Mathew Thompson played in his first contest with the AHL’s Rockford Ice Hogs this week. This comes following a year long stint with the Indy Fuel of the ECHL. Prior to his season with the Fuel, he was Adrian College’s team captain and a 2018 First Team All-American He is the first skater in Bulldog history to sign and play with an AHL Club during the regular season.
25-year-old Thompson played the previous season with the Fuel and recorded 58 points on 24 goals and 34 assists through 76 games. He was Indy’s Rookie of the Year for 2018-19 after finishing third on the team in scoring.
He has been a professional hokey player for just over one season. When he finished his collegiate career at Adrian he went right to Indy. He played in the final 12 games of that season and then played all of last year with the club.
Thompson is no stranger to Rockford as he attended training camp with the Ice Hogs prior to the 2018-19 campaign before skating with the Fuel during the regular season. He’s on an AHL deal with the franchise and wasn’t called up, but rather recalled to begin his career with them.
#43 Mathew Thompson (‘18) and his Rockford Ice Hogs celebrate tonight’s 2-1 OT win over first-place Milwaukee. Thompson received his first AHL call-up this past Saturday. The team heads to Canada this weekend for a three-game road trip. pic.twitter.com/M5PdsSV7q3
— Adrian College Hockey (@ACbulldoghockey) December 11, 2019
Thompson shined for four years at Adrian where he ended his collegiate career on the school’s career all-time scoring list (10th all-time) with 128 points. The 2018 NCHA Player of the Year and two-time all-conference standout also ranks third all-time with 12 game-winning tallies and fifth with 21 power-play goals. He helped Adrian to four NCHA regular-season titles, two Harris Cup postseason crowns and four NCAA tournament appearances.
When he inked a deal with the franchise, Adrian head coach Adam Krug said “I’m not surprised that Mat earned a contract in the American League. He’s a great player, extremely skilled, skates well, and has a good brain, but the reason he’s having this type of success is that he’s detailed and extremely coachable.”
Adrian’s pro signees the last two years:
2019
Brian Bachnak – Peoria Rivermen – Southern Professional Hockey League
Trevor Boyd – Kalamazoo Wings – ECHL (Vancouver Canucks)
Cory Dunn – Newfoundland Growlers – ECHL (Toronto Maple Leafs)
Kevin Entmaa – Macon Mayhem – Southern Professional Hockey League
Braden Hellems – Indy Fuel – ECHL (Chicago Black Hawks)
Brian Yim – Fayetteville Marksmen – Southern Professional Hockey League
2018
Kyle Brothers – HYS – Belgium
Dillon Kelley – Norfolk Admirals – ECHL (Arizona Coyotes)
Taylor McCloy – Norfolk Admirals – ECHL (Arizona Coyotes)
Mathew Thompson – Indy Fuel – ECHL (Chicago Black Hawks)
This article uses information and media generated by Adrian College’s Sports Information Department. For more college sports, follow us on Twitter @MWSNsports or like our page on Facebook.
