Akil Thomas

Akil Thomas
Born (2000-01-02) January 2, 2000
Toronto, Ontario, Canada [1][2][3]
Height 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 170 lb (77 kg; 12 st 2 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Right
NHL team (P)
Cur. team		 Los Angeles Kings
Niagara IceDogs (OHL)
NHL Draft 51st overall, 2018
Los Angeles Kings
Playing career TBD–present

Akil Thomas (born January 2, 2000) is an American-Canadian ice hockey centre who currently plays for the Niagara IceDogs in the Ontario Hockey League. Prior to the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Thomas was projected as a top eligible draft pick.[4][5][6][7] He was eventually drafted in the second round, 51st overall, by the Los Angeles Kings.

Playing career

Thomas played with the Toronto Marlboros in the GTHL where he scored a team-leading 72 points in 56 games.[8] He then played for the St. Michael's Buzzers in the OJHL before being selected 12th overall by the Niagara IceDogs at the 2016 OHL priority draft.[1][8] He signed with the IceDogs on June 4, 2016.[9]

In his first year of the OHL, during in the 2016–17 season, Thomas was named Rookie of the Month for the month of October[10] and he set a new franchise record for regular season points scored by a rookie.[11] On April 20, 2017, Thomas was named to the OHL's 2017 All-Rookie team.[12] At the end of the 2016–17 season he finished second overall in OHL rookie of the year voting.[4] Due to his success as a rookie, Thomas was named one of the alternative captains for the IceDogs before the 2017–18 OHL season.[13] He finished the regular season leading the team with 81 points[14][15] and ended the postseason third in team scoring with 11 points in 10 games.[16]

Thomas was drafted in second round, 51st overall, by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Prior to the 2018–19 season, Thomas was again named an alternate captain for the IceDogs and was invited to the Los Angeles Kings development camp.[17] During the first week of the 2018–19 season, Thomas was named the OHL Player of the Week after recording five points in an 8–6 win over the Mississauga Steelheads.[18] He recorded another five point night on October 12, in a 7–2 win over the Barrie Colts.[19]

International play

Despite having dual citizenship with the United States, Thomas has chosen to represent Canada internationally. In 2016, Thomas was selected to represent Canada White at the 2016 World U-17 Hockey Challenge in Sault Ste. Marie, ON.[20] He was named an alternate captain as well and scored 3 points in 5 games.[21]

Thomas again represented Canada when he played on Team Canada's under 18 team at the 2017 IIHF World U18 Championships in Slovakia, where Canada placed 5th overall.[1][8] In the same year, he also represented Canada during the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament,[22] where he scored 6 points to help Canada win their 21st gold title.[23] After the IceDogs were eliminated from the playoffs, Thomas was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2018 IIHF World U18 Championships.[24] He recorded two points in four games and Canada placed fifth overall in the tournament.

Personal life

Thomas's mother is from Barbadian heritage, and his father, Kahlil, is originally from Toronto.[4] His father played hockey with the Toronto Maple Leafs American Hockey League affiliate, the St. John's Maple Leafs.[25] His uncle Leo also played minor hockey, including some years with the Mississippi RiverKings and Fort Wayne Komets.[1][26] Thomas is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada.[27][28]

Thomas was born in Toronto, however, his family regularly moved around due to his dad's minor hockey career.[8][2] Once his dad had retired from hockey the family decided to stay in Orlando, Florida, where Thomas lists as his hometown.[8] However, when Thomas was 11 the family decided to move back to Toronto to allow for him to get better hockey-related opportunities.[29][2] Growing up, Thomas attended St. Michael's College School, where he was advised to skip a grade thus allowing Thomas to enroll in classes at Brock University.[4]

While playing with the Toronto Marlboros, Thomas made a cameo appearance in the film "Soul On Ice: Past, Present & Future," which discusses the history of black players in hockey. His appearance was due to the director, Damon Kwame Mason, being a personal family friend.[29]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2016–17 Niagara IceDogs OHL 61 21 27 48 17 4 0 0 0 0
2017–18 Niagara IceDogs OHL 68 22 59 81 36 10 5 6 11 6
OHL totals 129 43 86 129 53 14 5 6 11 6

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2017 Canada U18 2017 IIHF World U18 Championships 5th 5 0 0 0 2
2017 Canada U18 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament 1st, gold medalist(s) 5 2 4 6 0
2018 Canada U18 2018 IIHF World U18 Championships 5th 4 1 1 2 0
Junior totals 14 3 5 8 2

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Sweetland, Josh (August 27, 2017). "OHL 20 in 20 Summer Spotlight: Akil the real deal for IceDogs". ontariohockeyleague.com. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  2. 1 2 3 Scheig, Mark (October 16, 2017). "Q & A with Top Prospect Akil Thomas". thehockeywriters.com. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  3. ↑ "AKIL THOMAS". nhl.com. Retrieved January 27, 2018.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Mahiban, Dhiren (November 22, 2017). "Skilled IceDogs forward Akil Thomas already has business interests outside hockey". Mississauga, Ontario: The National Post. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  5. ↑ Cosentino, Sam (October 3, 2017). "Sportsnet's 2018 NHL Draft Prospect Rankings". Sportsnet.ca. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
  6. ↑ "140 CHL Players Listed in 2018 NHL Central Scouting Midterm Rankings". chl.ca. January 22, 2018. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  7. ↑ Mitchell, Allan (June 24, 2017). "2018 NHL Draft: Names to Know for Next Year's Prospects". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 Sawchuk, Bill (June 16, 2017). "Dog days of summer for Akil Thomas". St. Catharines Standard. Archived from the original on June 23, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  9. ↑ "Akil Thomas Signs with IceDogs". niagaraicedogs.net. June 4, 2016. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  10. ↑ "Akil Thomas Named Top Rookie for October!". niagaraicedogs.net. October 31, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  11. ↑ "IceDogs' Thomas sets new club points mark for rookies". ontariohockeyleague.com. March 10, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  12. ↑ Ekblad, Darien (April 20, 2017). "Akil Thomas Named to OHL All Rookie Team!". niagaraicedogs.net. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  13. ↑ "IceDogs name Ben Jones, Akil Thomas alternate captains". St. Catharines Standard. September 23, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  14. ↑ "OHL PLAYOFFS Eastern Conference Quarter-Final Preview". niagaraicedogs.net. March 22, 2018. Retrieved March 24, 2018.
  15. ↑ Pyette, Ryan (March 21, 2018). "OHL playoff preview: Eastern Conference". The London Free Press. Retrieved March 24, 2018. Play-making Akil Thomas is an NHL first rounder after team-leading 81 points
  16. ↑ "Thomas, Bruder, and MacPherson listed in NHL CSS Final Rankings". niagaraicedogs.net. April 16, 2018. Retrieved April 17, 2018.
  17. ↑ "Six IceDogs taking part in NHL development camps". St. Catharines Standard. September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2018.
  18. ↑ "OHL 'On the Run' Player of the Week: Akil Thomas". ontariohockeyleague.com. September 24, 2018. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  19. ↑ Mawhood, Rod (October 12, 2018). "IceDogs roll over Colts as Akil Thomas records five-point night". St. Catharine Standard. Retrieved October 14, 2018.
  20. ↑ "CAN White 2016 Roster". hockeycanada.ca. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  21. ↑ "Dudas, Roberts, Thomas Named WU17 Assistant Captains". ontariohockeyleague.com. OHL. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
  22. ↑ Aaron, Vickers (August 2, 2017). "Canada names roster for 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup". NHL.com. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  23. ↑ "21 CHL players win gold with Canada at 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup". whl.ca. August 12, 2017. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  24. ↑ "Thomas among 6 players added to Canadian 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship Roster". niagaraicedogs.net. April 18, 2018. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  25. ↑ "KAHLIL THOMAS". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  26. ↑ "LEO THOMAS". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  27. ↑ "AKIL THOMAS". www.eliteprospects.com. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  28. ↑ "63 Americans Taken in OHL Draft". ushr.com. April 9, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2018.
  29. 1 2 Mike G. Morreale (February 8, 2018). "Thomas aims to excel on, off ice in NHL". NHL.com. Retrieved February 18, 2018.
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