The 4-1 win helped the Golden Knights snap a three-game winless streak and made Thompson the seventh goalie in franchise history to win a game for the team.
"There were a lot of people reaching out," Thompson said on Knight Time at Noon the day after his first NHL win. "I had around 100 texts. They were from people from back home, old coaches, teachers, and old friends. It was really good to see, and I was really thankful for the opportunity."
Thompson's road to the Vegas crease was the one less traveled. He made stops along the way that, compared to goalies around the league, are nontraditional. At points when others doubted him, Thompson let his play do the talking.
After finishing his junior hockey career with the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2018, Thompson spent a year at Brock University in Ontario where he pursued his studies while starting in net for the school's hockey team. Reaching the NHL from a Canadian university isn't entirely unheard of, but the list of players who have done it is short.
Despite the odds, Thompson moved on to play professional hockey after one season at Brock as he suited up for the Adirondack Thunder and Binghamton Devils later that year. After an impressive 2019-20 campaign with the South Carolina Stingrays of the ECHL, Thompson signed with the Vegas Golden Knights organization.
An excellent 2020-21 season with the Henderson Silver Knights earned Thompson the Aldege "Baz" Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL's most outstanding goaltender. He also made his NHL debut that year as he came on in relief during a Golden Knights game in Minnesota. So far in 2021-22, Thompson has continued his strong play at the AHL level and is 1-1-0 in his two starts in the NHL.
While personal success is important to every player, Thompson remains focused on doing everything he can to help Vegas and Henderson succeed.
"I want to help this organization as best as I can," Thompson said. "Last year was good, but I still think there were people doubting because I only played against six teams, or it was a fluke year. I've still got to go down there and keep proving to other people that I belong, and I can play at the highest level."
