New Vancouver Canucks trade acquisition has been tearing it up in Abbotsford
If there was one trade that fell off the radar for Vancouver Canucks fans before the deadline, it was probably this one.
About 24 hours before the trade deadline commenced, Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin sent defenceman Jett Woo to the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a younger blueliner in Jack Thompson.
It was a trade so quiet that in nearly 20 minutes of Allvin’s media availability following the deadline, he wasn’t asked about it once.
Perhaps he should have been.
Despite its relative insignificance in the bigger picture, the trade was an intriguing one for the Canucks.
Thompson is a steady, smooth-skating right-shot defenceman who still possesses some NHL upside.
And, he’s showcased his potential of late, posting nine points (two goals, seven assists) during his first seven games in Abbotsford. By comparison, Woo had a goal and eight points in 26 games for Abbotsford in 2025-26.
A WARM WELCOME FOR JACK THOMPSON! đź‘Ź pic.twitter.com/jlVTzF0YDa
— Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) March 7, 2026
Thompson has been playing in all situations since joining the Abbotsford Canucks, and he currently lines up on the top pair, alongside AHL rookie Sawyer Mynio.
The blueliner, who just turned 24 on Thursday, is two calendar years younger than Woo, who will be 26 in July.
While Woo never played in an NHL game for the Canucks, Thompson has already played 34 contests at the NHL level. Most of those games (31) came last season when he posted four goals and 10 points for the Sharks. Not bad numbers for a defenceman who only averaged 15:47 per night.
Thompson appeared in 31 games for the Sharks in 2024-25 (Eakin Howard/Imagn Images)
Thompson also had some pedigree in junior as well. He was a part of Canada’s gold medal-winning team at the 2022 World Juniors, where he had four points in seven games.
So, what has prevented him from becoming a full-time NHLer?
Honestly, if he stayed with the team that drafted him, there’s a chance he’d already be in the big leagues.
Thompson was selected in the third round by the Tampa Bay Lightning back in 2020. In just his second AHL season in 2023-24, he was named an assistant captain at just 21 years old. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound defenceman played on the top pair, played in all situations, made the AHL All-Star Game, and had 32 points in 47 games.
“He just comes to play,” Syracuse Crunch head coach Joel Bouchard said back in 2024. “He’s a real man. He acts like a man. He processes like a man.”
“He’s a person that’s really engaged and dedicated. He keeps evolving with the puck and without the puck and is noticeable for the right reasons. He’s got a high compete level.”
Tampa Bay has seen unheralded players like Charle-Edouard D’Astous, Emil Lilleberg, and Declan Carlile play major minutes for them this season. It’s conceivable that Thompson could have been one of those guys.
But Thompson ended up in San Jose at the 2024 trade deadline, in a deal that saw Anthony Duclair go to the Lightning.
The Courtice, Ont. native did get a decent opportunity in the NHL last season, on a team that was easily the NHL’s worst. However, San Jose’s burgeoning prospect pipeline began to limit Thompson’s opportunity to move back up the depth chart.
With the Canucks however, the door is open for him again to make a push for the NHL.
Thompson will need a new contract this offseason, as the pending restricted free agent is at the end of his one-year deal, paying him $800,000 at the NHL level.