Bad news for Anchorage hockey player Nate Thompson -- he will be sidelined well into next season while he recovers from a serious shoulder injury.
Thompson, a center for the Anaheim Ducks, will miss five to six months after undergoing surgery Thursday to repair two labral tears in his left shoulder.
The NHL season begins Oct. 1, and Thompson's return could come as late as mid-December.
The extent of Thompson's injury wasn't known prior to surgery. Thompson, 30, was apparently injured injured in Anaheim's regular-season finale, and he missed the team's first-round playoff sweep of Winnipeg.
He returned for the second and third rounds of the playoffs and played through the injury for the Pacific Division champion Ducks, who fell one game short of the Stanley Cup Final. Thompson had two goals and four assists in 12 playoff games, averaging more than 15 minutes of ice time as Anaheim's third-line center.
Anaheim acquired Thompson from the Tampa Bay Lightning last summer for two draft picks, and he settled into an important two-way role for a powerful club. He scored 18 points and had 39 penalty minutes in 80 regular-season games, with three game-winning goals among his five goals.
His extended absence could lead to promotions for young Ducks centers Rickard Rakell and Chris Wagner. Anaheim also could look for a veteran center in free agency.