Rocky Thompson

Rocky Lee Thompson (born August 8, 1977) is a Canadian former ice hockey right wing. Most recently, he was the head coach of the Bridgeport Islanders of the American Hockey League, and was previously an assistant coach with the Philadelphia Flyers 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. During his hockey career, he was known as an enforcer. 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.

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.

In the summer of 2022, it was announced that Thompson was hired by the Philadelphia Flyers as an assistant coach for the 2022–23 season. He remained in this position through the 2024–25 season.

On June 23, 2025, he was hired as head coach of the Bridgeport Islanders, the AHL affiliate of the New York Islanders (NHL).

Career statistics Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 1993–94 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 68 1 4 5 166 3 0 0 0 2 1994–95 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 63 1 6 7 220 5 0 0 0 17 1995–96 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 71 9 20 29 260 5 2 3 5 26 1995–96 Saint John Flames AHL 4 0 0 0 33 — — — — — 1996–97 Medicine Hat Tigers WHL 47 6 9 15 170 — — — — — 1996–97 Swift Current Broncos WHL 22 3 5 8 90 10 1 2 3 22 1997–98 Saint John Flames AHL 51 3 0 3 187 18 1 1 2 47 1997–98 Calgary Flames NHL 12 0 0 0 61 — — — — — 1998–99 Calgary Flames NHL 3 0 0 0 25 — — — — — 1998–99 Saint John Flames AHL 27 2 2 4 108 — — — — — 1999–00 Saint John Flames AHL 53 2 8 10 125 — — — — — 1999–00 Louisville Panthers AHL 3 0 1 1 54 4 0 0 0 4 2000–01 Louisville Panthers AHL 55 3 5 8 193 — — — — — 2000–01 Florida Panthers NHL 4 0 0 0 19 — — — — — 2001–02 Hershey Bears AHL 42 0 3 3 143 8 1 0 1 19 2001–02 Florida Panthers NHL 6 0 0 0 12 — — — — — 2002–03 San Antonio Rampage AHL 79 1 11 12 275 3 0 0 0 4 2003–04 Toronto Roadrunners AHL 69 1 8 9 196 3 1 1 2 0 2004–05 Edmonton Road Runners AHL 69 3 3 6 231 — — — — — 2005–06 Peoria Rivermen AHL 59 1 4 5 247 3 0 0 0 19 2006–07 Peoria Rivermen AHL 55 1 7 8 127 — — — — — AHL totals 566 17 52 60 1919 39 3 2 5 93 NHL totals 25 0 0 0 117 — — — — —