Over the next few months, The TPA team will be looking at some of the most notable names from the ECHL. These players have been chosen by our writers, not only on what impact they made in the ECHL, but also the contributions that they made at the AHL and NHL levels as well. In Tuesday’s installment of Brightest Stars of the ECHL, we take a look at three players from the Adirondack Thunder.
James Henry
It comes as no surpise that when you’re talking about the Adirondack Thunder, you have to mention the name James Henry. Henry has been an essential part of the organization as he’s been with the team ever since they made the move to Adirondack back in 2015. The Winnipeg native has spent the last two years as captain of the Thunder and has been a fan favourite in during his tenure with the team in Glens Falls.
Henry had an injury/COVID-19 shortened season during the 2019-20 campaign which saw him play in only 50 games, putting up eight goals and 24 assists for 32 points over that time. However, he’s hit double digit goal totals in five of his seven seasons in the ECHL. Those two seasons he didn’t reach it were injury shortened seasons.
With rumours speculating that Henry’s time as a Thunder may be over and that he may choose to hang up the skates, he will always be remembered in Glens Falls. He has played in a total of 441 regular season games with the Stockton Thunder and Adirondack Thunder. During that span, he’s put up 93 goals and 216 assists while making for a total of 309 points. Let’s not forget the 44 Kelly Cup Playoff games that he’s appeared in where he’s scored seven goals and 19 assists for 26 points in 44 games. This includes the 2018 Kelly Cup Playoffs which saw him score 15 points in 17 games.
Mackenzie Blackwood
The second name on my list comes with a goaltender who only spent five games with the Thunder which came back in the 2017-2018 season. Yes, I’m talking about Mackenzie Blackwood. The 26-year-old goaltender was originally selected by the New Jersey Devils 42nd overall back in 2015. He’s slowly emerging into the number one goaltender for the Devils and is one of the key peices for the franchise moving forward. In 70 career NHL games, Blackwood has put up a record of 34-24-8. Not only that, but he also adds a .916 save percentage and 2.72 goals against average to go along with five shutouts.
In his five games with Adirondack, the Thunder Bay, Ontario native went 2-1-1 and stopped 115 of the 125 shots he faced. He would then become a huge part of the Thunder’s Kelly Cup Playoff run that year where he would start five games before going down with an injury. There, he put up a 1.00 goals against average and .964 save percentage to go along with one shutout.
The majority of his season would be played with the Binghamton Devils in the AHL. The 6’4 netminder would end up playing 88 games over three years with New Jersey’s AHL affiliate. That tenure saw him put up a record of 32-41-15 record. Along with that, he recorded a save percentage of .897 and a 2.95 goals against average.
Brian Ward
When you look at players who had exceptionally stellar ECHL careers, but couldn’t transition that to the AHL, Brian Ward’s name comes to mind. Ward spent three seasons with the Thunder where he put up 77 goals and 66 assists for 143 points in 156 games. He would lead the Thunder in goals in the 2016-17 and 17-18 seasons.
One of the downsides about Ward was he seemed to get just a little bit too comfortable in the penalty box as through 156 games, the centreman amassed 242 penalty minutes. He’s currently the franchise leader in goals with 77.
He would be loaned to the AHL three times, including twice during the 2017-18 season where he would get loaned to the Utica Comets. That was November, 2017, but he then returned to Adirondack two weeks later. In March of 2018, he would head back to the AHL, spending three days on loan with the Providence Bruins.
Those two stints would be just enough for the Binghamton Devils to sign Ward to an AHL deal. The Haverhill, MA native would play 29 games in the AHL. Collectively, he recorded one goal and three assists for a total of four points. Ward spent last year playing in the UK with the Belfast Giants in the EIHL. Through his 48 games played, Ward racked up 12 goals and 23 assists for 35 points.