Tommy Cross
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Thomas Reginald Cross (born September 12, 1989) is an American professional
ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
defenseman Defence or defense (in American English) in ice hockey is a player position that is primarily responsible for preventing the opposing team from Goal (ice hockey), scoring. They are often referred to as defencemen, D, D-men or blueliners (the la ...
who currently plays for the
Springfield Thunderbirds The Springfield Thunderbirds are a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League that began play for the 2016–17 season. They are the affiliate of the National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; fren ...
of the
American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary Minor league#Ice hockey, developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 AHL se ...
(AHL). Cross was selected by the
Boston Bruins The Boston Bruins are a professional ice hockey team based in Boston. The Bruins compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference. The team has been in existence since 1924, making t ...
in the second round (35th overall) of the
2007 NHL Entry Draft The 2007 NHL Entry Draft was the 45th NHL Entry Draft. It was hosted at Nationwide Arena in the city of Columbus, Ohio, on June 22, 2007. The draft consisted of seven rounds with rounds two through seven taking place on June 23, 2007. The draft ...
.


Playing career

Cross played his first two years of high school hockey at his public Simsbury High School in Simsbury, Connecticut; garnering Connecticut player of the year honors his sophomore season. Cross was playing high school hockey when he was first originally drafted by the major junior club
Moncton Wildcats The Moncton Wildcats are a junior ice hockey team in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League from Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada. The franchise was granted for the 1995–96 season, known as the Moncton Alpines for one season, and as the Wildcats ...
of the
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League The Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (french: Ligue de hockey junior majeur du Québec; abbreviated ''QMJHL'' in English, ''LHJMQ'' in French) is one of the three major junior ice hockey leagues that constitute the Canadian Hockey League. The l ...
, 252nd overall in the 2006 Entry Draft. With little intention to pursue a major junior career in Canada, Cross continued his development through prep (transferring to Westminster School in Simsbury, CT for his junior and senior seasons), and featured with the
Ohio Junior Blue Jackets The Ohio Junior Blue Jackets were a Tier 1 junior ice hockey team playing in the East Division of the United States Hockey League (USHL). The 2006-07 USHL media guide (p. 37) lists the Ohio Junior Blue Jackets as the successor to the Thunder ...
of the
United States Hockey League The United States Hockey League (USHL) is the top junior ice hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey. The league consists of 16 active teams located in the midwestern United States, for players between the ages of 16 and 21. The USHL is strictly ...
to end the 2007–08 season. He committed to a collegiate career with
Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...
of the
Hockey East The Hockey East Association, also known as Hockey East, is a college ice hockey conference which operates entirely in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference. Hockey East came into existence in 1984 for ...
. At the conclusion of his senior season culminating in captaining the Eagles to his second NCAA Championship, Cross was signed by the Bruins to a two-year entry-level contract on April 11, 2012. Cross immediately made his professional debut at the tail end of the 2011–12 season, with Boston's AHL affiliate, the
Providence Bruins The Providence Bruins are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL), and are the primary development team for the Boston Bruins of the National Hockey League (NHL). They play at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, Rh ...
. After two seasons with the P-Bruins, having solidified a position on the blueline, Cross was given a one-year extension with the Bruins on July 18, 2014. In the 2014–15 season, in his third full season in the AHL, Cross established career highs offensively with 4 goals and 18 assists for 22 points in 54 games. Cross was announced as the Providence Bruins captain to begin the 2015–16 season. He featured in the opening two games with Providence before he received his first NHL recall by Boston on October 14, 2015. He made his long-awaited NHL debut with the Bruins, alongside teammate Tyler Randell in a 6–2 victory over the
Colorado Avalanche The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
on October 15, 2015. He later registered his first point, an assist, in his second career game against the
Arizona Coyotes The Arizona Coyotes are a professional ice hockey team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Coyotes compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference and currently play at the Mull ...
on October 17, 2015. On June 14, 2017, the Bruins re-signed Cross to a one-year, two-way contract worth $650,000. After six seasons within the Bruins organization, Cross left as a free agent to sign a one-year, two-way contract for $650k with $450k guaranteed with the
Columbus Blue Jackets The Columbus Blue Jackets (often simply referred to as the Jackets) are a professional ice hockey team based in Columbus, Ohio. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference, ...
on July 1, 2018. In the 2018–19 season, Cross appeared in 73 regular season games with the
Cleveland Monsters The Cleveland Monsters are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL). The team began play in 2007 as the Lake Erie Monsters and since 2015 has served as the top affiliate of the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hock ...
of the AHL, affiliate to the Blue Jackets, producing 34 points. Cross left the Blue Jackets at the conclusion of his contract to sign a two-year, two-way contract as a free agent with the
Florida Panthers The Florida Panthers are a professional ice hockey team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Division (NHL), Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL), Eastern ...
on July 1, 2019. After spending the entirety his first season with the Panthers AHL affiliate, the
Springfield Thunderbirds The Springfield Thunderbirds are a minor league professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League that began play for the 2016–17 season. They are the affiliate of the National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; fren ...
, Cross was penciled in to continue in Springfield before the Thunderbirds opted out of the shortened season. On February 25, 2021, Cross was assigned by the Panthers to reunite with former club the Providence Bruins for the remainder of the campaign. He posted 3 goals and 8 points in just 16 games. Having concluded his contract with the Panthers, and opting to continue his tenure with the return of the Springfield Thunderbirds for the 2021–22 season, Cross was signed by new NHL parent affiliate, the
St. Louis Blues The St. Louis Blues are a professional ice hockey team based in St. Louis. The Blues compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The franchise was founded in 1967 as one of the s ...
, on a one-year, two-way contract on July 31, 2021. Cross as captain of the Thunderbirds, was an integral part of the blueline, collecting 8 goals and 29 points in 67 regular season games. He led the club in the post-season to the
Calder Cup The Calder Cup is the trophy awarded annually to the playoff champions of the American Hockey League. It was first presented in 1937 to the Syracuse Stars. The cup is made of sterling silver mounted on a base of Brazilian mahogany. In its curr ...
finals, contributing with 11 points in 18 contests. On June 26, 2022, Cross opted to continue his tenure with the Thunderbirds, signing a one-year AHL contract.


Career statistics


Regular season and playoffs


International


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cross, Tommy 1989 births Living people Ice hockey players from Connecticut People from Simsbury, Connecticut Sportspeople from Hartford County, Connecticut Boston Bruins draft picks Boston Bruins players Boston College Eagles men's ice hockey players Cleveland Monsters players Florida Panthers players Ohio Junior Blue Jackets players Providence Bruins players South Carolina Stingrays players Springfield Thunderbirds players USA Hockey National Team Development Program players American men's ice hockey defensemen