Wichita Thunder hope hockey support grows after St. Louis Blues’ NHL exhibition game
For more than two decades, St. Louis Blues executive vice president Steve Chapman worked in the front offices of teams in ECHL cities like Wichita.
Chapman, who was inducted into the ECHL Hall of Fame in 2018, has seen the effect that traveling NHL exhibition games have had on cities like Wichita over the years. He thinks the same is possible in Wichita when the city hosts the first NHL action in the history of the state of Kansas on Saturday: a preseason game between the St. Louis Blues and Arizona Coyotes set for 7 p.m. at Intrust Bank Arena.
Tickets as cheap as $19.75 were still available Friday morning.
“It’s going to give the people of Wichita and the fans of the Thunder a chance to see the highest level of hockey in the world,” Chapman told The Eagle. “I think fans will be amazed by the speed of the game and the skill of the players. And there’s probably going to be a little bit of a star factor with some of the players coming into town.”
Brian Hargrove, the president of G1 Sports & Entertainment, the local group that spearheaded the effort to bring the game to Wichita, said earlier in the week that Wichitans can expect Saturday’s event to be more than “just a hockey game.”
The promoters are doing everything they can to make sure families and casual spectators will be entertained on Saturday. But the game itself will be the main event and Wichita Thunder general manager Joel Lomurno believes there will be a chunk of fans in attendance who will be craving hockey afterward.
The Thunder, who have been Wichita’s minor-league hockey franchise since 1992, hope to attract more fans following the debut here of NHL preseason hockey. The Thunder are set to open their 2022-23 season at Intrust Bank Arena on Saturday, Oct. 22.
“If people come to their first hockey game and it’s a good game with some hitting and some action and some goals, there’s a tendency to be hooked,” Lomurno said. “I just had a guy who came into the office to buy season tickets and he didn’t look like a typical hockey fan, so I asked him what got him hooked. He said his buddy invited him to come one time and he loved it.
“With Wichita hosting the first NHL game in the city’s history, there’s going to be a lot of people like that on Saturday. I think it’s a big opportunity to grow the game here.”
Saturday’s game also promises to be a treat for the more die-hard hockey fans in Wichita who are eagerly waiting to see how many star players on the Blues, who still have a handful of key players from their 2019 Stanley Cup championship, make the trip to Wichita for the first exhibition game of the season. This game comes just two days after the start of training camp.
St. Louis is expected to release its traveling roster for Saturday’s exhibition sometime on Friday afternoon, which will inform hockey fans in Wichita if they will be able to catch a glimpse of Ryan O’Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Brayden Schenn, Pavel Buchnevich or Jordan Binnington. It’s also possible Arizona could send Clayton Keller, its All-Star selection from last season.
Regardless of who makes the trip, Chapman, the Blues’ front-office executive, promised Wichita fans will not be disappointed by the level of play they see during Saturday’s game.
“Some people think exhibitions aren’t played at a high level because they don’t count, but there are going to be a handful of players trying to make the final roster and make a first impression on Saturday,” Chapman said. “And even for the veterans, I know from talking to them that they enjoy making trips like this. It’s a return to their roots. They think it’s cool to go to these minor-league barns and play and get support from the local crowd.”
And if there are new hockey fans in Wichita after Saturday’s game, Chapman hopes they will choose to root for the Thunder and the Blues.
“I think they will like the brand of hockey that the Blues play,” Chapman said. “We’ve had some success over the years and we’re a hard-working brand of hockey. The players play hard and we’re one of the more physical teams in the league. There’s a lot to like about the character of this team and we’re hoping Wichita embraces us.”
This story was originally published September 23, 2022 at 6:00 AM.
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