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Tage Thompson made history today when he was picked 26th overall by the St. Louis Blues in the first round of the NHL Draft Friday night.
Before this evening, no hockey player who had previously suited up for the Huskies had ever been drafted. Additionally, he is the first player associated with UConn Hockey to be picked in the first round. The following players had been drafted by teams before coming to Storrs:
Ryan Segalla - Drafted by Pittsburgh in 4th round, 2013
David Drake - Drafted by Philadelphia in 7th round, 2013
Miles Gendron - Drafted by Ottawa in 3rd round, 2014
Max Letunov - Drafted by St. Louis in 2nd round, 2014
Thompson was projected by many outlets to be a late first round pick and those projections held true. He will most likely be playing his sophomore season at UConn, as it's best for his development, but ultimately it's up to the Blues management as to where he will be spending his time.
I'm a UConn season ticket holder. Like Tage Thompson. Good size and good hockey sense in tight scoring areas. @StLouisBlues
— Bucci Mane (@Buccigross) June 25, 2016
Tage is the 11th out of 12 American-born players drafted in the first round of the 2016 NHL Draft, setting a new record. He was also one of 12 NCAA-bound players selected, tying the NHL record set in 2007. He is the 15th Husky across the NBA, NFL, WNBA, NHL, MLB, MLS and Canadian Football League to be picked in the first round since 2014.
Since 2014, UConn is the only school in the country to have a @NFL @NBA @MLB and @NHL First Round Draft Pick #UConnNation
— UConn Huskies (@UConnHuskies) June 25, 2016
Thompson's classmate and teammate with the Huskies, Joe Masonius, is also eligible for this year's draft. He may hear his name called in the late rounds on Saturday.