Aidan Thompson

March 2026 – Thompson was acquired by the New York Rangers in exchange for Derrick Pouliot in a one-for-one player trade at the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. The 24-year-old forward totaled 15 points in 40 games for the Rockford IceHogs prior to the trade. Thompson has fit in well with the Hartford Wolf Pack with four points in his first six games. Despite an ongoing rebuild in New York, there is some serious development that needs to happen before jumps past players like Jonny Brodzinski or Malcolm Spence in the Rangers’ depth chart.  Chris Babos

March 2026 – Thompson was traded to the New York Rangers at the 2026 NHL Trade deadline. The 24-year-old has reported to the Hartford Wolf Pack. Chris Babos

December 2025 – Thompson’s path so far looks pretty much like what you would expect from a high-end NCAA player stepping into the AHL. His brief taste of pro hockey last spring hinted that the jump would take some time, and that’s exactly what we are seeing now. His 11 points in 24 games this season lines up with the usual learning curve. The game tightens up fast, and college forwards often need a stretch to adjust to the speed, the physicality, and the grind of producing every night.  His vision, his touch on the puck, and the way he connects plays through the middle of the ice all show up shift to shift. Those are the traits that tend to age well once a player locks into a steady role. The long-term picture still points to a potential middle-six contributor once the pro game fully slows down for him. Puneet Sharma

June 2025 – Thompson’s junior season at Denver turned heads, both for the breakout numbers and the way he led. He posted 55 points in 44 games, finishing second in NCAA scoring and helped power Denver’s offense with pace, IQ, and structure. That leap earned him a two-year ELC with Chicago in April, followed by a quick Rockford debut where he added five points in 11 games (regular season + playoffs). His game is not flashy, it is just reliable, and positionally sound. He has a relentless motor that makes him a coach’s dream. The next step is to transfer his game to the AHL level and potentially earn a look as a plug-and-play forward throughout the course of the NHL season. Puneet Sharma

May 2023 – This year Thompson played for the University of Denver, which is a well known and successful player development organization. Since joining the NCAA, Thompson has showed that he can put up solid numbers, scoring over 10 goals and 22 assists in a 32 game span. Thompson is getting stronger at putting pucks towards the net. Previous to this year he played two years with the Lincoln Stars where he put up 115 points in 109 games. Puneet Sharma