WICHITA, Kan. – “See it, feel it, the dawn of a new era” reads the Wichita Thunder’s slogan for the upcoming season. After a miserable 2009-10 campaign that saw the club earn just 23 points with a 9-50-5 record including just three home wins, a new era is precisely what hockey fans in Wichita need.
New Head Coach Kevin McClelland and Assistant Coach Jason Duda have worked diligently to re-build the Thunder into what they hope will be more than just an improved team, but a contender for the 2011 championship series.
With just two weeks to go before the start of Central Hockey League training camps, the team has kicked things into high gear this month, announcing 11 additions to their 2010-11 roster.
Jesse Bennefield
Bennefield also managed a 12-game point streak from November 14th to December 5th and totaled 20 multi-point games, earning himself a spot in the 2010 CHL All-Star Game. During the 2008-09 season, also with the Killer Bees, Bennefield delivered a career-best 71 points (35 G, 36 A) and 87 PIM.
Two days later, the Thunder filled two more roster spots, signing sixth-year pro center Chris Greene and re-signing defenseman 3rd-year defenseman Jason Woll.
This will be Greene’s second tour with the club. Last season, Greene played for the Mississippi Surge (SPHL) where he tallied a career-high 51 points (16 G, 35 A) and 144 PIM. The Massena, NY native spent parts of two seasons with the Thunder, arriving in a December 2007 trade with Arizona for Tyler Liebel, and leaving in a January 2009 deal with Corpus Christi in exchange for Mike Zbriger.
Woll, 26, will be entering his sophomore season with the Thunder after registering eight points (2 G, 6 A) and 91 penalty minutes in 62 games played. A native of Portland, Oregon, he was one of only four Thunder players to participate in 60 or more games. Woll made his professional hockey debut with the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) at the end of the 2008-09 season. He saw action in the final 10 games of the regular season and accounted for three assists and 52 PIM in 15 post-season contests.
Jason Goulet/Photo Credit: John Rothwell
Two days later the Thunder strengthened its offense, signing veteran forward Brent Cullaton as well as Chris Falloon, Brad Bonello and Bobby Hughes.
Cullaton, 35, will be entering his 15th season of pro with 803 career points to his name in 824 games played. He was an integral member of the Laredo Bucks’ 2004 and 2006 Ray Miron President’s Cup teams where he served as team captain. In his CHL career, Cullaton has tallied 116 goals and 370 points in just 270 games.
A native of Petawawa, Ontario, Cullaton also played a major role in the Rocky Mountain Rage’s turnaround in 2007-08, ranking second in the league with 71 assists and fourth with a career-best 92 points. After playing college hockey at the University of Miami at Ohio, Cullaton began his professional career in 1996-97 with the Kansas City Blades (IHL). Cullaton has eclipsed 50 points in a season 10 different times and has four years of experience at the AHL level.
Falloon, 27, will be entering his first full season of American pro hockey. The Souris, Manitoba native spent most of last year playing in Denmark, scoring 35 points in 36 games for the Odense Bulldogs after posting 21 goals and 47 points the year before with the Fischtown Penguins in Germany. Falloon finished 2009-10 in the CHL with eventual champion Rapid City, appearing in three regular season and two post-season contests.
Brad Bonello
Hughes, 22, returns to Wichita after scoring nine points (5 G, 4 A) in the Thunder’s final 11 games last season. A former fourth round draft pick (#123 overall) by the Carolina Hurricanes in the 2006 NHL Entry Draft, the Richmond Hill, Ontario native has seen action in 58 games in the AHL over the past three seasons.
On Saturday, the team added forwards Shane Foster, Garett Cameron and defenseman Travis Wight.
Foster, 26, tallied five points (2 G, 3 A) and 41 PIM in eight games as a true rookie for the Thunder last season. The 6-foot-3, 227-pound right wing also scored a Gordie Howe hat trick on January 22nd at Tulsa. The Madison, Wisconsin native played in 14 games for the Colorado Eagles to begin the year after spending four seasons at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point (NCAA).
Cameron, 28, rejoins the professional ranks for the first time since 2006-07 when he split time in the UHL with Bloomington and Port Huron, scoring 26 points in 42 games. The 28-year old left wing had a strong 2005-06 campaign in the ECHL with Utah where he scored 56 points (26 G, 30 A) and 128 PIM in 72 games played. The Grandora, Saskatchewan native played for former rival Oklahoma City in 2004-05. In 172 career games, Cameron has 113 points and 269 PIM.
Wight, 28, is entering his fifth pro season and returns to the CHL after a brief stint with Mississippi early last season, playing in 17 games before traveling overseas to play for the Nijmegen Devils in the Netherlands. A native of Fannystelle, Manitoba, Wight spent three seasons with the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL) and was a member of the 2007 Kelly Cup Championship team under former Thunder Head Coach Derek Laxdal.
September’s additions bring the Thunder’s roster to 21 players. The team previously signed forwards Lance Galbraith, Aaron Davis, Matt Hubbauer Adam Knight, defensemen Kory Scoran, Andrew Martens, Daniel Tetrault, Ryan Hand, Peter Stevens and goaltender Ian Keserich.
Training camp opens on October 1st and will be held at the Wichita Ice Center. Seven days later the Thunder will host the Tulsa Oilers in a pre-season match-up, also at the Ice Center. The regular season opens with back-to-back games against the Oilers, first at the BOK Center in Tulsa on Friday, October 15th, then returning home to the new INTRUST Bank Arena the following night.
Contact the author at roger.nebelsick@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com
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