Sophomore forward Thomas Weis (10) sings “Carmen Ohio” with his teammates after the Buckeyes defeated American International in a shootout after tying 3-3 in overtime Friday at Value City Arena. Credit: Liam Ahern | Lantern Photographer
Thomas Weis stepped onto the ice as a freshman looking to prove himself.
By the end of his first season, Weis did just that and then some.
After earning the unofficial title of Ohio State’s most improved player from his teammates last year, the Buckeye forward now aims to continue his growth as a collegiate hockey player in his sophomore campaign.
“I think there are a lot of different guys on our team that could’ve been recognized for that award,” Weis said. “It was nice that the guys thought of me when we were doing the voting, and I’m proud to get the accolade.”
Despite not playing in Ohio State’s 2023-24 season opener against Mercyhurst Oct. 7, Weis skated in the Buckeyes’ 37 remaining games, netting four goals and dishing out seven assists in that stretch.
Ohio State assistant coach JB Bittner said the coaching staff’s trust in Weis only expanded as the season progressed.
“We started to give him more ice time and more responsibility,” Bittner said. “He just works so hard and is a leader on our team in that sense.”
Bittner said Weis’ reliability was a key factor in earning him more ice time.
“The great thing about T-Bone [Weis] is we know exactly what we are going to get from him each day,” Bittner said. “He never takes a rep off and consistently works.
Weis said the mental side of his game was the area in which he saw the most improvement during his freshman year.
“When I came in, there were a lot of older guys,” Weis said. “It’s not the easiest to come in and be the most confident right away, but I think as the season went on and I started playing a little bit more, I kind of found my game and found confidence with playing with consistent linemates.”
Ohio State senior forward Caden Brown said he attributes Weis’ personality and work ethic as reasons for his confidence boost as a freshman.
“He’s a great guy, and everyone around the room loves and respects him,” Brown said. “He was probably our hardest worker throughout all our practices last year, and I think that’s why he made that big jump.”
With the Buckeyes’ offseason coming to a close, Weis said he honed in on two aspects of his game.
“I think speed and strength in the weight room were important,” Weis said. “On the ice, I did a lot of skating work to try to get faster, as well as a lot of edge work to be able to be better in the corners and possessing the puck.”
Despite his personal successes last season, Weis said the program’s second-half achievements came from his teammates’ willingness to operate as one unit.
“We really bought into the systems, and everybody was playing for the team rather than themselves,” Weis said. “I think if we can do that from the beginning, we’ll have a lot more success.”
Weis’ success as a freshman was largely driven by his availability for the Buckeyes, an objective he said he hopes to maintain throughout his sophomore season and entire collegiate hockey career.
“Just being in the lineup consistently and contributing in any way I can,” Weis said. “Also, being good in the penalty kill and finding a way to play in all situations will help my game.”
