Blazing Speed, Multiple Positions, D.J. Skills: LA Kings Prospect Akil Thomas Has It All

After a few years, many fans grew tired of their team’s size-first philosophy. In hindsight, though, there really wasn’t much to complain about. After all, the size factor is what helped bring the Los Angeles Kings to the dance in the first place, bringing the franchise unprecedented success. Said success included two Stanley Cup victories in three years and even a Western Final appearance sandwiched in between. Like any successful organization, however, the need to evolve is inevitable.

Since their most recent Cup win in 2014, the Kings have struggled to keep pace with the rest of the league. While sizable players like Anze Kopitar and Jeff Carter have proven to be effective in other facets of the game, the size factor just didn’t seem to working in the Kings’ favour anymore.

Thankfully, the Kings have started to sacrifice some of that size for more speed. Adrian Kempe and Alex Iafallo are two examples of said transition in Los Angeles while speedsters like Austin Wagner are beginning to establish themselves in the AHL. Two weekends ago at the NHL Draft, the Kings had further proved that they are serious about becoming a faster team by drafting, among others, Niagara IceDogs standout Akil Thomas.

Born in Brandon, Fla. but raised in Toronto, Akil Thomas joined the IceDogs in 2016 — as a 16-year-old — when the club drafted him 12th overall in the OHL Priority Selection Draft. The IceDogs, at that juncture, were fresh off reaching the OHL Final, but if Thomas felt any pressure from his team’s recent achievement, the youngster did an exceptional job of hiding it.

In his rookie season, Thomas would score 21 goals and 27 assists in 61 games for the IceDogs. He followed that up with a 22-goal, 59-assist campaign this past season. The Kings liked what they saw from Thomas and nabbed him with the 51st-overall pick at last month’s draft, further emphasizing the Kings need for speed moving forward. Quickness, however, is not all that Akil Thomas brings to the table. Far from it, in fact.

I recently spoke with IceDogs head coach Billy Burke, who was glowing when speaking about his star forward, even when discussing areas where the youngster needs improvement. Plus, in addition to all of his contributions, Thomas is an aspiring D.J., which certainly adds a unique element to the centerman’s personality.

Different Gears for Different Situations

Having started off by emphasizing the importance of speed, it’s only fitting that we start there.

While he did emphasize how important speed has been in Thomas’s game, it was how the centerman has harnessed this asset that has impressed Billy Burke most.

“Akil’s been blessed with excellent foot speed and being able to have that extra gear to create that separation really fares well into his game,” Burke noted. “He’s also very good changing speeds. He isn’t one of those players who just goes at 100 miles-an-hour all over the ice. He’s very good at knowing when to slow down, knowing when to speed up, and he’s able to do that at both ends of the rink. He can slow down and pick up the defender in the defensive zone and he also has that ability to slow down, get the puck and then he’s able to explode. He’s one of those guys that’s able to go at top speed with the puck and that’s something that can be very dangerous.

“I just think if you can’t skate these days, you’re certainly going to have a tough time.”

Less Scoring, More Playmaking

If there was any disappointment involving Thomas’s game thus far, it was that he was expected to be more of a goal-scorer. While his 21 and 22 goals in each of his first two seasons are certainly decent totals, there was room for more. While said totals may not have lit the OHL on fire, so to speak, Thomas has made up for it by becoming a solid playmaker with his aforementioned assist increase.

Burke explained the reason for the said increase.

“The big reason for the spike in Akil’s assists is his vision on the ice,” the IceDogs head coach told me. “He’s a very smart hockey player. He always seems to know where his linemates are. He has excellent power play instincts.”

In his two seasons with the IceDogs, Thomas made some adjustments to his game, allowing his playmaking game to reach new heights.

“When we moved him from center to the wing, he was able to have his puck on his stick a little bit more,” Burke continued. “When star players [like Akil] play with the puck on their stick, you can find [their] high skill and high IQ and [Akil] is usually going to put his teammates in a very good position to score goals. I honestly think Akil’s goals totals will take another big jump next year [from 22 in 2017-18].”

A Jack of All Trades

Having already touched on his ability to transition from center to the wing, Akil Thomas has also spent a good amount in Niagara flexing his defensive muscle. While there may still be room for improvement in his defensive game, Thomas as a point man has been very reliable for the IceDogs thus far, mainly playing said role on the club’s power play. Thomas, however, was not simply given this role. In due time, Billy Burke rewarded Thomas as a result of his excellent work ethic and skill set, but there’s more to it than that.

“Having [the IceDogs’] power play run through him is a compliment [to] all the trust that we have in him,” Burke told me. “You just can’t put just any player in that situation, but with the guys who play with Akil, he’s able to play on different parts of the power play and it’s certainly no secret that our power play wouldn’t have run without him. We usually went with four or five forwards, so we were asking Akil to be defensively responsible as well.”

While Thomas has certainly proven that he can be counted on to provide the IceDogs a great deal of offense, it’s that team-first philosophy the youngster possesses that has not only made him a quarterback on the IceDogs power play but an effective one.

“For a 17-year-old player, a lot of these guys think about points and scoring but [Akil’s] very reliable and it’s great to see that. He truly does care about his team and he really does understand what’s best for the team, so if he needs to — maybe he’ll stay back and play a little defense on the power play and help break things down — he’s more than willing to do that.”

As for the IceDogs’ power play last season, they finished with a modest 19.5 percentage on the man-advantage, placing them 12th out of 20th among all OHL clubs. These may not be the most promising statistics but considering the club finished 18th overall (15.5%) in 2016-17, you can be sure that Akil Thomas’s contributions have made the IceDogs much more formidable on the man-advantage.

The Beat Goes On

In his two seasons with the IceDogs, Akil Thomas has made his mark on the franchise in so many different ways.

From being a reliable playmaker to being naturally quick on his feet to be able to play multiple positions, Akil Thomas is one who wears many hats — or helmets, rather — for the IceDogs. To add to his already-impressive repertoire, Thomas is a positive influence among his teammates and even went as far as putting his club’s warmup music together.

Yes, you read that correctly.

As talented as he is a hockey player, Thomas is just as talented as a D.J., adding a very intriguing facet to the youngster’s personality.

While we covered his game on the ice, this writer would have felt remiss had he not asked Billy Burke about his centerman’s extracurricular passion, which has garnered him a plethora of popularity.

“Akil is certainly one of the more popular players that I’ve ever seen,” Burke noted. “It seems like every guy on every team knows him and guys all over the world know him. I think when you’re that popular, it certainly gives you– you know, guys look up to him and ask him, ‘What do you think about this song? About that song?’

“He actually put [the IceDogs’] warmup music together. He set it up for the guys and I thought that was pretty cool. I’m not quite sure of the [D.J.] programs or whatever and I’m not sure if he’s going to be the next hot young D.J. in the Atlantic but it’s just because he’s such a nice guy, he’s a positive player and he can take control of the iPod a little bit. He’s not the loudest guy in the room but he’s very genuine, he’s a very caring person, so I can certainly understand why he’s so liked by his teammates.”

Getting Stronger

Now 18, while he is an OHL veteran, Akil Thomas does still have time on his side. While there are many strong spots in his game, there are areas where Thomas needs to improve.

While he stands at a respectable 5-foot-11, Thomas weighs in at a slender 169 pounds which, in spite of his impressive centre of gravity, makes him a target for being pushed around. This, according to Thomas’s head coach, is what the Kings prospect needs to focus on moving forward, in addition to some other areas.

“Right now for Akil, the big thing for him is to continue to work on his strength most importantly,” Burke stressed. “He needs to be able battle down low as a center, he needs to battle down low defensively and he also needs to be able to protect the puck. He’s certainly not going to catch anyone by surprise anymore and he’s going against the best players every night. He needs to make sure he has a strong base so that he’s able to protect that puck, not getting knocked off it.”

Burke continued.

“He uses his body to buy himself a little bit of extra time out there, but as he gets stronger, his skill will go up and his shot set will go up. I think he needs to work on his release a little bit and just trying to get it off a little bit quicker. If you watch the NHL game, you see that these guys can absolutely fly and are just in incredible shape, so I think it’s very important for Akil to continue to work on his strength, especially his lower body strength so he can really fend off some of this big 6-foot-4, 6-foot-5 defenders without sacrificing any of his foot speed.

“I anticipate him having a huge season in the OHL next season. He’s going to be an elite player, he’s going to be a player I’m going to lean on in all situations, so [2018-19 is] certainly shaping up to be a very fun season for Akil.”

Regardless if they win the Stanley Cup, finish at the bottom of the league standings or anywhere in between, there is always a palpable sense of excitement each summer as NHL teams build for the future. The Los Angeles Kings are no exception to this. Additionally, given the club’s vast success from the early- to mid-part of this decade, it can be argued that fans are even hungrier for a return to championship glory. Said return may not occur overnight but with prospects such as Akil Thomas in the fold, the Kings are certainly well in the right direction.

For a franchise-shifting its emphasis to the offensive side of things while continuing to maintain its importance on the blueline, this writer believes that the Los Angeles Kings have a gem in Akil Thomas who, as previously mentioned, is reliable on both sides of the puck. Additionally, and just as importantly, Thomas’s phenomenal speed addresses an area where the Kings have lacked. Even his five goals and six assists in 10 playoff games this past spring have given Thomas an extra bit of attention.

We may not likely see him playing professionally just yet but Akil Thomas’s entry into the club’s prospect pipeline has already made the Los Angeles Kings an exciting team to watch out for in the near future. After all, in addition to all of his on-ice attributes, Akil Thomas may end up turning STAPLES Center into the most lively building in the NHL long before the opening puck even drops with his skills as a D.J.

That is something this writer, and many more can definitely get in tune with.

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