Tage Thompson was the 26th pick of the 2016 NHL Draft (aka the Auston Matthews Draft). In that draft, the Tampa Bay Lightning held the 27th pick. If he had dropped past the St. Louis Blues would the Bolts have taken him instead of Brett Howden? Maybe. After all, 6’6” stickhandling centers don’t come along every year. Who knows what would have happened if he had a chance to develop in the Lightning’s system.
After he finished out his college career at the University of Connecticut (where he had an okay 64 points in 70 games) he made his way to the NHL fairly quickly, appearing in 41 games for the Blues and recording 9 points (3 goals, 6 assists) in th 2017-18 season.