The Brantford Bulldogs beat the Niagara IceDogs 6-2 on Wednesday night, and Patrick Thomas factored in on all six Bulldogs goals. Thomas, a Washington Capitals’ fourth-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, had a goal and five assists, notching a new single-game career-high in points with six.
The 20-year-old center is in his fourth season as a member of the Bulldogs and his first as the club’s captain. His huge night against the IceDogs was his third game with five or more points this season, improving his season total to 67 points (20g, 47a) in 44 games, which is also a new career-high.
Thomas kicked off his scoring just 3:00 into the first period by battling hard behind Niagara’s net and sending a one-handed pass to Cole Brown. Brown slid another pass to Nick Lardis for a slam dunk goal.
The Ontario native did most of his damage in the second period, first helping set up Jake O’Brien and Owen Protz’s goals just 1:58 apart. He added the primary assist on Lucas Moore’s goal with 13:07 elapsed in the second frame before potting his own goal 4:52 later.
With the Bulldogs on a power play, Thomas set up in front of Niagara’s net and pounced on a loose puck for an easy tap-in marker.
Thomas grabbed his sixth and final point 1:23 into the third period. His one-timer squeaked through the pads of Niagara goaltender Owen Flores, leading to an easy tally for Brown.
Despite being perhaps one of the lesser-known Capitals prospects, Thomas is producing at an impressive rate this season. His 67 points are good for sixth-best in the OHL. Ilya Protas, a fellow Caps prospect, is three points ahead of him with the third-most points (70) in the league.
Thomas has yet to sign an entry-level deal with Washington, but the Capitals did extend him a “bona fide offer” in June. Per the NHL’s CBA, the offer is a “standard player contract that starts at the beginning of the next league season and offers at least league minimum salary.” Its primary purpose is to extend a team’s rights to a player.
According to Puckpedia’s records, Thomas accepted the offer, and Washington still has until June 2025 to ink him to a deal.
Thomas attended Washington’s most recent Development Camp, Rookie Camp, and was part of the first round of cuts at this past fall’s main training camp. He also spent some time with the AHL’s Hershey Bears on an amateur tryout agreement last spring.
