscoring boost for his Ottawa Lynx and helped his team set themselves up for a better playoff run. With 35 goals and 63 points, it almost felt like a fresh start for Matt as suddenly he had a responsibility to prove his worth. Nobody really expected Ottawa to do great in the playoffs as the absolute favourites in Saskatoon were absolutely dominating everyone they went up against. For Matt, this was his chance to prove that he can perform against even the toughest opponent.  Ottawa Lynx were able to extend the series to 7 games and push Saskatoon hopefuls to the true state of fear. Unfortunately for Thompson, Saskatoon managed to win the game 7 and take home Founder’s Cup. This season was a true test as Matt finally was able to show his skills and compare them to the toughest opposition out there. 

 

S61 Seattle

Regular Season
72GP / 33G / 23A / 56P / -69 / 399 SHT / 35 PIM / 101 HIT / 157 SB / 3 GWG 

 

Draft season, a brilliant chance to go and play for a contender team right away and he gets selected 1st Overall by Seattle Bears, a rebuilding team that was not in a position to compete at all, well, at least not yet. For Matt, it was not a season he was really hoping for. His defensive numbers were great and it showed great promise but his offence was not showing the best as even though he was one of the leaders on his team, it was not enough to make a blast at the league level. You could say that having 56 points and 33 goals in the first VHL season is a great result but compared to a player named Podrick Cast, it was not at all impressive. 

S62 Seattle

Regular Season
72GP / 76G / 74A / 150P / +38 / 849 SHT / 83 PIM / 274 HIT / 80 SB / 16 GWG 
Postseason
9GP / 6G / 16A / 22P / -3 / 92 SHT / 6 PIM / 34 HIT / 12 SB / 0 GWG 

 

A needed rebound season had to come and it did truly come. 150 points in 72 games played, 2nd in the league in terms of scoring. Only bested by his rival in Podrick Cast who had 174 point season, Matt Thompson was able to prove that he is the real deal and unlike Podrick Cast who was a true offensive juggernaut, Matt Thompson was able to show his physical and defensive game on top of a stellar offensive showing. With 274 hits and 80 shots blocked, Matt was a  clear choice for Scott Boulet Trophy and his overall performance that exceeded most expectations helped him earn Dustin Funk Trophy too. In his first off-season performance on the big stage, Matt was one of the few players on Seattle Bears who could take over games. First series against Riga and his nemesis Podrick Cast went incredibly well as Seattle was able to advance and meet Calgary Wranglers in the 2nd Round. Even though Matt was able to score and provide decent defensive and offensive performance each game, Calgary team was just more experienced and was able to take Seattle Bears down in 6 games. 

 

S63 Seattle

Regular Season
72GP / 51G / 51A / 102P / +70 / 599 SHT / 88 PIM / 178 HIT / 39 SB / 9 GWG 
Postseason
6GP / 3G / 1A / 4P / +1 / 54 SHT / 14 PIM / 36 HIT / 2 SB / 0 GWG 

 

After such a monstrous performance, Matt Thompson had to prove that he can sustain that level of play throughout his career and S63 performance was surely there to prove that he can. With 51 goals and 102 points, Thompson was able to keep his place in Top 10 in the league and even though was again trailing Cast, he had a chance to play on the same team with Gabriel McAllister, a true VHL legend. It shows that Thompson learned a lot as his play on the ice was fairly similar to modern-day two-way forward prototype McAllister. His performance helped his Seattle Bears make playoffs and be just 1 point behind Victory Cup winning Riga Reign. S63 Playoffs were completely opposite in terms of Matt’s individual performance. He struggled and was not really performing up to his standard. In the end, Seattle lost their series against Calgary Wranglers in 6 games and again, Thompson had a chance to go into off-season early. 

 

S64 Seattle

Regular Season
72GP / 56G / 54A / 110P / +39 / 656 SHT / 137 PIM / 311 HIT / 32 SB / 7 GWG 
Postseason
6GP / 7G / 3A / 11P / -1 / 52 SHT / 2 PIM / 22 HIT / 0 SB / 0 GWG 

 

With S64, Matt Thompson became the true leader of Seattle Bears.  Seattle had a good squad and it was clear that Matt will have to be there for his team and lead them to playoffs. His ability to sustain high quality play started to show more and more as he was setting up himself for another 50-goal, 100 point season. For him, the most important thing was to prove that his defensive game is not forgotten and that he is still one of the best two-way forwards in VHL, considering rather poor defensive numbers in S63. With 110 points, Matt was able to secure top place in points leaderboard and share most goals category with legendary Oyorra Aroyyo. This was also the season when Matt Thompson finally had a chance to fight for even more prestigious awards as Matt ended up with  4 Individual trophies - Boulet, Szatkowski, Brooks and Slobodzian. This season showed to many that Matt is someone who could eventually get into Hall of Fame if he would continue to perform on a similar level. His postseason performance was also praiseworthy even though Seattle Bears were not able to move past 1st Round again. 

 

S65 Seattle

Regular Season
72GP / 52G / 49A / 101P / +48 / 567 SHT / 100 PIM / 283 HIT / 48 SB / 11 GWG 
Postseason
6GP / 6G / 6A / 12P / +2 / 42 SHT / 2 PIM / 33 HIT / 3 SB / 0 GWG 

 

Another truly brilliant regular season performance as Matt Thompson was able to lead his Seattle Bears to another Victory cup. Not only that, but he was also able to secure yet another Scott Bouler Trophy and cement himself as one of the best two-way forwards in the league history. Great defensive showing and strong goalscoring ability were two things that people knew about Matt Thompson, what they also knew is that Seattle Bears had failed moving past 1st Round of playoffs 3 seasons in a row and this had to be the season for a change. Unfortunately, S65 did not change much as Seattle lost in 6 games against Titans and were eliminated from playoffs again. At this point, an all-star player like Matt Thompson had to look another direction as Seattle was not able to help him get the highly desired Continental cup. For that reason, Matt Thompson went into Free Agency. 

 

S66 Helsinki

Regular Season
72GP / 51G / 50A / 101P / +29 / 454 SHT / 160 PIM / 275 HIT / 35 SB / 9 GWG 
Postseason
9GP / 10G / 6A / 16P / +9 / 66 SHT / 21 PIM / 49 HIT / 5 SB / 2 GWG 

 

In Free Agency, Matt received offers from many teams but in the end, he chose to go and join the team that just beat his Seattle Bears, Helsinki Titans. He helped to create a powerhouse there and after signing 2 season contract with Helsinki he knew that he was destined for at least 1 Continental cup win. On an individual level, we are looking at another amazing performance by “Tommy Gun”, with over 100 points and 51 goals, Matt was able to get another Brooks Trophy and help Helsinki Titans win Victory Cup. In playoffs, Matt was able to put his amazing scoring ability to the test as he managed to score 10 goals in only 9 games and in the end it was enough as his Helsinki Titans went to be S66 Continental Cup Champions.  For Matt, it was an important moment as anyone who has any desire to go and be HoF calibre player needs that Continental Cup win to strengthen his position. That said, it is clear that Matt Thompson didn’t really need to strengthen anything as he was a generational talent and only a few could really challenge that. Not counting Brooks Trophy and the Continental Cup win, Thompson again excelled in the defensive play and managed to win another Scott Boulet Trophy. 

S67 Helsinki

Regular Season
72GP / 43G / 40A / 83P / +7 / 495 SHT / 84 PIM / 223 HIT / 32 SB / 10 GWG 
Postseason
13GP / 3G / 12A / 15P / -3 / 80 SHT / 2 PIM / 27 HIT / 8 SB / 0 GWG 

 

Even though slowly moving closer to retirement, Matt Thompson didn’t seem to be in a position to slow down. Helsinki still had a championship calibre team with amazing players and top of the list star talent. It was only a question of having the ability to play as good as they could. S67 was surely a tiny letdown for Matt Thompson, who for the past 5 seasons enjoyed 50-goal, 100 point seasons. His 43 goals and 40 assists still put him in the Top 10. Titans, however, did well and managed to secure the top spot in the European conference. This time, Matt turned into a passing winger as all throughout playoffs Matt was not really able to consistently score goals as his shooting percentage was at extremely low 3.75%. In the end, Helsinki Titans met Vancouver Wolves in the finals and just could not take them down. For Matt, this meant another chance, one last chance at Free Agency, to maybe make the last run for the cup.

 

S68 Malmo

Regular Season
72GP / 60G / 63A / 123P / +52 / 320 SHT / 82 PIM / 182 HIT / 23 SB / 9 GWG 
Postseason
16GP / 10G / 9A / 19P / +3 / 80 SHT / 24 PIM / 53 HIT / 1 SB / 2 GWG 

 

In his last chance to push for Continental cup and some highly valued career statistics, Matt Thompson decided to join Malmo Nighthawks, a young and promising team that needed a true veteran to show the way. In his last season, Thompson did all he could to help his team make playoffs and be one of the contending teams even though at the start of the season many doubted Malmo chances. With 60 goals and 122 points total, Matt was able to record his 2nd best season in his career, he managed to almost single-handedly get his team into playoffs and push for a deep playoff run. Throughout playoffs, Matt was the clear first choice for his team and Malmo delivered, they beat Davos Dynamo in 7 games, Riga Reign in 5. Malmo Nighthawks managed to make finals and meet Matt’s first team, Seattle Bears. Unfortunately for Matt, Seattle Bears managed to completely dissolve Malmo and won the series in 4 games. For Matt, this was a bitter-sweet moment as his career had reached its end and yet his career ended with another Kevin Brooks Trophy, another Mike Szatkowski Trophy, another Brett Slobodzian Trophy and a new addition to his collection, an award every player wants to get - Scotty Campbell Trophy. Thompson’s career and rivalry with Podrick Cast will be remembered for a long time and will not be forgotten as his story resonates with so many young and brilliant players that are just starting their careers right now. 

In the end, we see a brilliant legacy come to an end. We are looking at the highest scoring player since Season 10, a player that was extremely dominant and passionate for the game we all love. His path to stardom didn't come easy but in the end, his skills showed what kind of player Matt Thompson really was. A rare gem that we might never see likes of again. 
 

Edited September 14, 2020 by FrostBeard

[ThePerfectNut 563]

It's here!

[Banackock 7,656]

Isn’t it like 6am in Latvia? Go to bed lol

 

hes an OK plauer

[Gustav 6,130]

1 hour ago, FrostBeard said:

A decent player, maybe a bit arrogant

 

Pinging @Beketov out of context

[Beketov 8,647]

Best player to never win a Kanou. Still though, not much to really be ashamed of here. Guess I finally have to let him die now. Thanks Frosty