Akil Thomas

Akil Thomas (born January 2, 2000) is a Canadian ice hockey centre who currently plays for the Peterborough Petes in the Ontario Hockey League. Prior to the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Thomas was projected as a top eligible draft pick. He was eventually drafted in the second round, 51st overall, by the Los Angeles Kings.

Internationally, Thomas has represented Team Canada at the 2017 IIHF World U18 Championships, 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, 2018 IIHF World U18 Championships and 2020 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships.

Thomas played with the Toronto Marlboros in the GTHL where he scored a team-leading 72 points in 56 games. 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. He signed with the IceDogs on June 4, 2016.

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

Leading up to the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, Thomas was considered a first round draft pick, with the final ranking from the NHL Central Scouting Bureau placing Thomas 15th overall for North American skaters. Thomas was eventually drafted in the second round, 51st overall, by the Los Angeles Kings. After the draft, Thomas stated that he would "make every team that didn't draft me regret it, and that's kind of my mentality for the next few months getting ready for the season."

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. 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. He recorded another five point night on October 12, in a 7–2 win over the Barrie Colts. On March 16, 2019, the Kings signed Thomas to a three-year, entry-level contract. The day after he signed, Thomas recorded his 100th point of the season. Teammate Ben Jones also recorded his 100th point in the same game, making the pair the first teammates to reach 100 points since 2007–08. During the 2018–19 OHL playoffs, Thomas recorded four points in five games to help the IceDogs beat the North Bay Battalion. In the second round, he was similarly effective, recording two points in three games, however, the IceDogs would lose to the Oshawa Generals.

After attending the Kings rookie camp, Thomas was named the IceDogs captain for the 2019–20 season. In his first three games of the season, Thomas recorded three points. He then tied his career high with five assists in a 8–4 win over the Kingston Frontenacs, which also tied the franchise record for most assists in a game. On October 19, he was named to 2019 CIBC Canada/Russia Series alongside teammate Philip Tomasino. After returning from the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship on January 9, 2020, Thomas was traded to the Peterborough Petes in exchange for Cameron Butler and four draft picks.

Thomas holds dual citizenship with Canada and the United States and 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. He was named an alternate captain as well and scored 3 points in 5 games.

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. In the same year, he also represented Canada during the 2017 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, where he scored 6 points to help Canada win their 21st gold title. After the IceDogs were eliminated from the playoffs, Thomas was selected to play for Team Canada at the 2018 IIHF World U18 Championships. He recorded two points in four games and Canada placed fifth overall in the tournament.

On December 21, Thomas was named to Team Canada’s roster for the 2020 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships. He played on the fourth line during the tournament and recorded his only goal in the gold medal round against Russia, the gold medal winning goal.

Thomas's mother is of Barbadian heritage, and his father, Kahlil, is originally from Toronto. His father played hockey with the Toronto Maple Leafs American Hockey League affiliate, the St. John's Maple Leafs. His uncle Leo also played minor hockey, including some years with the Mississippi RiverKings and Fort Wayne Komets.In May 2018, his uncle was named head coach of the Macon Mayhem of the Southern Professional Hockey League, becoming the only black head coach for a professional ice hockey team in North America. Thomas is a dual citizen of the United States and Canada.

Thomas was born in Toronto; however, his family regularly moved around due to his dad's minor hockey career. Once his dad had retired from hockey the family decided to stay in Orlando, Florida, where Thomas lists as his hometown. However, when Thomas was 11 the family decided to move back to Toronto to allow for him to get better hockey-related opportunities. 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.

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.

Regular season and playoffs

International

Year	Team	Event	Result		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2016	Canada White	U17	4th		6	2	1	3	2
2017	Canada	U18	5th		5	0	0	0	2
2017	Canada	IH18			5	2	4	6	0
2018	Canada	U18	5th		4	1	1	2	0
2020	Canada	WJC			7	1	1	2	0
Junior totals					27	6	7	13	4