The San Jose Sharks have a deficit of right-shot defensemen and Jack Thompson is in the enviable position of being able to fill that need. Last season, Thompson jumped back and forth between the Sharks and the Barracuda. The Sharks had Jan Rutta, Cody Ceci and Matt Benning as NHL level defensemen on the roster to start the season, leaving Thompson to start out with the Barracuda. A trade early in the season replaced Benning with Timothy Liljegren and Thompson remained the top call up option on the right side.
Thompson’s 2024-25 production
Thompson got his first shot quickly, finding his way into the lineup on Oct. 20, 2024. He played 13 games with the Sharks in October and November and had just one game in December. There was another game in January, a handful in February and then fits and starts in March and April. In total, Thompson played 31 games for the Sharks last season.
| Games Played | Goals | Assists | Points | +/- | Shooting % | TOI/Game |
| 31 | 4 | 6 | 10 | -9 | 9.8% | 15:47 |
As far as first seasons go, Thompson did okay as a defenseman on the worst team in the league. He had 10 points in 31 games and scored his first NHL goal on Nov. 5, 2024, against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
First NHL goal for Jack Thompson! 🚨 pic.twitter.com/H1aDo8ywP4
— NHL (@NHL) November 6, 2024
He finished the season a minus-9 and averaged 15:47 of ice time per game.
Limited usage in his first season
While advanced stats tend to tell you which players are performing better and which ones are not, Thompson’s stats might be a little deceiving. Looking at the goals above replacement (GAR) chart from Evolving-Hockey for all of the Sharks’ defensemen, the stats would tell you that Thompson was among the Sharks’ better defensemen last season.
And while yes, he was, it should also be noted that he was getting very protected minutes. For example, Thompson played less than 13:30 total ice time on the penalty kill this season. That’s less than 30 seconds per game. Considering how often it felt like the Sharks were on the penalty kill this season, that’s not a good sign.
Thompson was also put on the ice in easier situations. While players like Mario Ferraro were asked to take on more defensive zone faceoffs, Thompson was given more of the offensive and neutral zone ones.
As you can see from the NHL Edge stats, Thompson’s zone starts were a bit more sheltered than might have been for a more experienced defenseman. So, while he performed better than most of the Sharks’ defensemen this season, he also had less of a challenge than many of the more veteran Sharks defensemen this season.
Re-evaluating Thompson’s place on the Sharks
When we looked at Thompson’s place in the Sharks’ prospect pool at the beginning of last season, we mentioned that our friends at Raw Charge saw Thompson as a player who has “transitional” skills and power play potential. Sharks fans saw some of that this past season. Indeed, the Sharks were better at bringing the puck out of their own zone this season, and Thompson helped contribute to that.
However, given the depth of the Sharks’ prospect pool at this point in time, it’s hard to say that Thompson would be used on either the first or second power play unit. Players like Sam Dickinson and Luca Cagnoni have better offensive upside than Thompson at this point.
Thompson may be skilled enough defensively to fill a role alongside Dickinson or Cagnoni, but it will take time to tell for sure. That should be Thompson’s focus moving forward with the Sharks.
What’s next for Thompson?
Shaping his game will be essential for Thompson this next season. Thompson just wrapped up a three-year deal that paid him $828,000 per season. He’s a restricted free agent, so the Sharks have first dibs. We imagine they are trying to work out a deal that will be agreeable to both sides. Thompson looks like he’s ready to try his skills at the NHL level, and he will likely push for that during negotiations. Thompson is only 23, so signing him to a two-year deal would be reasonable. Thompson’s team might be willing to do that if the Sharks see a path to regular NHL playing time for him.
At this moment, with only Timothy Liljegren and Vincent Desharnais signed to the right-hand side next season, unless the Sharks make a splash at free agency or make a trade, Thompson will get a long, hard look at training camp. He has a chance to prove that’s his spot.
With the small sample size so far and with limited playing time, it’s hard to say where Thompson ends up ultimately in his development. Gut feeling is that he could be a middle-six defenseman at his very peak, but that’s hard to say without more playing time. Look for Thompson to get a full NHL season next year (again, barring a trade or offer sheet that brings in a player like Noah Dobson, Evan Bouchard, or the like) and possibly play a role as a reliable depth defenseman that does the little things right.
