Andrew Thomas (ice hockey)

Andrew Thomas
Born	1985 Bow, New Hampshire, United States
Occupation	Professional ice hockey defenseman (retired)
Years active	2004–2014
Known for	NCAA National Championship with Denver Pioneers (2005)

Andrew Thomas is a retired American professional ice hockey defenseman. He secured a National Championship title with the Denver Pioneers during the 2005 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament.

Playing career

Thomas began his collegiate hockey journey in 2004 with the Denver Pioneers after assisting the Waterloo Black Hawks in capturing the Clark Cup. He played a key role in Denver’s back-to-back national championship victories. Following that season, he was selected 109th overall by the Washington Capitals in the 2005 NHL Entry Draft. Renowned for his physical style of play, Thomas completed four seasons at Denver, frequently ranking among the players with the highest penalty minutes on the team. As team captain in his senior year, he guided Denver to win the WCHA championship and secure a spot in the NCAA tournament.

Upon earning a degree in business administration, Thomas signed with the Anaheim Ducks organization and divided his rookie professional season between the American Hockey League (AHL) and the ECHL. Subsequently, he joined the New Jersey Devils’ minor league affiliates, where he spent most of three seasons competing at the AA level. In 2012, Thomas transitioned to European hockey, spending one season with HDD Olimpija Ljubljana as an alternate captain. Although the team did not qualify for the Austrian League playoffs, they claimed the Slovenian championship for the 2012–13 season. The following year, while playing for Orli Znojmo, the team showed progress but was eliminated in the opening playoff round. Thomas retired from professional hockey after that campaign.

Post playing career

After retiring, Thomas returned to North America and accepted a position as Hockey Operations Coordinator for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s men’s ice hockey program for one season. He later relocated to the Boston area, where he worked with College Hockey Inc. for roughly a year before shifting to a project management role at J. Calnan & Associates, a construction company. Since then, he has held various roles across different organizations and is currently serving as a Manager at Hudl as of 2022.

Career statistics

				Regular season						Playoffs
Season	Team	League		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM		GP	G	A	Pts	PIM
2003–04	Waterloo Black Hawks	USHL		57	1	6	7	86		12	0	2	2	14
2004–05	Denver Pioneers	WCHA		42	2	5	7	78		—	—	—	—	—
2005–06	Denver Pioneers	WCHA		38	1	3	4	65		—	—	—	—	—
2006–07	Denver Pioneers	WCHA		40	2	5	7	71		—	—	—	—	—
2007–08	Denver Pioneers	WCHA		41	1	7	8	64		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Iowa Chops	AHL		25	0	4	4	26		—	—	—	—	—
2008–09	Bakersfield Condors	ECHL		25	0	14	14	19		7	0	0	0	12
2009–10	Lowell Devils	AHL		1	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2009–10	Trenton Devils	ECHL		71	3	18	21	82		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Albany Devils	AHL		28	2	1	3	18		—	—	—	—	—
2010–11	Trenton Devils	ECHL		41	2	4	6	25		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Adirondack Phantoms	AHL		12	0	0	0	2		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Binghamton Senators	AHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Syracuse Crunch	AHL		2	0	0	0	0		—	—	—	—	—
2011–12	Trenton Devils	ECHL		35	0	7	7	16		—	—	—	—	—
2012–13	HDD Olimpija Ljubljana	EBEL		54	3	17	20	65		—	—	—	—	—
2013–14	Orli Znojmo	EBEL		48	4	6	10	46		5	0	1	1	4
AHL totals				70	2	5	7	48		—	—	—	—	—
EBEL totals				102	7	23	30	111		5	0	1	1	4