UConn men’s hockey: Tage Thompson makes US roster for IIHF Men’s World Championships

Former UConn men’s hockey star Tage Thompson has made the US roster for the upcoming IIHF Men’s World Championships, which will be held from May 21 to June 6 in Riga, Latvia.

This will be Thompson’s third appearance with the national team for a championship event. He previously helped Team USA to a gold medal in the 2015 U18 Men’s World Championship and the 2017 World Junior Championships along with a bronze medal in the 2018 Men’s World Championship.

In 24 games at the international level, Thompson has recorded two goals and seven assists.

The Orange, Connecticut native spent two seasons at UConn from 2015-17, where he racked up 33 goals and 31 assists in 70 games. As a freshman, Thompson led the nation with 13 power play goals and the next year, he was named a Hockey East Third Team All-Star.

Thompson is the only first round pick in UConn’s program history, going 26th overall to the St. Louis Blues in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut with the Blues on Oct. 4, 2017 but was traded to the Buffalo Sabres after his rookie season. Thompson has spent the last three seasons in Buffalo, collecting 26 points in 104 games.

Team USA will play its first game of the tournament against Finland on May 22 at 9:15 a.m. Every US game will be shown live on NHL Network.