BUFFALO, N.Y. – To hear Auston Matthews tell it, the Sabres are getting in on the ground floor of something special with Tage Thompson.



Matthews and Thompson spent a year together in USA Hockey’s development program. Back in 2014-15, Matthews was already the dominating force who has captured the attention of Toronto and the NHL. Thompson, meanwhile, was a 17-year-old trying to manage a body that was getting taller but not wider.



“He was kind of a late bloomer honestly,” Matthews said during a recent visit to Buffalo. “When he came in, he was just a really tall, lanky kid.”



The national team listed Thompson at 6-foot-2, 160 pounds. Not surprisingly, the rail-thin right winger had trouble competing at times. While Matthews was putting up 55 goals and 117 points in 60 games, Thompson contributed 12 goals and 26 points in 64 outings.



As Thompson’s height and weight have increased, so have his statistics and...