Thomas, Brett

BORN AUGUST 24TH, 1977, at Manly in Sydney, Australia, he began ice hockey in 1983 at the age of six, reluctantly learning the basics with his father and sister at the Canterbury Olympic ice rink. "It's not my thing," he told his father making a quick exit, but three months later he got a second chance after convincing him he would not back away. He represented NSW in state teams during the nineties, but not in the four that won the trophy.

An accountant and business manager, he left the sport for quite a few years to serve in the ADF in Operation Slipper, Australia's contribution to the war in Afghanistan. A 185 cm (6-ft 1-inch), 86 kg forward when he returned in 2004, he joined the West Sydney Ice Dogs in the AIHL, coached by Dion Dunwoodie and Chris Sekura. "One of our best players to ever put skates on," recalled Dunwoodie in 2018. "A pleasure to coach and a brilliant leader as well".

He played 9 regular season games for 3 goals to help the Dogs to second place behind Newcastle, who dominated their first season to claim the Minor Premiership with a 16-point lead. But his team went on to win their first Goodall Cup, defeating the Bears in the Semi, 5-4, and Newcastle in the Final, 3-1, at Erina. "No-one would have beaten us in the Final," said Anthony Wilson putting this invincibility down to work rate and team culture.

The next season he finished with 12 goals 16 assists, an equal-top scoring rate with local boy Alex Djamirze. They were 2 of just 8 locals in a squad that mainly developed overseas. In 2006, he played only half the games, but the next season he was back in the top-four scorers, on an average point-a-game with Andrew White, Scott Stephenson and Canadian import, Jimmy Gagnon. In his fifth straight season, he captained the Club to the Grand Final won by Newcastle. Along the way he produced his personal best senior scoring rate — 1.1 points from 14 games — then retired at 31.

"Not so long ago," said Anthony Wilson when Thomas returned in 2011, "Brett was one of our best power forwards and penalty killers... Brett’s game is one of hit everything that moves, work at 100% all the time and force other teams errors. Back in 2008, Brett obtained the most short-handed goals for the Ice Dogs...".

In a 106-game AIHL career spanning 6 seasons, which is relatively short for a skilled local, Thomas scored 37 goals 65 assists for an average of almost a point a game. In that time, he played a variety of roles from complimenting imports, scoring, checking, and leading lines of younger forwards.

He first represented Australia at the 2007 IIHF World Championships in Seoul where the nation won Silver. The next year at 31, he returned to the squad at Newcastle where Australia won Gold and its first promotion to Division 1 under coach Steve McKenna. Invited back by coach Vlad Rubes three years later in Melbourne, he won a second gold medal and promotion back to Division 1.

In 2016, he attended the Ice Dog's third "Battle of Sydney" for an Alumni Night honouring the squad that won John Wilson's club's first Goodall Cup in 2004.