Nate Thompson

Playing career

Amateur

Thompson played major junior ice hockey for the Western Hockey League (WHL)'s Seattle Thunderbirds beginning in the 2001–02 season. After his second season with Seattle, in 2002–03, he was drafted by the Boston Bruins in the sixth round, 183rd overall, at the 2003 NHL entry draft on June 21–22, 2003.

Thompson remained with the Thunderbirds for two additional seasons after his NHL selection by the Bruins, in 2003–04 and 2004–05. However, during the latter season, he joined Boston's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Providence Bruins on their run in the 2005 Calder Cup playoffs, making his professional debut.

Professional

Thompson signed an entry-level contract with the Bruins on July 20, 2005, and made his debut in the NHL with the team in 2006–07, playing four games; however, he spent the majority of the season with Providence in the AHL.

On October 8, 2008, just before the start of the 2008-09 NHL season, The Islanders claimed Thompson off of waivers and added him to their NHL roster; defenseman Brett Skinner was reassigned to the AHL Bridgeport Sound Tigers to make room for Thompson. He scored his first NHL goal in his 16th career game, a short-handed shot past Henrik Lundqvist that opened up scoring for a 2-1 victory over the New York Rangers on November 4. Thompson's season was hindered by injury. First, a groin injury suffered in a game against the Atlanta Thrashers at the start of November sidelined Thompson for a number of weeks. Two months later, Thompson missed 12 games with a fractured ankle, returning on January 14. Less than a month later, Thompson suffered a shoulder injury with an anticipated recovery time of four to six weeks.

On July 27, 2009, Thompson was re-signed to a one-year contract with the Islanders.

After registering six points in 39 games with the Islanders in the 2009–10 season, Thompson was claimed off waivers by the Tampa Bay Lightning on January 21, 2010. He would appear in 32 games for the Lightning, scoring one goal and three assists for four points; in total, he scored two goals and eight assists for both the Islanders and Lightning, then-career-highs. He also excelled in face-offs, winning 219 of 385 taken for Tampa Bay, a 56.9 percent success rate. In the subsequent off-season, on July 10, 2010, Tampa Bay re-signed Thompson to a one-year contract.

On January 31, 2011, Tampa Bay signed Thompson to a two-year contract extension. At that point, he had played in 51 games with the team, recording career-highs for goals (7), assists (10) and points (17). Thompson also continued his success in the face-off circle, winning 249 of 446 draws taken (55.8 percent). He ranked seventh among NHL forwards with 49 blocked shots, and was also fourth on the team in takeaways, with 25.

During the 2012–13 NHL lockout, Thompson played for his hometown Alaska Aces of the ECHL, later returning to the Lightning at the end of the lockout. On March 3, 2013, Tampa Bay signed Thompson to a four-year contract extension. He finished the shortened, 48-game 2012–13 season with seven goals and eight assists from 45 games played.

International play

In addition to his NHL career, Thompson has also represented the United States at the Ice Hockey World Championships. He first represented Team USA in 2012, serving as an alternate captain alongside Jets skater Jim Slater and under captain Jack Johnson of the Columbus Blue Jackets. Although the US failed to place, finishing seventh in the pool of 16, Thompson had two critical moments during the opening stages. First, he scored a regulation goal in Team USA's 5–4 overtime victory against Canada, the first time that the US defeated Canada at the World Championships since 2001. Later, Thompson scored the go-ahead goal in a 5–3 defeat of Belarus.

Thompson reprised his role as the alternate captain of Team USA at the 2013 IIHF World Championships, serving alongside Lightning teammate Matt Carle, while Paul Stastny of the Colorado Avalanche captained the team. Thompson scored his first goal in the tournament as part of an 8–3 rout of Russia in the Cluster B Quarterfinals; it was the first time that a Russian or Soviet Union team had allowed eight or more goals at an international ice hockey competition. Thompson and the US team ultimately took bronze in the tournament, defeating Finland 3–2 in a penalty shootout.

Personal life

Thompson married his first wife, former Boston College Eagles women's ice hockey player Cristin Stuart, in July 2013. They have one child together, Teague Thompson, born on May 18, 2015. By marriage to Cristin, Thompson was the son-in-law to Mayo Clinic physician Michael Stuart, and the brother-in-law to NHL players Mike, Colin, and Mark Stuart.

Raised in a Christian family, Thompson converted to Judaism in July 2018, the same faith of his second wife, Sydney Kaplan. The couple wed one week after Thompson's conversion was finalized. Thompson and Kaplan separated December 2020 and their divorce was finalized July 2021.

For most of his professional hockey career, Thompson struggled with substance abuse. He began drinking alcohol around the age of 11, and by his mid-20s, he was taking a number of recreational drugs, including cocaine, MDMA, and psilocybin mushrooms. He made the decision to stop drinking and using drugs on October 10, 2016, and has been sober since. When he joined the Jets, Thompson elected to wear jersey No. 11 as a tribute to Rick Rypien, who died by suicide in 2011 after signing with the Jets. He made the decision as a tribute to Rypien and both players' struggles with their mental health.

As of 2021, Thompson dated former actor/model and current sculptor, Sonni Pacheco. Pacheco is Jeremy Renner's ex-wife and they share a daughter, Ava Berlin Renner. Thompson and Pacheco welcomed daughter Wylder Rayne on March 21, 2023.

Career statistics