Evan Thomas' life and legacy will be honoured by the Moose Jaw Generals on Thursday night.

The local midget AAA hockey team will send the number-nine that Thomas wore during his time in Moose Jaw to the rafters at Mosaic Place prior to Thursday’s game against the Notre Dame Argos.

"He spent two years here with us, the last year he was a good leader for us, the guys respected him and liked him, that was obvious in the benefit game that we did for him, so this is a way to honour him, and Scott, Laurie and Jordan, and then they can move on the best that they can," said Generals head coach Ray Wareham.

Thomas died tragically on Apr. 6 while on board the Humboldt Broncos’ bus, which was involved in an accident that took the lives of 16 players, coaches and staff.

Wareham said the jersey retirement will be a way to keep Thomas' memory alive for years to come.

"It’s always something that will be there to remember and cherish him, I’ll be able to look up there and remember him and the good times," said Wareham.

Thomas played 63 games over two seasons for the Generals, registering 27 goals and 53 points. Before joining the Generals, he spent one season with the Saskatoon Blazers, who also retired his jersey earlier this season.

While he was a big part of the team on the ice during his time in Moose Jaw, Wareham said Thomas was also one of the players that everyone wanted to be around off the ice.

"He was a character guy, he was a funny guy, all the stuff that we heard from the guys was that he was one of the pranksters in the dressing room, on the ice he hated to lose and he was a competitor, coachable, just a good honest kid that worked hard," said Wareham.

The jersey retirement ceremony will start at 7 p.m.