Merrick Thomson (born September 9, 1983) is a former professional

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

player from

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

. He played the attack position for the

Hamilton Nationals The Hamilton Nationals were a Major League Lacrosse (MLL) professional men's field lacrosse team based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. They began play in the 2009 season in Toronto, Ontario as the Toronto Nationals, becoming the first-ever Canadi ...

Major League Lacrosse Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was a men's field lacrosse league in the United States. The league's inaugural season was in 2001. Teams played anywhere from ten to 16 games in a summertime regular season. This was followed by a four-team playoff ...

and for the Philadelphia Wings of the

National Lacrosse League The National Lacrosse League (NLL) is a men's professional box lacrosse league in North America. The league is headquartered in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The NLL currently has fifteen teams: ten in the United Stat ...

College career

Thomson played collegiate lacrosse at the

University at Albany The State University of New York at Albany, commonly referred to as the University at Albany, UAlbany or SUNY Albany, is a public research university with campuses in Albany, Rensselaer, and Guilderland, New York. Founded in 1844, it is one ...

. He was co-captain of the

Great Danes The Great Dane is a large sized dog breed originating from Germany. The Great Dane descends from hunting dogs from the Middle Ages used to hunt wild boar and deer, and as guardians of German nobility. It is one of the largest breeds in the world ...

, alongside

Frank Resetarits Frank Resetarits is a lacrosse player from Hamburg, New York. As a high school player Resitarits ranks in the top three players all-time for points in a career. He played forward for the Buffalo Bandits of the National Lacrosse League and attack f ...

, and helped lead his team to the NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship tournament as a senior. Thomson made an immediate impact in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

. As a freshman, he equaled the NCAA single game record of playoff goals scored, with six, in a contest against the Syracuse Orangemen, earning

America East Conference The America East Conference is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I founded in 1979, whose members are located in the Northeastern United States. The conference has nine core members including eight public research u ...

Rookie of the Year in 2004. In 2005, he led the nation in goals scored per game, with 3.38 per game, and in 2007 was named an All-American (third-team).

Professional career

MLL

Thomson played in

with the

New Jersey Pride The New Jersey Pride were a men's professional field lacrosse team in the Major League Lacrosse formerly based in Piscataway, New Jersey, United States from 2001-2008. Franchise history In 2001, the first year of the league’s existence, the Pr ...

. In limited playing time as a rookie, Thomson impressed, and has proved himself a valuable asset in the future to the Pride. In

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, his second season in the league, Thomson scored 42 goals (finishing with the second most on the season) and was awarded the ''Warrior'' Most Improved Player award. During the 2009 MLL season Thomson played for the Toronto Nationals. Thomson had a career high in goals with 44. He then helped lead Toronto to the MLL Championship and won the MVP award for the playoffs.

NLL

Thomson was selected in the first round (second overall) by the Philadelphia Wings of the

in the 2007 NLL Entry Draft. A consensus first round draft pick, the Wings chose Thomson to strengthen their left-handed offensive attack. Thomson captured Rookie of the Week honors in week 4 of the

2008 NLL season The 2008 National Lacrosse League season, the 22nd in the history of the NLL, began on December 29, 2007, and concluded with the Buffalo Bandits winning the championship game over the Portland LumberJax on May 17, 2008. In an odd coincidence, all ...

, and also was named Rookie of the Month for January. In two seasons in Philadelphia, Thomson picked up 124 points.

Retirement

Thompson suffered a concussion during the 2009 MLL championship game. The injury sidelined Thomson for the entire 2010 NLL season with the Wings. He was also placed on Injury Reserve for the 2010 MLL season with the Nationals. In April 2011, Thomson announced that he would not return to professional lacrosse, due to post-concussion symptoms.

Awards

*2004 –

Rookie of the Year * 2007 USILA Division I All-American * 2008

Major League Lacrosse Most Improved Player of the Year Award Major League Lacrosse (MLL) was a professional men's field lacrosse league consisting of nine teams in the United States. Since the league's first season in 2001, the MLL gave several annual awards to players and coaches. Most Valuable Player ...

Statistics

NCAA (Division I)

: ^''(a)'' 5th on NCAA career goals list

Major League Lacrosse

National Lacrosse League

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Thomson, Merrick 1983 births Living people Albany Great Danes men's lacrosse players Canadian lacrosse players Lacrosse people from Ontario Major League Lacrosse players Philadelphia Wings players Sportspeople from Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton Nationals players