19 years of Wichita Thunder hockey

Eagle beat writer Kollen Long has covered the Thunder since 2001. He takes a season-by-season look back at the franchise highs and lows:

1992-93

Wichita was surely excited about a new hockey franchise, but the team was a huge disappointment, stumbling to a 6-20 start. But good news came from disaster as the man who would save Thunder hockey arrived: coach Doug Shedden. Under his guidance and a workhorse effort from rookie goalie Bobby Desjardins, the Thunder (25-33-2) finished the season on a 17-11-2 run.

1993-94

Using contacts from his NHL days and a fierce desire to win, Shedden formed a remarkable team that excelled in all areas and was incredibly entertaining, winning the league title with a 40-18-16 record. Consider this: The team had three players who scored more than 100 points (Paul Jackson 135, Ron Handy 109, Bob Berg 101), and five with more than 200 penalty minutes, led by Greg Neish's 325. Desjardins was league MVP and Shedden coach of the year. Brent Sapergia put on a playoff show, scoring 27 points in 11 games.

1994-95

Despite Desjardins' surprising retirement, the Thunder maintained its excellence, starting the season 20-3-2, with 14 wins from George Maneluk, en route to a back-to-back title. Dave Doucette set a team record with points for a D man with 90, and forward Bob Berg had 101. Handy had the greatest playoff series by a Thunder player with 31 points in 11 games. He was named playoff MVP. Fifteen seasons later, no Thunder team has matched the 44-win total (44-18-4).

1995-96

The architect of Thunder excellence left to coach in the East Coast Hockey League, and life without Shedden was difficult. No 100-point scorer, no long winning streaks, no playoffs. A lowlight was the franchise's first losing record (15-16-1) in the Kansas Coliseum. A highlight was watching Bryan Wells at his point-producing, fist-flying best as he produced 56 points and 407 penalty minutes. The team was 23-39-3.

1996-97

Despite a losing record, the Thunder (25-31-10) returned to the postseason behind Trevor Jobe's 56 goals. After blitzing Oklahoma City in the playoffs, the Thunder lost to Fort Worth in the division finals, dropping four games by a total of six goals. The season marked the debut of a forward who would eventually be a face of the franchise for years: Jason Duda.

1997-98

It was a pedestrian regular season, but the Thunder (35-31-4) got hot at the right time, winning its last five games heading into the playoffs. With Duda's 12 points leading the way, the Thunder beat rivals Tulsa and Oklahoma City (4-3 on a series-deciding goal by Jim McGeough) before losing in the finals to Columbus in a four-game sweep. Another future star, Travis Clayton, made his debut with 62 points in 70 games.

1998-99

The Thunder (34-26-10) struggled mightily down the stretch, losing 11 of 13 regular-season games, so the first-round playoff loss to San Antonio was no surprise. Clayton led the team in points, the first of seven straight years that he or Duda would be the Thunder's top scorer.

1999-2000

Another first-round playoff loss, but this one was especially painful. After winning the first two games against Oklahoma City, the Thunder (37-26-7) dropped three straight, scoring five goals. An interesting detail: The Thunder had nine shootout victories.

2000-01

The Thunder (30-32-8) won two of its final 10 games and failed to make the playoffs for the first time in coach Bryan Wells' five-year tenure. The struggles cost Wells his job.

2001-02

Jim "Knuckles" Latos took over as coach, but the team he built wasn't particularly tough. Or high scoring. Or defensive minded. Stan Reddick's acrobatic play at goalie was a highlight. They finished 24-34-6.

2002-03

The Thunder (21-36-7) started with eight straight losses and, at 8-19-7, fired Latos. A rookie head coach, Derek Laxdal, took over and went 12-17. Better days were on the way.

2003-04

Even though he was an excellent judge of talent, it look Laxdal some time to rebuild. The team was 16-16-4 in early January but gained momentum late, thanks in large part to a trade for speedy Joe Blaznek. Behind goalie Nathan Grobins, the Thunder (35-24-5) shocked Colorado in the playoffs before losing to Bossier-Shreveport in five games. With Laxdal behind the bench, Thunder hockey was back.

2004-05

The most entertaining season since the glory days. The Duda-Clayton-Blaznek line combined for 260 points; defenseman Paul Esdale scored 69 points and was plus-39; and two young goalies (Jason Flick and Jamie Vandespyker) were excellent. The postseason was gripping. The Thunder (40-17-3) beat Bossier in a seven-game thriller that included a scuffle between Laxdal and Bossier coach Scott Muscutt) before the offense sputtered in a 4-2 series loss to mighty Colorado in the conference final.

2005-06

Laxdal shocked the organization during the offseason when he quit for a job in the East Coast Hockey League. Under Mark French, the team (38-18-8) remained strong. Blaznek (44 goals), Duda (86 points) and Clayton (56 assists) formed the CHL's top line. Sebastian Leplante played well (2.94 GAA, .917 SP). In the playoffs, however, the big scorers didn't produce — the top line combined for only four goals — in a five-game series loss to Bossier.

2006-07

It was painful to watch as the excellence from the Laxdal days gave way to mediocrity. The Duda-Clayton-Blaznek line was less explosive, and the team struggled for consistent success. The Thunder (28-28-8) never won more than two games in a row. Leplante was again a highlight, going 15-11-6 with a 2.65 GAA and a .928 SP.

2007-08

French needed a good start to soothe a restless fan base; instead, the team opened 0-4. At 4-13, the Thunder (20-42-2) fired French and hired Rob Weingartner, a Thunder alum and fan favorite but a rookie coach. Weingartner took a tough stance with his players and made several trades, including dealing Leplante for a goalie (Marco Emond) who refused to report, but the losing continued.

2008-09

Brent Bilodeau, an ECHL assistant recommended by Laxdal, seemed like a solid hire. It turned out to be a disaster. In the off-season, either intentionally or by mistake (depends on who you believe), the Thunder (20-41-3) let Clayton become a free agent. It was a PR nightmare, and the season itself brought lots of losing: an eight-game losing streak and two five-game losing streaks. Goalie Tim Boron deserves credit for rising above and posting a .926 SP.

2009-10

9-50-5. Ugh.

2010-11

Kevin McClelland, a four-time Stanley Cup champion and CHL coach of the year, was hired to resurrect Thunder hockey. Former owner Horn Chen is generally an unpopular figure among fans, but the fact that he loosened the purse strings to bring in McClelland may have saved the franchise. McClelland quickly upped the talent level. The well-connected stole Matt Robinson from Laredo in an early-season trade; brought in Andrew Martens, the CHL's top defenseman; and coaxed a nice season out of rookie goalie Marc-Antoine Gelinas. The only disappointment came during the playoffs when the Thunder (34-26-6), up 2-1 in a best-of-5 series, failed to close out Missouri at home. But Thunder hockey was relevant again.

This story was originally published October 21, 2011 at 12:00 AM with the headline "19 years of Wichita Thunder hockey."