Lethbridge Hurricanes goaltender Bryan Thomson might have seen his Western Hockey League campaign come to an end at the hands of the Moose Jaw Warriors, but he isn’t finished playing hockey this season just yet.
The American Hockey League’s Texas Stars announced Tuesday that the Moose Jaw Minor Hockey product had signed an amateur tryout with the club and was joining the team immediately for the remainder of the season.
Thomson, 21, spent all five seasons of his WHL career with the Hurricanes, appearing in 117 games and posting a record of 59-42-4-2 with a 3.06 goals against average and .901 save percentage to go along with five shutouts.
His 59 wins are second all-time for the Hurricanes franchise, and Thomson is also fifth all-time in games played with 117.
Both those numbers could have been substantially higher with a bit of luck on his side -- a hip injury required surgery after the 2021-22 season, coming on the heels of a campaign that saw Thomson play 54 of the Hurricanes’ 72 games through the regular season and playoffs.
That injury saw him return to the team in late November this season, All told, Thomson would appear in 24 games during the 2022-23 campaign, going 13-8-1-1 with a 2.64 goals against average, .919 save percentage and three shutouts.
It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that after battling to return to the line-up, Thomson won the Hurricanes’ Joan Kobal Memorial Award for perseverance, dedication and sportsmanship for the 2022-23 campaign. Thomson was also the co-winner of the Herman Elfring Community Relations Award in 2021-22.
Texas is currently in first place in the AHL Central Division with a 38-19-9-3 record and three games remaining in the regular season, which is set to wrap up on Sunday. Apr. 16.
Visit www.theahl.com for updates on Thomson and the Stars’ playoff push.
