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[Double Media Week - Holidays Edition] Nathan Thomas Timber Career
#1

[Double Media Week - Holidays Edition]
Nathan Thomas hailing from small town Swift Current, Saskatchewan, Canada was very excited for the opportunity when hearing his name called by the Maine Timber in the SMJHL draft. He stepped into a new life and had very high hopes for what this could mean for his career. Now his start in Maine wasn’t exactly what he was hoping for. Despite being grateful of the opportunity he was part of a team with a loaded blue line. This meant that in his rookie season he would split games and only end up playing in 31 games and register 0 goals and 10 assists with a -5 rating. They weren’t great stats or anything to really take major note of but the -5 plus minus was top 5 on the team. So despite not making a big difference offensively he was playing defensively well. It is always a good sign when you are able to keep your nose out of trouble when you are a rookie. Sure everyone wants to come in and make a big splash in the league be a top prospect and sign the big contract but not everyone develops at that level. Some players especially defensemen take time to develop and learn the speed of the game Nathan has been one of these players. He isn’t the biggest or fastest guys on the ice but took on his role of being the 6/7 defenseman and tried to make the most of his playing opportunities and learn every bit of the game he could. The team did struggle as a whole as well this year ending with a 20-30 record which was a .400 win percentage. They also had a goal differential of -52. It was safe to say that the season didn’t go to plan as hoped for Nathan and he would need to wait for the next year to really try and make a mark. Despite all this he did put in the effort and worked his ass off to become a better all around player. Despite not making a big splash he must have done some things right as he was able to catch the eye of a couple SHL teams as he was selected 55th overall by the Texas Renegades. He didn’t last very long here though as they were able to sign some of their higher picks which left Nathan to be the odd man out. This translated to him being moved the San Francisco Pride in a trade. Nathan was able to go to camp and sign a very good contract before being sent back down to Maine. This seemed to be what sparked Nathan as was then able to really catch his stride in the league.

Fresh off the training camp with a new contract to show for his work Nathan was able to be part of a very promising season that really turned the Maine Timber around. Maine went from being dead last in the Division to completing with the top teams in the league. It was a very quick turn around for the team who was able to have some great drafting and bring in some key pieces to help the team. They would end up in 3rd place in the East with a 25-22-3 record for a .530 winning percent. They also were able to have a +11 goal differential. Nathan was able to play in all 50 games this year and was able to find the back of the net for the first time in his junior career. He ended up with 9 goals and 4 assists for 13 points and a -3 rating. Though it doesn’t seem like much of a change from the previous year he was able to improve his stats with playing a lot more minutes a game as well as playing in every game. Maine as a whole was on the upswing and so was Nathan. He had come back this year stronger and in much better shape then the previous year. His conditioning had improved his shooting was on point and he was all around more physical. What a difference a year can make especially when you have had a fire lit under you to push yourself to prove you belong with the top dogs. Maine also shared this success as mentioned and were able to earn themselves a playoff birth. They were hungry in their first playoff series since moving to Maine. They made quick work of Detroit sweeping then ended up in a battle with Anchorage going to six games before moving on to play Kelowna. Once past Kelowna they would find themselves in the finals against one of their rivals Newfoundland. They would come up short here losing in 4 games. Overall despite losing the finals the Maine team as a whole had taken some major strides in a positive direction. Nathan was able to contribute in this playoff run as well. He played in all 24 games and had 3 goals 6 assists for 9 points and was -1. Not bad for his first playoff action in his career.

In the offseason the goal was to become better defensively for the team as they had a lot of stars up front that could score. Nathan took to the training camp again working on his physical skills with emphasis on his hitting and checking, he also got better at other things to help the back end like shot blocking and stick checks. The Timber were coming off a successful season and were hoping they would be able to push them selves that extra bit this year. But alas it was a season of missed opportunities once again. Despite having most the core group returning including the star goalie of the previous year Leo Bloomfield the season did not go to plan. Maine ended up in 3rd place in the East again which would be the lone highlight for the team. The 23-21-6 record with .520 win percentage and a -8 goal differential. Nathan would again appear in all 50 games and contribute 8 Goals 14 assists for 22 points and a +8 plus minus. It would be a sign that Nathan succeeded his personal goals for the season. Being a plus player on a team with a negative goal differential was quite the feat. He had succeeded in his goal to be better defensively and his stats from the season reflected that.  Nathan would also have a career first in dropping the gloves 2 times. And winning one of the fights. His aggressive defensive style of play for the year had lead to significantly more PIMS and aggressive behaviour on the ice. The Timber would make a playoff appearance this year as they required a come back win in 7 games to beat the St. Louis Scarecrows. This led them to face off with Newfoundland once again. The Berserkers would get the best of the Timber once again and beat them in 5 games to move on. Nathan was able to contribute 1 Goal 2 Assists in the 12 games played this run. At the conclusion of this season it was time to make a decision The Pride were in a full rebuild and were looking to bring up one of their young defenseman a year early in order to round out their roster. The idea of playing in the SHL had always been the dream for Nathan and it was a very hard decision to make. Would he join his future team for the final year on his contract or would he join the Timber for one more year and have one last shot and the SMJHL championship.

It was a decision that weighed heavy on Nathan for some time. But ultimately he felt he still had something to prove to himself and the league with the Timber. So back down to Maine Nathan went. The team also has the benefit of having some other returning faces for their final year in Maine. The team seems to have been playing with a chip on their shoulder from the previous two years and with the help of some of the younger players have been able to put together a very good season thus far! Now the season is far from over but Maine seems to have elevated to another level once again and is competing as one of the top teams in the league with Quebec and Anchorage and Kelowna. This also has helped them to hold 2nd place in the East. As a fourth year player Nathan seems to have found his scoring touch as well as defensive strong hold with his Current D partner Sean Gatez @SewingWithNancy. In the 43 games this season they have each managed to get 5 goals and 20 and 22 assists respectively, and have a team leading and top 25 league plus minus with +17. These two have seemed to click this year each leading a powerplay unit and apparently trying to copy one another in every aspect of their games as they also have 36PIMS for Nathan and 37 PIMS for Sean. The who team has seem too bought in and really come together from the younger players to the old veterans. This is what Nathan was hoping for when he decided to return to Maine this year and so far they have not disappointed. Though there is still half a season to be played Maine looks poised to put together a playoff run that there is high hopes for. Nathan is hoping that he will be able to do his part in helping Maine lift that Cup for the first time in the clubs recent history. That will be the ultimate goal and why he decided to come back to Maine this year. To finish the business that they started 4 years ago.


WC:1654

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#2

I love that you decided to come back with the rest of us for another season. You've been nothing short of great, so let's finish out this season lifting the damned trophy! Timber

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Theodor Larsson
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#3

Nice.

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