News 88.9 is reporting that Sea Dogs captain Mike Thomas has been released by the Oklahoma City Barons and will rejoin his junior club in Saint John.
Thomas was invited to Edmonton Oilers rookie camp this past September and then advanced to the Oilers' main camp. He was later moved to Edmonton’s American Hockey League affiliate in Oklahoma City as a free agent at training camp.
The New Maryland native was also invited to Philadelphia Flyers rookie camp last year but was not able to sign a contract there, either.
It isn’t clear when the Sea Dogs captain will suit up for Saint John – but it certainly looks like he will. As a 20-year old, Thomas joins Christian Morin, Karel St. Laurent, and Michael Kirkpatrick as the clubs overage players. Teams are only permitted to keep three.
It seems as though Morin, a gritty defenseman, will be the odd man out for the Dogs. He has already been enrolled at St. Thomas University in Fredericton and even appears on the Tommies Hockey website.
Thomas will certainly inject some much needed energy and physical presence to the slumping Sea Dogs right now. Their next game is Friday night at Harbour Station against the Moncton Wildcats.
The forward will become the first Sea Dog in franchise to history to play five seasons in Saint John when he returns to the ice. Last season, Thomas registered nine goals and 11 assists in a suspension filled regular season. In the post-season, he added four goals, three assists, and some more suspensions.
Yesterday, Simon Despres was sent back from Pittsburgh Penguins training camp. With the two back, and pending any trades or call-ups, Saint John now has their full roster in tact.
Photo Credit: Saint John Sea Dogs
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