After a few seasons of tough injuries, "the Real Deal" Akil Thomas has arrived in the NHL.
Thomas has hit the ground running, scoring three goals in five games since making his NHL debut.
Playing his usual high-motor, skill game and it's paying off for him.
As Jim Hiller said after Thursdays game, even outside the goals, Thomas is playing fantastic.
The goals are a bonus, but even if they dry up, and there's a good chance they will, Thomas will still be a solid NHL player.
He's also scored in a variety of ways, beating a goalie from range with his first goals, picking up scraps for his second and tipping home his third.
With the bulk of their once great prospect pool either in the NHL already or playing for another organization, the emergence of a player like Thomas would be massive for the Kings.
He's already proven he belongs in the big league's in his short stint up with the Kings, but his status for the playoffs is unknown.
If Carl Grundstrom returns, it's possible that Thomas goes back down to reinforce the Ontario Reign for their playoff run.
If that is the case, the Reign will get one of their best players back and Thomas will go down with even more confidence than he had before.
Regardless of how this season ends, Thomas should be penciled into the bottom six next season and could be an option to free up cap space for the team.
If Thomas can replace someone like Blake Lizotte or Grundstrom, the Kings save money without losing much on-ice.
Few players have been through more and worked harder than Thomas to get where he is now and is an easy player to root for.
He'll continue to stake a claim on the roster in these last few games.