His immense talent placed him in the world spotlight in Ottawa over the holidays, as not only part of a strong Canadian team in the World Junior Championships, but as their Captain. Team Canada notched its 5th consecutive gold in the WJC, on "home" ice, no less. He then returned to a new "home" at ShoWare Center, and proceeded to lead the T-Birds to the first round of the WHL playoffs, where Seattle battled hard, before falling in the 6th game to the Spokane Chiefs.

But he wasn't done. Not even two days after that series wrapped up, he was on a plane to Manchester, New Hampshire. He suited up for the LA Kings' AHL affiliate Manchester Monarchs and in his very first game, notched 2 assists. In his second game, he scored his first AHL goal. In fact, in the 7 games he played with Manchester, he had one goal and 6 assists for 7 points.

If I had to describe Thomas Hickey's season in one word, I would say: "amazing."

But ask Thomas to describe his season in one word, and he'll tell you, "eventful."

Eventful [i-vent-fuh l] -adjective
1. full of events or incidents, esp. of a striking character: an exciting account of an eventful life.

Thomas Hickey/Photo Courtesy: Manchester Monarchs

Okay, if you want to go by the dictionary meaning, Thomas is correct. He has had an "eventful" season. It certainly has been full of events. And he's not done. In fact, he is spending the off season working out and making sure he is in top condition for the Los Angeles Kings' training camp in September. Thomas took a few minutes out of his workout to chat with me about his season, advice he has for rookies making the jump from Bantams to the WHL and why he can't pick just one favorite memory of his time with the T-Birds.

KING: How did you handle everything that's happened for you this season?

TH: It's fun. You just go with the flow and wait for your next opportunity. I just sort of did that. I take care of the task at hand and then look for something new.

KING: You certainly had a lot of tasks this year: getting the T-Birds to the playoffs, getting Team Canada to its 5th consecutive gold, and making that quick turnaround to the AHL. What was your toughest challenge this year and why?

TH: The World Junior one was definitely the hardest one just because there's much more pressure and a bigger stage.

KING: The playoffs were heartbreaking. You guys went out there, put it all out there, and fell kinda short. It seemed like the next day or the day after, you were on your way to Manchester. What was that turnaround like for you?

TH: It was tough because you're so involved and you're so into what your team is doing at the time and it's such a big letdown, that to get invited to play for another team, your mind is somewhere else for a few days but you have to make that adjustment if you're planning on doing well. So, it was tough to take my mind off one thing and focus it on something else, but I had fun doing it when all was said and done.

KING: What was your first game like?

TH: It went well. I was pretty nervous and I don't think there were many expectations because I had no idea what to expect and I don't think they had any idea what to expect from me. The first few shifts, first few periods were just sort of feeling each other out as far as me getting a level of a feel for the play and the coaches getting a feel for me. Then once I got over that, I guess I call it an awkward stage, I calmed down.

KING: You scored 2 points in that first game and then you scored one or two goals. You hit the ice in Manchester and just kind of set yourself on fire there.

TH: Yeah, I think it was a lot of good fortune because the things that happened, the points I got were plays that could easily not go in the net, but, you know, some good fortune gave me a lot of confidence and I think I built on things from there.

KING: What you say is the biggest difference between the WHL and playing at the AHL level?

TH: I'd say structure. It's a lot more organized and position-wise, it's a lot tighter than the WHL is.

KING: Talking about the WHL, you played all four years in Seattle. How did it help you grow as a player?

TH: I think it did a lot of things. I learned a lot about accountability. There's not a lot when you start but once you get going, if you want to be one of the top guys you need to be accountable for yourself. That's something I learned as I went on and I got to become a leader and Captain my last two seasons. So, I learned a whole lot of things from all of that.

KING: Becoming Captain, there's so much more that goes with it, including a responsibility toward the younger players coming in. How did you help the rookies coming in?

TH: I just tried to treat them like I wanted to be treated if I were a 16 year old, if I were a rookie. You're unsure of things. You just want some assurance that what you're doing is right, if you need improvement, just someone to ask how your day's going, just try to be buddies to everyone and just be yourself and I hope those guys appreciated it.

Photo Courtesy: David Pitcher/Seattle Thunderbirds

KING: How did playing in Seattle all four years help you grow as a person?

TH: I think you learn a lot of life skills living away from home and you learn to appreciate your friends and family back home even more, because when you're gone for probably 60-70% of the year, you learn to miss them. So I understand when I come home for the summer in the off-season, I've gotta take advantage of that time enjoy it the most you can and then when you're away from home, you've got to learn to meet new people and be open to a lot of things, like living with billet families and everything and I think that all just helps you as a person moving forward.

KING: Did you live with the same billet family all four years?

TH: No, I did my first three years and then when we moved to Kent last year, everyone got new billets. (NOTE: Thomas attended Lake Washington high school but transferred his credits to his school in Calgary, so he could graduate with his friends)

KING: Did you have a hard time keeping up with your friends back home?

TH: Yes, especially my first two years. It was a bit tougher but once I was 18, I found a lot of my friends back home were going away to school, going away to college and they were sort of feeling the same things. They're busy, you're busy and you catch up when you can, but it was probably harder the first two years than it was my last two.

KING: When did you start playing youth hockey?

TH: I think it was 5 years old. I started skating and joined a league the first year and then just sort of learned from there. I was a year younger than everyone so I played 3 years at my first level which, normally you don't do. (NOTE: Thomas played his youth hockey with Trails West Hockey Association in Calgary)

KING: What's the next step after that?

TH: There are probably 6 levels. There's Tyke, Novice, Atom, Pee Wee, and Bantam or Midget is sort of where it becomes a new thing, more select, with fewer teams and higher level of competitions. So, Bantam and Midget are sort of that way and then everyone does something different. I went and played in the Western League when I was 16, but usually spent about 2 years at each level on the way up.

KING: At what point did you realize that this is something you really wanted to try to make a career out of?

TH: Probably right from the time I started when I was 7 or 8. I think that's every little kid's dream in Canada.

KING: In our first interview earlier this season, you said you were not a very good skater when you started- but you're now one of the best skaters I have ever seen. Did you have to work hard at it or did it come naturally the older you got and the more experience you got?

TH: No, it didn't come too easily. I remember when I was in pee wee, which is probably 12 or 13, I think I was still a poor skater and had lots of things to fix. I was on the ice a ton and that helps, too, when you're on the ice more than other guys so that practice goes a lot further when you're out there more often and it sort of evolved and I keep working on it when I can.

KING: You have extremely excellent vision- does that come naturally or is that something you have to work on?

TH: I think it's more natural. It's sort of like instincts, you can't really improve them, it's what you see and what you feel, it sort of comes to you.

Photo Courtesy: Seattle Thunderbirds

KING: Back to youth hockey: what advice for parents wanting to get kids into hockey?

TH: It's tough. I've never been in their situation but now that I'm older I see younger kids playing, and there's a big time commitment, but I think in the end it pays off for the parents. Definitely not many kids are gonna go pro or anything, but if they really enjoy the game then the kids are going to get so much out of it that parents should be thankful that they're interested in something that they're investing their time and energy into it. They're gonna get a lot out of it either way. It's tough but I think they're gonna be rewarded, whether it's their kid turning pro or going on a big tournament or just enjoying every day he goes to the rink.

KING: What best memory do you have of your parents and your hockey career?

TH: My dad pretty much coached me every level- from the first 6, 7 years of hockey he was my coach, so just every season and him running practices are something I remember quite fondly. (NOTE: Thomas says his father Denis played a little hockey, but not much. He also has a brother who used to play)

KING: The WHL Bantam Draft just took place. What advice do you have for these kids to help keep their heads level?

TH: It's (being drafted to the WHL) more of an opportunity than an accomplishment. If you get picked by a team, you've got a chance to go on and do something but you haven't accomplished anything yet. That's the advice I'd give.

KING: You went to training camp for the Kings the last two years, but missed most of last year's camp because you had ankle surgery. What's the situation this year?

TH: I'll be going (to Kings' training camp) in September. I'm thankful that I'm gonna be healthier this time going into it. I'll go in there, work my hardest and see what happens.

KING: How are you preparing for training camp?

TH: This is a big summer for me to get ready and make sure I'm at my best. if you play well, there's a chance you will make the Kings. If you don't then you'll be playing elsewhere so I started training already. It's pretty much 6 days a week for the whole summer until training camp starts so it's gonna be pretty busy.

KING: The prospect pages are very high on you and Kings fans are expecting a lot from you. Does that put extra pressure on you to succeed?

TH: Not anymore. I think originally there was a lot of pressure that accompanies being a prospect and if I'm higher rated or something, it's a little bit of pressure at the start. But it's been a few years now and you learn to take what you can from that and sort of ignore the burden or the pressure that it puts on you and take the positive things out of it.

KING: What are one or two favorite memories of your time with the T-Birds:

TH: That's tough. There weren't many huge moments where you stopped and said "Wow", but there's probably a thousand times where I just went in and enjoyed it so much where I was laughing with the guys and just sort of had a great day. I leave myself with all those little memories that I look back on, rather than one or two big ones.

Photo: Su Ring

If I had to ask a T-Birds fan to share one or two memories of Thomas Hickey and the impact he's made on the team, I think they would say exactly the same thing. With Thomas, you don't get one big play here and there. You get a thousand plays, key hits (anyone remember his huge hip checks that sent players flying?), and timely goals when the team needed a boost.

Photo: Su Ring

Off the ice, fans remember a genuinely nice young man who always took time to have a chat, sign an autograph, take a picture. In short, a down to earth person who would have what others call an "amazing" season, and simply call it "eventful."