And the Thunder Was Heard Through the Ages: A Hall of Fame Story

[jacobcarson877 2,541]

Jake Thunder, Class of Season 92

User: @Thunder

 

TPE: 1677

Position: D

Nationality: USA

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 205 lbs.

VHL Drafted: 19th Overall, by the HC Davos Dynamo

Played for: Las Vegas Aces, Oslo Storm, HC Davos Dynamo 

 

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Career Awards

 

Individual

Sterling Labatte Trophy | S90

Jake Wylde Trophy | S90

Alexander Beketov Trophy | S88

Daisuke Kanou Trophy | S89

Dustin Funk Trophy | S85

All-VHL First Team (2x) | S88, S90

All-VHL Second Team (4x) | S85, S86, S89, S91

 

Team

Victory Cup | S90, S91
Continental Cup | S89

 

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Introduction & VHLM

 

  Jake Thunder got started in the league between the draft and the start of the season, so was in the unique position to play all 72 games on the waiver wire, and join in with the recent draftees. The Las Vegas Aces were entering an era of significant dominance, building a unique identity of strong 2-way players, and Jake Thunder got to be one of the building blocks of the defender archetype that the team was creating. After a couple weeks of getting their feet underneath them, they exploded onto the scene, earning every TPE available, and never really slowed down.

 

  Thunder got to explore how physicality can drive possession in the VHLM, and helped the Aces squeak into the playoffs. I actually got to witness Thunder’s prowess firsthand here for a few games, as I was a late addition to the roster that season. Thunder helped inspire a whole series of great players from legendary VHLE mainstays and longtime VHL players. Many of this roster went on to play great careers, and I personally attribute some of that to Thunder’s leadership.

   

Regular Season Stats

 

82 (LVA), 72 Game Played, 4 Goals, 19 Assists, 23 Points, -19, 72 Shots, 64 PIMs, 177 Hits, 117 SB.

 

Playoff Stats

 

82 (LVA), 7 Games Played, 8 Assists, 8 Points, 4, 12 Shots, 12 PIMs, 10 Hits, 8 SB.

 

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Greatness in the VHL

 

 

Davos had been, at the time, in a truly horrific position. The league could not imagine a world where Davos would be considered a dynasty, or even a long-time contender. That was until the S83 VHL Entry Draft. Many consider Calgary to have been the greatest winner of this Draft, but Davos should be considered right there beside them. Davos selected Siyan Yasilievich, Pete Mitchell, Jake Thunder, and Sam Tombstone who all played a significant amount of their careers in Davos, and James Marino and Hasbulla Magomedov being traded for future assets.

 

But the real standout, and the driving force of many successful playoff runs was Jake Thunder. The perfect defender in many people’s eyes, a fierce warrior, a brute, and a dominant scorer. It only took one season for Thunder to figure out how to be a point-per-game defender, and for most of that time afterwards was voted one of the top 4, if not top 2 defenders in the league. In his second season, his improvement from his already great rookie campaign took him to a Dustin Funk Trophy win. From there, we knew what to expect, no less than 80 points, and physical play game in and game out. But he wasn’t just a brute. He was slick, skilled and knew how to maximize the strength of his teammates. This earned him his Alexander Beketov Trophy win in S88, and was always somewhere in the mix in his career.

 

Jake Thunder brought his level of play up to whatever challenge he had to face, and in the playoffs, there are great challenges. His only postseason campaigns that we less than a point a game were his rookie, and final seasons. From S86 through S89 he himself was leading the way for the team, having multiple campaigns of 20+ points from the back end. His effort that won Davos their Continental Cup and himself his Daisuke Kanou Trophy wasn’t even the first time he had put up that many points in the playoffs, in fact it was his third. To see a player putting up 3 Kanou worthy playoff runs, was truly a sight to behold.

 

But he wasn’t done after winning his Cup, as his following season lead to Davos securing the top position in the league, manifesting into their first of 2 consecutive Victory Cups, but also having Jake Thunder step into a more veteran role, securing the Jake Wylde Trophy for best Defensive Defender, and the Sterling Labatte Trophy for Best Defender overall. While Davos’ playoff success began to dwindle with much of the core that dominated the league for so many seasons began to retire, Jake Thunder finished his career out strong, and fought through the pains of growing old.

 

The Retirement of Jake Thunder sent ripples through the Davos fan base, as it signified a true end of an era for the franchise. Shortly after, the trades would be made and the very players that made Davos who they were would be soon suiting up for other teams around the league. But not Thunder. With a Hall of Fame career under his belt already, it was time to let Thunder go, into the memories (bruises) that he left behind for all of us to remember and enjoy. The icepack industry thrived under his rule, and investors around the world are scrambling to figure out where to spend their money next. The Victory Hockey League is a much tamer place without Jake Thunder (and yes that is a challenge!), and we will sorely (well I guess not technically) miss his presence around the league and on the leader boards.

 

Forwards had a hard time keeping up with his level of scoring consistency and magnitude, and everyone struggled to play against the violent beast that was Jake Thunder. Crushing hits, and always willing to sacrifice the body for the team. Driven by rivalries across the league, and would never let himself be second to any of them.

 

Thunder would play a whole 8-season career with Davos, pushing through depreciation as best as anyone, and seeing an era from start to finish. Not many players can boast being a plus player their whole career, let alone on the Davos Dynamo, but Jake Thunder can. Jake Thunder helped turn the narrative around, and showed up when it mattered most, leading his team to their first championship in, well, basically all of remembered history.

 

Regular Season Stats

 

84 (DAV), 6 Goals, 32 Assists, 38 Points, +12, 110 Shots, 147 PIMs, 187 Hits, 129SB, 1GWG, 1PPG.

85 (DAV), 23 Goals, 67 Assists, 90 Points, +20, 202 Shots, 168 PIMs, 202 Hits, 146SB, 2GWG, 9PPG.
  86 (DAV), 19 Goals, 69 Assists, 88 Points, +16, 185 Shots, 126 PIMs, 161 Hits, 184SB, 8PPG.

87 (DAV), 12 Goals, 69 Assists, 81 Points, +9, 241 Shots, 178PIMs, 216 Hits, 142SB, 1GWG, 7PPG.

88 (DAV), 17 Goals, 76 Assists, 93 Points, +25, 199 Shots, 198 PIMs, 239 Hits, 152SB, 3GWG, 12PPG.

89 (DAV), 14 Goals, 78 Assists, 92 Points, +20, 246Shots, 145 PIMs, 227 Hits, 152SB, 2GWG, 9PPG.

90 (DAV), 14 Goals, 72 Assists, 86 Points, +8, 225 Shots, 220PIMs, 266 Hits, 221SB, 3GWG, 9PPG.

91 (DAV), 16 Goals, 68 Assists, 84 Points, +41, 229 Shots, 135PIMs, 198 Hits, 158SB, 7GWG, 8PPG.

 

Playoff Stats

 

84 (DAV), 9 GP, 2 Assists, 2 Points, -11, 16 Shots, 12 PIMs, 20 Hits, 17SB.

85 (DAV), 10 GP, 3 Goals, 7 Assists, 10 Points, -1, 30 Shots, 28 PIMs, 23 Hits, 25SB, 2PPG.
  86 (DAV), 16GP, 6 Goals, 17 Assists, 23 Points, +5, 50 Shots, 38 PIMs, 34 Hits, 35SB, 4PPG.

87 (DAV), 16 GP, 4 Goals, 19 Assists, 23 Points, -5, 61 Shots, 40PIMs, 46 Hits, 45SB, 4PPG.

88 (DAV), 14GP, 1 Goal, 16 Assists, 17 Points, +7, 49 Shots, 54 PIMs, 52 Hits, 37SB.

89 (DAV), 16GP, 10 Goals, 12 Assists, 22 Points, +4, 46 Shots, 45 PIMs, 59 Hits, 33SB, 4GWG, 5PPG.

90 (DAV), 11GP, 1 Goal, 10 Assists, 11 Points, -3, 33 Shots, 26PIMs, 44 Hits, 35SB, 1PPG.

91 (DAV), 6GP, 1 Assist, 1 Point, -3, 21 Shots, 16PIMs, 21 Hits, 19SB.

 

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Legacy

  Breaking curses, necks and hearts. A franchise defining player, and an easy Hall of Famer. Not many people have as easy of a case, let alone with their first player, for the Hall of Fame. Add in how wonderful of a member Thunder has been to hang out with, how great of a forum content creator they are, and how great of a mentor they’ve been for every player they come across, and you’ve got both a Hall of Fame player, and a Hall of Fame member.

 

I’ve appreciated getting some time to be on your side, and have been scared sh*tless whenever I’m not. Here’s to Jake Thunder, and the next coming, Bollos de Trueno!

 

Regular Season Career Record

 

121 Goals, 531 Assists, 652 Points, +151, 1637 Shots, 1317 PIMs, 1696 Hits, 1276 SB, 19GWG, 63 PPG.

 

Playoff Career Record

 

25 Goals, 84 Assists, 109 Points, -7, 306 Shots, 259 PIMs, 299 Hits, 246SB, 4GWG, 16PPG.

 

Edited April 10 by jacobcarson877

[Thunder 1,173]

Thanks for the nice words.  Appreciate it.

[Victor 10,968]

Wait this is like 3 paragraphs long

[Crstats23 340]

That Davos draft class was goated in my very bias opinion