Thomas is not your average player
At just 17, he’s also studying at Brock, has a clothing line
MISSISSAUGA — Akil Thomas is not your average junior hockey player.
He’s not your average teenager, for that matter.
The 17-year-old Niagara IceDogs forward, a projected firstround pick at the 2018 National Hockey League draft, fast-tracked through high school and is taking a class at Brock University this semester, and already has business interests outside of hockey with his own clothing line.
“We treat him like a 19-yearold,” said IceDogs coach Billy Burke. “Sometimes I need to remind myself he’s just 17, in his second year, but he’s a leader for us. He’s got to be our smartest player. His 200-foot game is outstanding.”
The hockey sense comes from growing up around the rink. Akil’s father, Kahlil, spent parts of 12 seasons playing in nine different leagues, including a brief stint with the Toronto Maple Leafs’ American Hockey League affiliate in St. John’s, N.L.
Last season, Thomas scored 21 goals and 48 points in 61 games, setting a new franchise record for rookie scoring. He finished second in OHL rookie of the year voting. He has moved from the wing to centre this season, making him more of a threat, according to scouts.
“He’s at his most dangerous when he has his puck on his stick,” said Dennis MacInnis, ISS Hockey’s scouting director. “He’s a really good playmaker, sees the ice and reads the game well. I think by moving him to centre, I think he can maybe create a little bit more offence and help out his line mates.”
ISS Hockey has Thomas, who tries to model his game after Chicago Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews, ranked 14th in its November rankings while NHL Central Scouting gave the fivefoot-11, 169-pound forward an “A” rating on its watch list released last week.
Through the first 21 games of the season Thomas has five goals and 16 assists as he adjusts to the move to centre.
He could’ve chosen the NCAA route and played in the U.S. National Team Development Program since his mother is from Silver Spring, Md., but Thomas chose the OHL route with the promise to his parents he’d also focus on his education.
“I want to play in the NHL one day and in the OHL you play 68 games, in college you only play like 30 so it’s more of an NHL schedule,” he said. “The style of play in the OHL is a little more for the kids that are trying to play in the NHL. My parents have always been big on education. With the OHL they give you schooling afterwards anyway so I figured (I would) play in the best league possible.”
Thomas is getting a jump start on his post-secondary education thanks to decisions made when the family moved from Florida to Toronto. Thomas attended Upper Canada College from grades 6 to 8.
When he moved to St. Michael’s College School, he was advised to skip a grade because of UCC’s advanced curriculum. That allowed Thomas to enrol in a professional communications class at Brock this fall.
Aside from school and hockey, Thomas also runs a clothing company called Zale Apparel with friend Ethan Low. It started out by the pair making hockey-related T-shirts for their friends, but the duo decided to branch out.
“(We said) Lets not just use this side thing to do as a hobby, but why not come out with something that could speak to the whole world rather than just to our friends,” said Thomas. “We got in touch with the right people and we eventually got involved with this company called NGAGE, who invests in young people who might have something building for them.”
The company logo features a stylized trident, a tribute to Thomas’ mother’s Barbadian heritage, and sells T-shirts and hats through its website.