Matt Thomas (ice hockey)

Matt Thomas (born October 25, 1975) is a Canadian ice hockey coach for the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL.

Matt Thomas
Current position
TitleHead coach
TeamCincinnati Cyclones
Biographical details
Born (1975-10-25) October 25, 1975
Maple Ridge, British Columbia, Canada
Playing career
1993–1994St. Michael's Buzzers
1994–1998RIT
Position(s)Center
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1998–1999RIT (assistant)
2000–2002Maine (assistant)
2002–2004Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies (assistant)
2004–2005Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies
2005–2009Fresno Falcons
2008–2013Stockton Thunder
2013–2018Alaska-Anchorage
2018–presentCincinnati Cyclones

Career

Thomas started his college career as a player for RIT during a period where the team was at the top of the Division III ranks. The Tigers finished as national runners-up in his sophomore season and continued with two more strong campaigns (including Thomas being captain in his final year), before Thomas ended his playing days and turned to coaching.[1] Thomas stayed with RIT for one season as an assistant before moving on to Division I, signing up with Maine in the early 2000s. Thomas arrived in Orono, Maine, just after Shawn Walsh was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer and helped the team through the difficult period when Walsh died the following year and the team was turned over to Tim Whitehead.[2]

Thomas remained under Whitehead for one year before heading to the professional ranks, serving as an assistant for the Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies in the ECHL for two seasons before being promoted to head coach and director of hockey operations for the 2004–05 season. After the 42-win debut, Thomas was offered a position with the Fresno Falcons and moved west to take the job. Thomas continued his success in the ECHL with a 43-win, 100-point season, ending with Fresno reaching the conference finals in 2006.[3] Thomas was able to get the Falcons to reach the playoffs in each of the following two seasons, but in 2008–09, with the economic downturn, Fresno announced that they would cease operations 30 games into the season, ending Thomas' tenure with the team. Thomas did not remain unemployed for long as his former team, since having relocated, offered him the chance to turn around their season and Thomas agreed to take over as head coach for the Stockton Thunder.

With the Thunder, Thomas was able to get the team back on the right track and make the playoffs is his half-season behind the bench. The next year he reached the conference finals for the second time and was finally able to get into the championship series in 2013. With his success at the minor professional level, Thomas was offered the chance to improve the NCAA Division I Alaska-Anchorage, which had not had a winning season in 20 years and agreed to take over from the departed Dave Shyiak.[4] The Seawolves then produced their first above-.500 record since joining the WCHA. The following year saw the team produce 10 fewer wins and the program trended downward, finally bottoming out in 2018 with a record of 4–26–4. Thomas was fired after the second worst season in team history.

On 7 August 2018, he returned to the ECHL and was announced as the new head coach of the Cincinnati Cyclones.[5] In his first season in Cincinnati, he led the team the regular season title and won the John Brophy Award for ECHL coach of the year.[6]

Career statistics
Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
1993–94 St. Michael's Buzzers MetJHL 46132740110—————
1994–95 RIT ECAC West 2434754—————
1995–96 RIT ECAC West 181121324—————
1996–97 RIT ECAC West 3012122450—————
1997–98 RIT ECAC West 309192826—————
NCAA totals 102 25 47 72 154 — — — — —

Head coaching record
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves (WCHA) (2013–2018)
2013–14 Alaska–Anchorage 18–16–412–12–46thWCHA Semifinals
2014–15 Alaska Anchorage 8–22–45–21–210th
2015–16 Alaska Anchorage 11–20–38–18–29th
2016–17 Alaska Anchorage 7–21–66–16–610th
2017–18 Alaska Anchorage 4–26–44–21–310th
Alaska Anchorage: 48–105–2135–88–17
Total:48–105–21

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

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References
  1. "RIT Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO.com. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  2. "Walsh Memorial". USA Today. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  3. "2005–06 ECHL Standings". Hockey DB. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  4. "Alaska-Anchorage Men's Hockey Team History". USCHO.com. Retrieved 2014-08-09.
  5. "Thomas Named Cyclones Head Coach". OurSportsCentral.com. 7 August 2018.
  6. "CINCINNATI'S THOMAS RECEIVES JOHN BROPHY AWARD AS ECHL COACH OF THE YEAR". ECHL. 9 April 2019.
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