Vande Sompel Moving Up in Bridgeport

Mitchell Vande Sompel doesn't get the attention of Devon Toews or Sebastian Aho, but the rookie defensemen is quietly putting together a strong offensive season in Bridgeport.
Vande Sompel has 21 points (3G, 18A) in 37 games in Bridgeport, and is for third on the team in scoring and first among active players. He's also tied for second in rookie scoring among AHL defensemen and has two shootout winners this season for Bridgeport. On Wednesday, he and goalie Christopher Gibsonwere
named to the AHL all-star game
.

"Vande came in beginning of the year and I don't want to call it a surprise, but really created a lot of offense and bought into the defensive side of the game," Sound Tigers Coach Brent Thompson said. "Because of that has created some offense for us from the back side."
The Islanders 2015 third-round pick is fresh out of the Ontario Hockey League, where he spent three-and-a-half with the Oshawa Generals and a half season with his hometown London Knights. Vande Sompel won a Memorial Cup with Oshawa in 2015 - along with Michael Dal Colle - and amassed 174 points (47G, 127A) over four years in junior. So far that offensive upside has carried over to the AHL.
Instagram from @mitchvandesompel: Mem cup champs.....dream come true
"It's been good for the most part," Vande Sompel said. "There have been ups and downs obviously your first pro year. The most important thing is coming ready every day to learn and work as hard as you can and willing to get better."
The ups include scoring his first professional goal, lining up against and playing with former NHL players, including teammates like Stephen Gionta and Steve Bernier, and opponents like Calvin Pickard, the former Colorado Avalanche goalie playing for the Toronto Marlies. He feels his game is evolving, working with a defensive-minded coach in Thompson, though the Sound Tigers bench boss knows what Vande Sompel's foundation is.
"A huge asset of his is his feet," Thompson said. "He's adapted really well to the pro game because he's so fast. He's such a strong, fast skater he can use his feet to find solutions or at least recover into defensive position."
There's a learning curve too. Vande Sompel was used to being one of the go-to guys in Oshawa, where he was an alternate captain under fellow Isles prospect Michael Dal Colle, but like most rookies, had to prove himself worthy of playing every night. As he found out earlier this season, a spot in the lineup isn't guaranteed.

"You're used to being the go-to guy in junior and then you come here, and maybe one game you don't have the greatest one and then the next one you're out of the lineup.," Vande Sompel said. "It makes you hungrier because you're not used to it, You want to get back in the lineup, keep developing and improving, that's the biggest adversity so far."
This move to Bridgeport has been a learning experience, both on and off the ice. It's Vande Sompel's first time living without a billet family, or his own, so learning how to cook is just as much a part of his life as working on his d-zone coverage. He's living with fellow rookie Parker Wotherspoon, so they're going through the experience together. Reportedly the roommates are fond of their slow cooker.
"It's been pretty fun so far, a learning experience and there's responsibility that comes with it," Vande Sompel said. "I've never been one to cook really. Neither has he I don't think. Putting the effort in, but he's been awesome to live with."
With Devon Toews out 4-6 months with a shoulder injury and Sebastian Aho playing with the Islanders, Vande Sompel has expanded his role on the power play. For a player who scored nearly half of his goals in junior on the power play, it's a role his comfortable with.

"In junior I was a big power play guy, I logged a lot of those minutes," Vande Sompel said. "In pro it's a lot harder hockey, it takes a bigger toll of your body. You take on those minutes in pro and you have to make sure you're taking care of yourself. It's been a challenge, but it's an awesome challenge and the coaching staff and everyone here have been awesome helping me improve."
That's been the goal every day for Vande Sompel, who is by all accounts putting in the time after practice and in the weight room. There's always an adjustment period for any player - especially a defenseman - but according to the coach, he's moving along well.
"He's doing a really good job and taking steps into the right direction," Thompson said. "We have growing pains with all of these young guys and there's a little consistency from time to time, but if you look at the bigger picture we're really happy with the progression that he's taken.