Wichita Thunder hope continuity helps team carry over last season’s late success
After the third straight year of missing out on the Kelly Cup playoffs, the Wichita Thunder could have easily decided to wipe the slate clean.
Instead, the franchise has placed its faith in coach Bruce Ramsay, back for his sixth season, and the promise that the team showed in the final two months of last season when the Thunder finished 13-12 and earned 29 of a possible 50 points — a pace of a clear playoff team.
That’s why Ramsey decided to bring back 13 players from last season’s roster, a high mark for retention during his time in Wichita, as the Thunder look to pick up where they left off when the 2024-25 ECHL season begins at 7:05 p.m. Friday with Wichita hosting the Kansas City Mavericks, the Western Conference champions, at Intrust Bank Arena.
“I honestly didn’t want to change too much because I liked the way we played the last 25 games of the year,” Ramsay said. “We were playing some really good hockey there. Hopefully we can play as strong defensively as we did during that stretch. We had a tough start to the season and ended up missing the playoffs, so hopefully this group knows every game is important and we have to come in ready to play every night.”
Wichita’s returning production is headlined by a trio of forwards, as the top three goal scorers are back from last season in Michal Stinil (32 goals), Jay Dickman (29) and Peter Bates (23). The 31-year-old Dickman (team-high 69 points) is returning in a player-coach role and is coming off the most productive season in his career, while Stinil (63 goals in last two years) and Bates (50 points in just 45 games last season) have spent multiple years in Wichita and found success.
Three defenders also return, and Nolan Kneen, Dominic Dockery and Shane Kuzmeski give Ramsay some continuity to begin the season.
“There’s a reason why they’re coming back and these are the guys that I wanted back from the roster,” Ramsay said. “They know what to expect. They understand the system and know how I coach. It’s not like I’m teaching everybody from scratch. They know the drills and expectations in practice, so there’s a lot of positives to bringing so many back.”
Ramsay is also excited about the influx of talent sent to Wichita through its affiliation with the San Jose Sharks, and in turn, the San Jose Barracuda.
The haul to begin this season most notably features two goalies: 35-year-old Aaron Dell, who has 130 games of NHL experience with the Sharks, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres, and 23-year-old rookie Gabriel Carriere, who just wrapped up a standout career at the University of Vermont.
The Thunder are also slated to return Trevor Gorsuch, last season’s starting goaltender, but will open the season with the duo coming from San Jose.
“(Dell) is a complete pro and when you’ve been in the NHL for as long as he has, you’ve seen the best players in the world and you’ve seen how they play,” Ramsay said. “He’s been there and done that and I think our guys respect him because he comes into work every day and is just a pro about everything.”
Other assignments to Wichita included 21-year-old forward Nolan Burke, who scored 50 goals in the Ontario Hockey League in the 2022-23 season, 23-year-old forward Joe Carroll, 23-year-old defenseman Jeremie Bucheler and 21-year-old defenseman Gannon Laroque.
Franchise legend Travis Clayton, who was a star forward for Wichita from 1997-08, also joined Ramsay’s coaching staff for the upcoming season.
“We’re really excited about the returning core we’re bringing back, then we added some really good pieces from the Barracuda on top of that,” Ramsay said. “I’m excited about this team and it’s a long season and we’re going to get to work on Friday.”
Wichita Thunder 2024-25 season home schedule
Friday, Oct. 18 — Kansas City Mavericks, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Oct. 25 — Tulsa Oilers, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 1 — Rapid City Rush, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 2 — Rapid City Rush, 6:05 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 3 — Rapid City Rush, 2:05 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 8 — Allen Americans, 7:05 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 10 — Tulsa Oilers, 2:05 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 13 — Kansas City Mavericks, 10:30 a.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 20 — Utah Grizzlies, 7:05 p.m.
Thursday, Nov. 21 — Utah Grizzlies, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 22 — Utah Grizzlies, 7:05 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 27 — Worcester Railers, 6:05 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 29 — Worcester Railers, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 30 — Worcester Railers, 6:05 p.m.
Sunday, Dec. 1 — Kansas City Mavericks, 2:05 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 5 — Allen Americans, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 21 — Allen Americans, 6:05 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 27 — Idaho Steelheads, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 28 — Idaho Steelheads, 6:05 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 3 — Iowa Heartlanders, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 4 — Iowa Heartlanders, 6:05 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 5 — Iowa Heartlanders, 2:05 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 10 — Allen Americans, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 11 — Allen Americans, 6:05 p.m.
Sunday, Jan. 12 — Fort Wayne Komets, 2:05 p.m.
Wednesday, Jan. 15 — Allen Americans, 7:05 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 11 — Utah Grizzlies, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 14 — Tahoe Knight Monsters, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 15 — Tahoe Knight Monsters, 6:05 p.m.
Sunday, Feb. 16 — Tahoe Knight Monsters, 2:05 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 28 — Tulsa Oilers, 7:05 p.m.
Saturday, March 1 — Kansas City Mavericks, 6:05 p.m.
Wednesday, March 12 — Utah Grizzlies, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, March 14 — Utah Grizzlies, 7:05 p.m.
Friday, March 28 — Kansas City Mavericks, 7:05 p.m.
Sunday, April 6 — Allen Americans, 2:05 p.m.
This story was originally published October 18, 2024 at 6:02 AM.
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