The Crows lost half of their leadership group when skipper Simon Goodwin and veterans Andrew McLeod, Tyson Edwards and Brett Burton called time on their decorated careers last year.
Last month, Nathan van Berlo was officially installed as Goodwin's successor.
Incumbent leaders Ben Rutten, Scott Stevens and Michael Doughty were also re-elected by their peers, but Thompson's inclusion in the group was less of a formality.
Courageous, tough and selfless, Thompson had always displayed the on-field traits of a good leader but it wasn't until the start of pre-season training when it dawned on him he was among the oldest players on the list and it was time to take his leadership to another level.
"I don't turn 28 for another couple of months yet and I'm already the fourth-oldest player at the club. It's happened almost overnight with Goodwin, McLeod, Edwards and Burton retiring," Thompson said.
"We've lost all those senior players and it was probably just natural for me to step up in that [leadership] role, but, at the end of the day, being in the leadership group is just a title.
"I'd like to think I lead by my actions in the way I go about my work around the club and the way I play, so hopefully I can influence the blokes that way."
Thompson was placed on a "modified program" last summer because of patella tendonitis, but said changes to the club's training workload had allowed him to spend more time on the track this pre-season.
"I had to restrict the amount of training I was doing last pre-season and manage the injury the best way possible, which meant sitting out a few sessions but I'm on top of that now and the body is feeling really good," Thompson said.
"We've got a very healthy list and the majority of the blokes are in full training, so I think we've been very smart in the way we've trained this pre-season.
"Hopefully, that will flow over into games and be beneficial for us."
Thompson started last season slowly as a result of the nagging injury, but starred in the latter-half of the year to poll 15 Brownlow votes and finish top three in Adelaide's best and fairest award for the third time in four years.
The former Melbourne midfielder, who is in the process of getting his Level 2 coaching certificate, has started to think about life after football but said he was confident he had plenty left to offer the game.
"I still think my best football is ahead of me," Thompson said.
"I keep getting told that I'm old around here, but my body feels good and I guess the other guys in the team help keep me young.
"I'm halfway through my 11th pre-season, so I've been in the system for a while but I'm really enjoying it and enjoying working with a lot of young guys now."
