Thunder ready to begin new season

STOCKTON, Calif. – Let the games begin!   We have survived the summer heat, and the cooler days are approaching that remind us of a new hockey season. Although here in Stockton, the harsh weather is not as brash as it is for those to the north and east, it is our winter.   The Thunder team has completed training camp and has two pre-season games under their belts and they look great.
Last season, the Thunder ended the regular 2009-10 season in a tie for first place in the Pacific Division, with Bakersfield.   Then subsequently were eliminated in game four of the Western Conference Quarterfinals by the Utah Grizzlies.   The Thunder has seen post-season play in each of their last seven years under the direction of Matt Thomas.  
The Thunder continued their affiliation with the NHL Edmonton Oilers and the San Jose Sharks.   This will mark the sixth year with the Oilers and second full year with the Sharks. This means that Thomas will have to deal with continuous player movement, while he works to back-fill players that have moved up.   He has done a tremendous job of this arduous task in previous years.
Returning to the team are seven players from the previous season’s roster, including Forwards Cameron Brodie, Jody Pederson and Dan Ringwald and Defensemen Bretton Cameron, Jordan Foreman, Jordan Fulton and Garet Hunt.
The roster also includes 12 players that have skated in rookie or training camps with an AHL or NHL team this year too.   That includes Brodie, Ringwald, Cameron, Tyler Shelast, Gabriel Levesque, Brock Matheson, Ian O’Connor, Tony DeHart, Sebastian Owuya, Olivier Roy, Ryan Martindale and Cameron Abney.
The new 24-man team seems larger than ever, with only six players under the six-foot mark, while six of them are greater than 6’3”, including Jody Pederson ,Colten Hayes, Matt Foy, Ryan Martindale (each at 6’3”), Sebastian Owuya (6’4”), and Cameron Abney (6’5”).   Although with size comes some NHL experience in Foy and Jason Morgan.   Foy has 56 games in the record books with the Minnesota Wild.   Morgan skated with five different NHL teams in his career, including the Kings (1996-98), Flames (2003-04), Predators (2003-04), Blackhawks (2005-06) and the Wild (2006-07).
The Veteran Morgan will wear the “C”, while Hunt and Kevin Baker will share in the alternate role.   Thomas is confident that the maturity level and leadership abilities will be a great foundation for such a young team.
Hunt said, “It’s an honor to get the privilege to wear [the letter] and a confidence booster. I’m under a microscope now and have to work harder to set an example, since the other guys will be watching me.”
Offense:   Look for increased goal scoring by the Thunder. Thomas sought out players that understand his aggressive and physical style and can get in scoring positions.   With the mixture of experience and youth, Thomas may have his hands full.   Returning players like Fulton, Foreman and Ringwald demonstrated their goal scoring abilities last season.
Defense: If size is any indication, then this is all but handled.   Thomas sought out players with two-way playing ability to move the puck and get in key positions to intercept and travel quickly up the ice.   As has been problematic in the past, the aggressive and physical style of play expected by Thomas, will need to be kept in check to keep out of the penalty box.  
Goaltending: It appears that Olivier Roy, a fifth round draftee (133 overall) of the Oilers in the 2009 NHL Draft will be the primary net minder.   Last season, Roy posted 29 wins, 2.79 goals-against-average and .911 save percentage in 45 games in the QMJHL with Acadie-Bethurst.   Most likely in backup, is Ryan Zapolski a free agent.   Zapolski played for Mercyhurst College ending with a 48-43-11 record, .920 save percentage and 2.77 goals-against-average.   He played in one game with the Florida Everblades during the Kelly Cup Playoffs, with a .902 save percentage. Dependent upon how injuries and player movement takes place in the AHL and NHL affiliates, things are bound to change early in the season in this area.   Games at this level are strongly tilted based on the goaltending, but with a strong defense and sharp offense, it shouldn’t pose much of a problem for the team as a whole.
Prediction: The Stockton Thunder will be aggressive and physical. That is their style. Look for them to rank in first or second in their division throughout the season and run deep in the playoffs.   This could definitely be their season.
With the new season comes something new besides players, a new goal horn has been added to the ambiance for the arena.   When the Thunder scores their first goal of the game, the fans will hear the horn for the first time. The Atlantic City Boardwalk Bullies were the owners of the horn prior to 2005.   The horn will sound after each goal and at the end of the game to denote the victory.   Thunder fans hope to hear the horn frequently.
Friday, October 14 will be the first game of the season and will be against the newcomer Colorado Eagles. The Eagles play their inaugural game at Stockton, after eight seasons in the Central Hockey League.   This will mark the first of nine games this season against the Eagles.   The Thunder is 3-3-0 in lifetime openers and defeated Alaska in their season opener last year.
Contact the writer at Shellie.Lima@prohockeynews.com
Contact the photographer at Jack.Lima@prohockeynews.com