Robert Thomas is the newest captain of the London Knights.
Thomas, from Aurora, Ont., is in his third season with the team and is a first-round pick of the St. Louis Blues, selected 20th overall in June’s NHL Entry Draft.
“Looking at the captains they have had over the past couple of years and the kind of special players they were, it is a big honour,” says Thomas.
Even some of the most recent names read like a who’s who of the NHL. Mitch Marner and Christian Dvorak were co-captains two seasons ago when the Knights won the Memorial Cup. Before that, there was Max Domi and before that Chris Tierney. All of them are now at the game’s highest level.
Thomas is expected to be there soon with the Blues. He has become known as a player who will do the little things that help teams to win. Thomas’s hockey IQ is off the charts and he is always on the ice trying to make the right play.
With nine goals and 17 points in just 12 games, Thomas is already doing some of the big things as well, the “heavy lifting” as Knights’ assistant coach, Rick Steadman calls it.
Sam Miletic, Max Jones, Cliff Pu and Evan Bouchard will serve as alternates. Two will wear the “A” at home and two will wear an “A” on the road.
“It feels really good,” admits Miletic. “Being an older guy, you want to be in a leadership role, so this just solidifies it. Everyone on this team does their part to be a leader and the guys who are chosen just have to step up a little more and I know we will.”
The selection of captain and alternates does not come from the coaching staff or management of the London Knights. It is done by a team vote, so the players who receive letters are actually chosen by their peers. Thomas says that does make the honour even more special.
“It definitely means a lot more especially knowing that you have the respect of your teammates and that they all think of you as a leader, so it means a lot.”
The fact that there are technically five members of the leadership group might seem slightly odd. Most teams limit themselves to just three, but the Knights have done it this way for a number of years, allowing for more players to be recognized.
As Thomas points out, this will not change the dynamics of the dressing room in any way. The guys who were leading the way last week are still the guys leading the way this week. In fact, he doesn’t see much of a change to his role on the team.
“I’ve always tried to be a leader and help out the young players. I’ve tried show the path that the people before me showed to me.”
Miletic echoed those thoughts: “Our team is really close. There’s chatter in the room already and everyone gets along, so it’s a very good place to be.”
The Knights are in action against the Saginaw Spirit at Budweiser Gardens at 7:30 tonight. Coverage on 980 CFPL begins at 6:30. After that, London goes to Owen Sound to meet the Attack on Saturday.
The Knights have won four of their past five games, heading into the weekend.
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