Thomas Bordeleau is not your prototypical hockey player. Coming in at only 5’10, he’s spent a lot of his hockey career so far getting people to see past his size, and off the ice, he’s breaking the mold by designing his own line of clothing for San Jose Sharks fans. Last season, the rookie for the San Jose Barracuda had 41 points including 22 goals, finishing third on the team in scoring. But who is Thomas Bordeleau? I sat down with him over Zoom to talk hockey, family, and tattoos.
Who Is Thomas Bordeleau?
Thomas Bordeleau was born in Houston, Texas, due to his father, Sebastien Bordeleau, playing for the Houston Aeros of the AHL at the time. He spent his childhood in Switzerland, playing youth hockey for SC Bern, before his father retired and the family moved back to Montreal. Bordeleau has American, Canadian and Swiss citizenship, and is fluent in both English and French.
Bordeleau’s best attribute is his hockey IQ, but he also considers himself a strong two way player, a good skater, and an offensively minded forward. He wants people to look past his stature to see the skill in his game.
I think it made me stronger in certain areas I wouldn’t necessarily feel stronger in. I played against bigger guys my whole life, so I just learnt how to use my body to get by.
Bordeleau on whether his size affected how he went about preparing for a pro career
Thomas Bordeleau is a third generation NHL player, as both his father, Sebastien, and his grandfather, Paulin, played in the big league in their primes. Sebastien is now a development coach for the Nashville Predators, and though he didn’t force any expectations on Bordeleau as a child, looking back Bordeleau acknowledges how much of his success he owes to his father’s advice.
My dad taught me everything. He’s been there for me my whole career, my whole life.
Bordeleau on his father’s influence
Giving It The Old College Try
Bordeleau played at the University of Michigan for two seasons, and ‘wouldn’t trade it for anything’. His father played in the QMJHL as a teenager, but it was important to Bordeleau and his family that he have a plan B in mind, and college was the best route for him to take. He’d been aware that he could be drafted in the NHL by the age of about 14, when he was invited to play in the QMAAA (Quebec Under 18 AAA) as an underage player, where he finished 20th in scoring in the whole league.
From there, it was the choice to play for the USNTDP, a “no-brainer” for Bordeleau, as he wanted to follow in the footsteps of players like Patrick Kane, Auston Matthews and the Hughes brothers. That solidified his decision to play for the USA in international play; though he was eligible to play for Canada also, the USNTDP was the best thing for Bordeleau’s development, and from there it was only a small step to the University of Michigan.
NCAA hockey differs from the CHL in many ways, but something that appealed to Bordeleau was the ability to take a step back from the rink occasionally. the NCAA season is fewer games than the CHL, and gives players more time for development, as well as the ability to work towards their degrees. When asked about his Michigan teammates, Bordeleau lights up.
My class [Kent Johnson, Owen Power, Matty Beniers, Jacob Truscott] was really great. An awesome group of guys, we had a blast [on and off the ice].
Bordeleau on his Michigan teammates
Walk, Walk, Fashion Baby
Frequently featured on social media for his game day “fits”, Bordeleau was approached last year about creating some items of clothing for Sharks fans to wear, and jumped at the opportunity.
Bordeleau wanted to design something a little bit more “street” than the usual items you can buy at the store inside SAP Center, going with a graffiti and paint motif for caps, hoodies and sweatpants.
He admits to being surprised that they asked him to design something like this, but he enjoyed working with the designers, and even talked teammate and friend William Eklund into modelling some of the designs with him.
Eky [Eklund]’s a good sport, he didn’t need too much convincing. We just had fun with it.
Bordeleau on whether he had to bribe Eklund into being one of his models.
Bordeleau’s passions are not solely with hockey and fashion design. He’s also one of the more tattooed members of the Barracuda, and they all have their own special meanings. His most recent one, a small 999 on his left hand, is an inside joke with his siblings that he got when he was playing in Vegas recently.
Bay Area Love Affair
There’s something about Bordeleau’s energy that makes him seem right at home in the Bay Area. He lives right in the thick of downtown, and is constantly inviting friends and family from Montreal to enjoy places like San Francisco, Santa Cruz and the mountains surrounding San Jose.
Downtown needs a little bit of love, but it has everything you could want, I love it here.
Bordeleau on living in San Jose
What’s Next For Thomas Bordeleau?
Bordeleau started the season with the San Jose Sharks, making the NHL team out of training camp, and scored his first NHL goal against the Colorado Avalanche only a couple of games into the season, but struggled to stay in the line-up. He was eventually loaned to the Barracuda. After his 41 point performance last season, Bordeleau has 11 points in 14 games so far this season for the Barracuda, and is on pace for 51 points, providing he finishes the season with the team.
When asked about goals for the season, Bordeleau shook his head. “I don’t really have goals,” he said. “I just want to keep getting better and better. Even in Michigan, I focused on game to game. I know what I want to do this weekend and what I want to accomplish. That’s what I’m building towards.”
Since his return to the Barracuda, Bordeleau has been one of their best players. Whatever he focuses on game to game, it seems to be working, and I’m in no doubt we’ll see him back in the NHL sooner rather than later.
Photo credit: Maddie Dutra
