William Thomas (born June 20, 1983) 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 ...

player. He currently plays right wing for

Anyang Halla HL Anyang () is a professional ice hockey team based in Anyang in Gyeonggi-do, South Korea. It is one of the founding and current members of the Asia League Ice Hockey (ALIH). Formed in 1994, it is the oldest professional ice hockey team in S ...

, member of the

Asia League Ice Hockey Asia League Ice Hockey ( ja, アジアリーグアイスホッケー; ko, 아시아리그 아이스하키) or ALIH (AL) is an association which operates a professional ice hockey league based in East Asia, with teams from Japan, South Korea, and ...

(AL).

Playing career

He was undrafted out of suburban Pittsburgh

Fox Chapel Area High School Fox Chapel Area High School (Established in 1961) is a public school located in the Pittsburgh suburb of O'Hara Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. It was recognized and honored as a National Blue Ribbon School twice. The ...

. Thomas played for the

Cleveland Jr. Barons The Cleveland Jr. Barons were a junior ice hockey team that played in the North American Hockey League and played out of Parma, Ohio. They were a branch of the Cleveland Barons Hockey Association. Their top accomplishment was winning the 2006 North ...

of the

NAHL Nahl or NAHL may refer to: * Nahl (surname) * National Accident Helpline, a British personal injury lawyer service * North American Hockey League, an American junior hockey league * North American Hockey League (1973–1977), an American professi ...

and

Tri-City Storm The Tri-City Storm is a Tier I junior ice hockey team based in Kearney, Nebraska, that plays in the Western Conference of the United States Hockey League (USHL). Its name refers to the three central Nebraskan cities of Kearney, Hastings, and Gr ...

of the USHL. He also played for the University of Nebraska at Omaha Mavericks for two years, leading them to their first NCAA Division I hockey tournament appearance. After playing in the 2006 NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey Tournament, Thomas signed his first professional contract on March 26, 2006, with the

Phoenix 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 ...

a few days after the Mavericks were eliminated from the tournament in the first round. Thomas played 47 games for the

' AHL affiliate, the

San Antonio Rampage The San Antonio Rampage were a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League based in San Antonio, Texas. The Rampage was primarily owned by Spurs Sports & Entertainment throughout the team's existence. In 2020, the franchise was sold ...

, in the 2006–07 season. He led the Rampage in goals in the 2007–08 season until he was also called up to the NHL for 24 games with the Coyotes during the same year. After the season Thomas signed a one-year contract with the Penguins on July 15, 2008. William scored his first goal with the Penguins, his hometown team, against the

San Jose Sharks The San Jose Sharks are a professional ice hockey team based in San Jose, California. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are owned by San Jose Sports & Entertainm ...

on February 11, 2009. On September 13, 2009, Thomas accepted an invite to the

Toronto Maple Leafs The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...

' pre-season training camp on a tryout basis only to be subsequently released from the Maple Leafs on September 19, 2009. During the 2009–10 season, on November 3, 2009, Thomas then signed a Professional Try-out Agreement with the

Springfield Falcons The Springfield Falcons were a former ice hockey team in the American Hockey League (AHL) and played in Springfield, Massachusetts, at the MassMutual Center. In 2016, the Falcons' franchise was purchased by the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Ar ...

. After scoring 17 points in 33 games with the Falcons, he was released from his P.T.O on January 22, 2010, to join

HC Lugano Hockey Club Lugano, often abbreviated to HC Lugano or HCL, is a professional ice hockey club based in Lugano, Switzerland. The team competes in the National League (NL) and has won seven Swiss championships. History The founding of HC Lugano took ...

of the Swiss

National League A The National League (NL) is a professional ice hockey league in Switzerland and is the top tier of the Swiss league system. Prior to the 2017–18 season, the league was known as National League A. During the 2018–19 season, the league ha ...

for the remainder of the season. William returned to North America following the conclusion of the season with Lugano to sign a one-year contract 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 2, 2010. Assigned to the Panthers' AHL affiliate, the

Rochester Americans The Rochester Americans (colloquially known as the Amerks) are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League; the team is an owned and operated affiliate of the Buffalo Sabres. The team plays its home games in Rochester, New York, a ...

, Thomas led the team in goals to start the

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

season, before he was recalled to make his Panthers debut and first NHL return in two seasons, against the New York Islanders on November 20, 2010. Thomas tied a career high to appear in 24 games with the Panthers, scoring 7 points. In the following 2011–12 season, Thomas attended the Panthers training camp without a contract. Reassigned to new AHL affiliate and previous AHL team, the San Antonio Rampage, Thomas later earned a one-year deal for the remainder of the season with Florida on December 20, 2011. With only 7 games with the Panthers, Thomas matched his last season with the Rampage in 2008 to tie a career-high with 52 points. On July 3, 2012, Thomas signed as a free agent to a one-year contract with 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 ...

. With the

NHL lockout The NHL lockout may refer to any of the four labour actions in the history of the National Hockey League: * The 1992 NHL strike, which postponed 30 games of the 1991–92 season * The 1994–95 NHL lockout, which cancelled many of the games of ...

coming to affect, Thomas was assigned directly by the Avalanche to AHL affiliate, the

Lake Erie 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 ...

. During the duration of the

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

season, Thomas provided a veteran presence for the Monsters and featured in every game to lead the team with 22 goals. On June 14, 2013, Thomas signed his second contract abroad with a one-year contract with KHL Medveščak Zagreb from

Croatia , image_flag = Flag of Croatia.svg , image_coat = Coat of arms of Croatia.svg , anthem = "Lijepa naša domovino"("Our Beautiful Homeland") , image_map = , map_caption = , capit ...

, the newest member of Kontinental Hockey League. After two seasons in the KHL in Zagreb, Thomas left as a free agent to sign a one-year contract in the

Swedish Hockey League The Swedish Hockey League (officially SHL; sv, Svenska Hockeyligan) is a professional ice hockey league, and the highest division in the Swedish ice hockey system. The league currently consists of 14 teams. The league was founded in 1975, an ...

with

Modo Hockey Modo Hockey (or MoDo with uppercase letters) is a professional ice hockey club in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden. The team plays in Sweden's second-tier league HockeyAllsvenskan. The club was founded in 1987 and has won one SHL championships; in 2007. ...

on June 22, 2015. In the 2015–16 season, Thomas added 12 goals and 22 points in 48 games, however was unable to help keep Modo in the SHL, losing in relegation to the HockeyAllsvenskan. On June 24, 2016, having left Modo as a free agent, Thomas agreed to a one-year contract with Austrian club,

EC Red Bull Salzburg EC Red Bull Salzburg is a professional ice hockey team based in Salzburg, Austria, that currently plays in the ICE Hockey League. The club play their home games at the Eisarena Salzburg. History The history of ice hockey in Salzburg at the highe ...

of the EBEL. On November 30, 2017, Thomas signed a one-month try-out contract with the Finnish club

Ilves Tampere Ilves (; Finnish for " Lynx") is a Finnish professional ice hockey team based in Tampere. They play in the Liiga at the Tampere Deck Arena. The colors of Ilves, green, yellow, and black, were taken from what was then the coat of arms of the cit ...

of the Liiga. After spending a month with Ilves, on the January 2, 2018 he was introduced as a new forward of German club, Kölner Haie of the

Deutsche Eishockey Liga The Deutsche Eishockey Liga (for sponsorship reasons called "PENNY Deutsche Eishockey Liga") (; English: ''German Ice Hockey League'') or DEL, is a German professional ice hockey league and the highest division in German ice hockey. Founded in ...

(DEL).

Career statistics

Awards and honors

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, Bill 1983 births American men's ice hockey right wingers HL Anyang players Florida Panthers players HC Lugano players Ice hockey people from Pittsburgh Ilves players KHL Medveščak Zagreb players Kölner Haie players Lake Erie Monsters players Living people Modo Hockey players Omaha Mavericks men's ice hockey players Phoenix Coyotes players Pittsburgh Penguins players Rochester Americans players EC Red Bull Salzburg players San Antonio Rampage players Springfield Falcons players Tri-City Storm players Undrafted National Hockey League players Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins players