Stockton Thunder announce first signed player

STOCKTON, Calif. – Summer is here and the new season is set to begin in less than 100 days.   That means Stockton Thunder Coach Matt Thomas is a very busy man working to fill the roster.   To date six players have received qualifying offers for the 2012-13 season. Those include defensemen Cameron Brodie, Brock Matheson, Sebastian Owuya and Dan Ringwald and forwards Garet Hunt and Jordan Fulton.
Last December the combined team average age was less than 24; the lowest ever for the Thunder, which according to Thomas means that several players may be coming back this season.
The first player to be extended a deal is Mike Little. This will be Little’s second season in Stockton. In his rookie season, he played a role in the team’s advancement to the second round of the Kelly Cup finals with two assists in eight games.  During the regular season, he played in 70 games, posting ten goals and 31 assists, with a plus-22.   Little was also the first player in Thunder history to be selected to the ECHL All-Rookie team and the lone representative of the Western Conference for the 2011-12 honorees.
  “It was a priority to get a player like Mike back in the fold,” said Thomas. “He had a tremendous rookie season that saw continuous and vast improvement.   He solidified himself as a top defenseman and an important part of our team success.   We look forward to him picking up where he left off last year.”
In addition to scouting and persuading players to return, the off-season is also witness to many veteran players seeking contracts with European leagues.   One of those is Chris D’Alvise who has signed a contract to play with the Austrian League.
In the meantime, the Thunder management has developed a recruiting video that highlights the Stockton area and all of its great attributes.   There are few places where one can live that is less than a three hour car ride to places like San Francisco, Yosemite, Lake Tahoe, Reno, sandy ocean beaches, Napa wine country, professional level golf courses, and ski resorts, that has never recorded more than 1/2 inch of snow at any one time?   In addition, the fan base has given the Thunder the best fan attendance for four straight years and the last three years in the top three consistently, averaging more than the average for the ECHL overall.
Coach Thomas promises another exciting year.  
The season begins with three pre-season games.   The first will be against the newest team in the ECHL, the San Francisco Bulls on Wednesday, October 3, followed by a game on Friday, October 5 at the Bakersfield Condors, then a home game on Saturday, October 6, against the Condors again.   The Thunder home season opener will be Friday, October 12 against the Ontario Reign.   Mark your calendars.
 
Contact the writer at Shellie.Lima@prohockeynews.com All photos by Jack Lima, Jack.Lima@prohockeynews.com