Lucas Thomson-Fiddes - a man on a mission

September 10, 2020
North Saanich, B.C.

Lucas Thomson-Fiddes came to the Panthers' camp last season as a wide-eyed 16-year-old rookie with an outside and long-shot chance of making the squad.  But he battled and battled and as the summer months moved along, he started to draw more attention from Head Coach Brad Tippett.  Thomson-Fiddes played in a couple exhibition games and it was his dogged effort and style that eventually swung Tippett into offering him a spot on the Club.  

The work just started from there.  At the bottom of the totem pole is not an ideal spot, but for Thomson-Fiddes it was fine.  He grabbed the ball and simply would not give it up.  And by the time the playoffs rolled along he found himself playing an important role, even finding himself on the ice in the last minute of one-goal games.

Thomson-Fiddes has a knack for scoring, albeit, his numbers did not show that last season.  But in the Panthers summer camp, he dominated and filled the net early and often.  He will most likely find himself riding shotgun on on the right side of a line with 19-year-olds Logan Speirs and Denver Maloney and should be in a position to earn some special teams minutes on both sides of the puck.

Now a veteran at the ripe age of 17 years old, Thomson-Fiddes had some interestng thoughts:

"I'm extremely excited to get this season underway.  As I'm sure all the boys will agree, we have some unfinished business that we didn't get the chance to take care of in last year's playoffs. In addition to our returning core which I believe to be the best in the league, I have been on the ice with our rookies for the past few weeks and have seen first-hand how well they instantly connected with everyone on and off the ice. I can tell that we all can't wait to get back on the ice and finish the job we started last year.

With that being said, I personally feel that my rookie season was extremely successful, and Brad, Pete and the entire coaching staff helped me immensely to find my game as a young player in the league. This season I look to continue my gritty style of play while increasing my offensive production from last year, and to do whatever it takes to help the boys pick up where we left off, and win a Cyclone Taylor Championship."

Head Coach dropped a few comments on his right winger:

"Lucas is poised to take a big step this year.  He improved steadily throughout last year and was an important piece of the puzzle in the playoffs.  In the deciding game versus Westshore, we put him on the ice with two minutes left in a one-goal game – we put him on because we trusted him and more important he earned it.  We think he will be a good fit patrolling the right side with Speirs and Maloney. He hunts the puck and creates turnovers. The confidence he has built is evident with the poise under pressure or when he gets a good scoring chance.  Being 6’2” he can be a presence creating space for himself and his line-mates."

Thomson-Fiddes and his mates are still awaiting word on the Panthers home opener date, most likely either Friday September 25 or October 2nd.