Rocky Thompson
Rocky Lee Thompson (born August 8, 1977) is a Canadian former ice hockey right wing, who last served as an associate coach with the San Jose Sharks of the NHL. He was drafted in the third round, 72nd overall, by the Calgary Flames in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft. This Cree forward/defenseman was born in Calgary, Alberta and raised in Whitecourt, Alberta. Along with hockey, he showed promise in boxing as a teenager, winning gold in the 1993 North American Indigenous Games as well as in provincial Golden Gloves tournament championships in Alberta and Saskatchewan. Playing career . After playing four seasons in the Western Hockey League, Thompson made his professional debut with the Flames' American Hockey League affiliate, the Saint John Flames. He appeared in 15 NHL games with the Flames during the 1997–98 and 1998–99 seasons. He made a brief return to the NHL with the Florida Panthers, appearing in ten games during the 2000–01 and 2001–02 seasons. In only 25 NHL games, Thompson racked up 117 penalty minutes. Most of his professional career has been spent with various AHL teams, tallying numerous penalty minutes. Most recently, he played in 55 games for the Peoria Rivermen  during the 2006–07 season, recording 127 penalty minutes. Coaching career. Following his professional career, Rocky Thompson turned to coaching, becoming the assistant coach for the expansion Edmonton Oil Kings of the Western Hockey League in 2007. He would later become an assistant coach for the Oklahoma City Barons. On July 16, 2014, Thompson was promoted to assistant coach of the Edmonton Oilers. On July 3, 2015, Thompson was hired as head coach of the Windsor Spitfires. In his first season, he took a Spitfires team that finished last in the conference and guided them to 87 regular-season points and  second place in the OHL West Division, before losing in five games to the London Knights in the first round of the playoffs. Thompson coached the Spitfires as they became champions of the 2017 Memorial Cup. On June 7, 2017, Thompson was hired as head coach of the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League. He spent three seasons in the position before joining the San Jose Sharks as an associate coach on September 22, 2020. He did not return for the 2021–22 season, as he would not be vaccinated against COVID-19 as required by the NHL for people in  close contact with the players.