Battalion’s Thomson signs with Devils

NORTH BAY, Ont. – Left winger Ben Thomson of the North Bay Battalion has signed a three-year entry-level contract with the New Jersey Devils of the National Hockey League, it was announced Friday.

New Jersey chose Thomson in the fourth round, 96th overall, of the 2012 NHL Draft from the Kitchener Rangers. He was acquired by the Battalion last Nov. 22 in a trade for left winger Brandon Robinson.

Thomson is the third member of the Battalion to sign an NHL contract this year, joining defenceman Dylan Blujus, whose signing by  the Tampa Bay Lightning was announced Wednesday, and right winger Barclay Goodrow, whose free-agent signing by the San Jose Sharks was announced March 6.

“It feels great,” Thomson said via telephone. “There’s still a lot of work to do. I have the opportunity now to show what I can do at the next level. I had a good junior career, but I feel like I’m ready to move on and take the next step and challenge myself and show everyone what I can do.”

Overager Thomson played 55 games in his fifth and final Ontario Hockey League season, scoring 27 goals and earning 18 assists for 45 points. He had 24 goals, 15 assists and 39 points in 43 games after joining the Troops.

“I knew all season that this would be my last chance to earn a contract. I wanted to leave it all out there, and I think I did that. I worked my hardest every game.

“It’s on your mind that you want to get a contract, but you try not to think about it too much, because it really gets in your head and you try to do too much and you might get away from your game. I tried to block it out and focus on the task at hand.”

Thomson, an Orangeville, Ont., resident who turned 21 on Jan. 16, got a taste of professional hockey last September when he played a preseason game with the Albany Devils, New Jersey’s American Hockey League affiliate.

“It took a little while to get used to, but I felt pretty good,” said Thomson, who scored in a 3-2 road victory over the Adirondack Phantoms. “You have to be ready to play against men who are bigger and stronger and fighting to keep their own jobs. It gets a lot more personal, but you have to show what you can do.

“My goal is to come to camp in the fall and show I can earn a roster spot in Albany, and that’s what I’ll be focusing on.”

An eighth-round pick by Kitchener in the 2009 OHL Priority Selection from the Mississauga Reps minor midgets, Thomson played 303 games over five OHL seasons, producing 65 goals and 85 assists for 150 points while accumulating 483 penalty minutes. He said the move to coach Stan Butler’s Battalion changed his career.

“It gave me an opportunity to show what I could do, and not just things like hitting. It gave me a fresh start, and that’s what you need sometimes. It worked out great for me. I’ve had a different role and was able to show a different side of my game that people might have thought I had but hadn’t seen.”

Thomson was a major offensive and physical force with North Bay, skating on a line with Goodrow and centre Nick Paul, a draft choice of the NHL’s Dallas Stars.

“They’re two of the best players I’ve ever played with,” said Thomson. “They made hard plays look easy, and they did it constantly. They really helped me.”

Thomson produced 14 points, including five goals, in 22 playoff games as the Battalion advanced to the OHL Championship Series, where it was beaten in five games by the Guelph Storm. He also set single-season and career franchise records with 64 penalty minutes.

Thomson was front and centre in the Guelph goalmouth for a pivotal play in the second period of the last game, a 4-3 loss. With the Troops leading 3-1 and killing a penalty, Thomson battled for a loose puck with defender Nick Ebert. Storm goaltender Justin Nichols chipped at the puck, which deflected off Thomson’s left arm into the net. Referee Mike Cairns signaled no goal, a ruling that video review failed to overturn.

“It happened so quickly, and I didn’t see the puck,” said Thomson. “I went to the net and ended up seeing the puck in the net. There was no way I could have processed things quickly enough that I would knock the puck in with my hand. I’m sure they had a good look at it and, if that’s the conclusion they came to, I can’t argue.

“That could have given us a 4-1 lead, and that might have been insurmountable. That probably gave them some life.”

Guelph tied the game when Kerby Rychel scored at 15:31 of the third period. Rychel then netted the winner at 19:33.

“It was heartbreaking,” said Thomson. “I’ve grown up in the OHL, and it’s such an influential period in your life. I did so much growing and maturing. The OHL has been everything I could ask for. There were ups and downs, but I look back and cherish every moment of it. The time goes by so quickly you really have to enjoy it.”

In 66 OHL playoff games, Thomson scored 11 goals and added 18 assists for 29 points.

He said he was glad to be part of the Battalion’s first season in North Bay, which welcomed the OHL’s return after the relocation of the Centennials to Saginaw, Mich., in 2002.

“The town is hockey-crazy, and it was really deprived of hockey. The Battalion came and did so well in its first season, and it was huge to get all the fans behind us. Everything was great for me there.”