Biography of Jake Thunder

[Thunder 1,168]

Jake Thunder

Defenseman

USA

6’03”  205

 

Born in a back room of his grandparents home in a small town in Quebec, formally known as Pigeon Hill, now part of Saint-Armand, Jake Dominique Thunder left Canada one week later back to his mom’s home outside of Liberty, Maine.  Jake was an active boy, swimming in Lake St George in the summer and skating on the lake in the winter.  He loved riding his bicycle, skiing, and playing youth sports.  Although Jake could skate with speed, agility, and endurance, he never touched a hockey stick until the age of 10, right after the YMCA took several low income kids to a Boston Bruin game.  From that day on, all Jake thought of was hockey.  He played hockey, he watched hockey, and he learned hockey.  And with natural athletic ability, Jake joined his first hockey team out of Portland.

 

Life wasn’t easy for the future hockey star, but it was his coach who convinced Jake’s mother that Jake was the kind of kid who could use his God given talent as a skater, as well as his hard work ethic, to give him an edge to spring him to a career on ice.  Jake’s aunt Tilly agreed to house Jake during the season, so that Jake’s mother didn’t have to drive 60 miles each way to Portland to practices.  Being a homeschool teacher, Tilly also agreed to educate the lad.  There was one condition; however, and that was Jake was to spend six weeks each summer helping his grand parents with their farm in Pigeon Hill.

 

It didn’t take long for “Lil” Jake Thunder to jump two age groups in order to match up with other players with similar talent, mostly because of Jake’s speed, puck handling, and vision.  Jake seemed to advance faster than his teammates in understanding the game and it became apparent Jake was going to be a top point scorer on whatever team he played for.

 

Working on the farm had a huge impact on Jake’s physical strength and he seamlessly moved from left wing to a solid defenseman during his sophomore year.  By the time colleges were allowed to reach out to Jake, he preferred defense to offense and enjoyed hitting harder and blocking shots.  Jake also spent a few extra minutes in the sin bin as his penalties increased.  At first, this frustrated the young star but he learned to hip check legally and became a target for opponents enforcers, which seemed to delight Thunder, especially when the home arena boomed with thunderous noises whenever he made a big hit.  This obviously encouraged him to be a bigger crowd pleaser.

 

Jake’s adjustment from home school to college didn’t go so well.  Receiving a scholarship at Norwich University, Jake was a promising prospect; however, the new freedom was too much for him to adjust to.  Jake didn’t seem to understand that doing homework and attending class was part of the requirements, and Jake was bounced from the team because of poor grades, which in turn caused him to lose his scholarship.  Jake spent the next four months back on the farm and almost gave up on hockey, until a family member stepped in.

 

Jake Thunder’s younger sister, Julia Cecilla “Juicee” Thunder, idolized her older brother and wanted to be just like him, following in her brother’s skates, she became a pretty good player in the female league.  When it came time for Jake to be drafted in the Canadian Hockey League, Jake was hoping to get picked up by the Saint John Sea Dogs in the QMJHL, Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, because it would keep him near Juicee, who was recruited to a female team in Saint John.  Jake was a first round selection and spent the next three seasons in New Brunswick until he took his talent to the VHL.

 

It was Jake’s uncle, Bob Leblanc, who convinced Jake to seek out playing in the VHL.  Bob recognized Jake’s exceptional skating skills and core strength, and has always said that if Jake hadn’t picked up a hockey stick, he would have likely been an Olympic speed skater.  Uncle Bob worked Jake, and Juicee for that matter, every morning starting at 0500, pushing them harder than any coach or trainer imagined.  All seemed to be going well until the one time Bob gave them a Saturday morning off.  They both took advantage of it and went snowboarding at Sugarloaf.  Both Thunders came off the mountain in love with their new sport and it took Bob more than two weeks to convince the Thunder kids back to focusing on hockey.

 

Jake finally agreed to join the VHL after visiting a long time friend, Brian Payne, who had just spent a season with San Diego.  Jake was excited about being drafted; however, as an unknown it appeared his talent was not promoted as well as it could have been and he ended out getting picked up by Las Vegas after the draft.  After a season with Las Vegas, Jake put up some decent enough numbers to get drafted in the VHL and the VHLE.

 

Jake spent a season with Oslo Storm, lighting up the stats, with 89 points, 197 hits, and 217 shots blocked.  Joining the VHL as one of the top defenders in the draft class, it became apparent that GM for HC Davos Dynamo, made a particularly smart decision by adding Jake Thunder to the roster, especially after already selecting the defensive star of the draft, Siyan Yasilievich.  The one-two punch is promising to carry the team to an eventual championship, hopefully before they retire!

 

During the off season, Jake spends as much time as he can on the ice getting his younger sister, Juicee ready for the VHL.  There is no doubt by the time she is ready for the league, Jake will have given her all the advice she needs to step on the ice and become a bigger impact than her older brother.

 

1002 words

[dylanjj37 340]

best biography ive read today. needs more mention of juan though.

Edited December 28, 2022 by dylanjj37