Stockton Thunder laying the foundation

STOCKTON, Calif. – The hot summer is in full swing and Thunder coach Matt Thomas has been keeping busy searching for key players to give the team an edge for the upcoming season.
 
Last season the Thunder advanced to the Kelly Cup Playoffs for their fifth consecutive season, including tying a club record with 86 pts and winning 37 games, just one short of tying another club record.
 
There are currently six players on the Thunder roster, which includes three returning players, Jordan Fulton, Jordan Foreman and Bretton Cameron. The other three include two rookie signees, Nathan Deck and Jesse Fratkin, and a player-coach veteran Jason Morgan.
Jordan Foreman will see his second season with the Thunder. The 24-year-old, native of Cambridge, Ontario played in 40 games last season, posting 25 points (10g-15a) and 116 penalty minutes. He led the team last March with 16 points in fourteen games that included a hat-trick against the Salmon Kings of Victoria.
 
Last season’s Rookie of the Year for the Thunder, Jordan Fulton is also set to return. The Brooklyn Park, Minnesota native will skate in his first full year with the Thunder. The 23 year-old forward was acquired in a trade with the Kalamazoo Wings last mid-season. Fulton skated in a combined 70 games with 41 points (18g-23a) with 152 penalty minutes. Fulton had been drafted in the sixth round (179 overall) by the Calgary Flames in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft. 
 
Bretton Cameron, a 22-year-old, Didsbury, Alberta native was second last year among the Thunder rookies with 16 goals. He posted eight multi-point games during the season, earning player of the week honors in January 2011. He skated in 53 games with the Thunder, earning 31 points (16g-15a) and 92 penalty minutes. Cameron was one of 13 Stockton players to earn a call-up to the AHL Connecticut Whale, where he skated in two games collecting an assist.   
Rookie free agent Nathan Deck is the first defenseman to sign this summer. He’s known for his highly competitive edge and for contributing the little things according to his past coaches. The 21-year-old earned “Most Valuable Defenseman” and “Most Inspirational Raider” awards last season with the Prince Albert Raiders. In 276 career junior games with Prince Albert and Vancouver’s WHL, he posted 118 points (22g-96a) and 198 penalty minutes. Last season, he was a plus-4 with 18 points (2g-16a) and 36 penalty minutes in 60 games.
 
The first rookie forward to sign for the Thunder this off-season is Jesse Fratkin, a 23 year-old that played for NCAA Brown University the past four seasons. He’s known for his speed and two-way game. He posted 99 career games with the Bears earning 32 points (14g-18a) and 48 penalty minutes. Fratkin was also a four-time honoree on ECAC Hockey All-Academic Team for the last four seasons too.
 
At the close of the season, Matt O’Dette the Thunder assistant coach signed on as rival Bakersfield Condors new head coach, replacing Marty Raymond. Raymond took a job in Europe. Head coach Matt Thomas had been assisted by O’Dette, first as a player-coach, then last year as full-time assistant coach. So it isn’t a surprise that Thomas selected another veteran in Jason Morgan to groom as an assistant coach.
 
Morgan, 34 years old, comes to the Thunder with a history of playing with five NHL teams, seven AHL teams, and two ECHL over his fifteen years as a professional hockey player. Morgan appeared in 44 career NHL games with the Kings, Flames, Predators, Blackhawks and Wild, earning seven points (2g-5a) and 18 penalty minutes. He posted 325 points (112g-213a) and 656 penalty minutes in 584 AHL games. He has played in 30 career Calder Cup playoff games, earning 10 points (3g-7a), and 13 Kelly Cup games earning 11 points (5g-6a), playing for the Florida Everblades and the Mississippi Sea Wolves.
 
Last season, Morgan saw action in Norway with Stjernen, racking up 23 points (8g-15a) in 40 games. He entered his professional career in 1995 NHL Entry Draft in the fifth round (118 overall) by the Los Angeles Kings.
 
Coach Thomas made news in the off-season, by signing a contract extension himself, that will take him through the 2013-14 season. Thomas came to the Thunder in December 2008 halting a tumultuous down-spiral by the Thunder, turning a 10-17-4 record into a 22-16-3 finish at the end of the month, ultimately clinching a playoff berth at the end of that season. During his time in Stockton, the Thunder has never missed the playoffs and reached the Conference Final for the first time in team history in 2009-10.
 
Thomas, a Mississauga, Ontario native boosts a coaching record of 271-166-66 and a winning percentage of .604 in 503 career games at the control for Stockton, Fresno and Atlantic City.
 
He’s also proven himself as mentor, guiding four players or former assistant coaches into head coaching careers. Including O’Dette, Ryan Mougenel took over for Las Vegas, Mark French is at the helm for AHL Hershey and Kevin Colley leads the Utah Grizzlies.
 
The off-season has seen some movement towards Europe, which is often the case for ECHL level players. Former Thunder players Chris Lawrence, Steve Vanoosten, P.A. Bureau and veteran Fraser Clair have all signed on to play for teams over the pond.
 
Lawrence will be working to secure a spot with Red Bull, Salzburg, Germany. He also joins former Condor goalie Josh Tordjman.
 
Many Stockton fans might remember Tjordman as the goalie that opposed goalie Tyson Sexsmith in a toe-to-toe battle early last season.
 
Vanoosten is on the roster for the Briançon Alpes Provence Hockey Club in France.Clair is no stranger to European hockey, after having spent three seasons prior to the Thunder, with teams in Italy, Denmark and Germany. He is listed on the roster of the Hannover Indians in Germany.
 
The season is set to begin with two pre-season games against Bakersfield Condors on October 7 and 8, home and away. Opening night is set for October 14. The Thunder will open at home against the newest team to join the ECHL, Colorado Eagles. The Eagles spent their last eight seasons in the Central Hockey League before joining the ranks of the ECHL.
 
Contact the writer at Shellie.Lima@prohockeynews.com Contact the photographer at Jack.Lima@prohockeynews.com