ECHL strike halts Thunder games; tentative deal puts hockey on track to return
Hockey should be returning to Wichita this week.
After a league-wide work stoppage forced the Wichita Thunder to postpone games Friday and Saturday, the ECHL and the Professional Hockey Players’ Association announced late Saturday that a tentative collective bargaining agreement has been reached.
The agreement remains subject to ratification by the PHPA’s ECHL membership and approval by the league’s Board of Governors, but both sides said players will report to their teams in good faith and prepare to return to play while that process is completed.
The Thunder (11-11-2-2) are scheduled to play again at 7:05 p.m. Wednesday against the Utah Grizzlies at Intrust Bank Arena.
No terms of the agreement were immediately released.
Wichita Thunder forced to postpone two games
The Wichita Thunder had games scheduled both Friday and Saturday postponed as a result of the strike.
On Friday afternoon, the Thunder announced that their game against the Allen Americans would not be played due to the work stoppage.
“The union’s decision to force our players to stop working means that we have to postpone tonight’s game against Allen,” the Thunder said in a statement. “We’re working to have a team on the ice for our next regularly scheduled game.”
The statement did not clarify if the Thunder attempted to recruit replacement players and the team’s front office declined to elaborate beyond the statement.
Wichita Thunder players push back publicly
Following Friday’s postponement, Thunder players issued their own statement on social media, publicly distancing themselves from the organization’s wording and aligning with players across the league.
“Our organization put out a misleading statement that does not represent the facts of the situation or the opinions of Wichita Thunder players as a whole,” the players wrote, directly challenging the team’s assertion that players were being forced to stop working.
In the statement, players emphasized their pride in representing Wichita and their connection to the community. They said the strike was a collective decision rooted in concerns over pay, health care, safety and long-term working conditions.
Players also highlighted the physical toll of the season, noting that in just 26 games they had already experienced numerous injuries, some of which they said could have lifelong consequences. They argued those risks, combined with inconsistent health care protections and limited recovery time, made the dispute about more than short-term compensation.
“Our fans and community deserve better than what the ECHL is offering us as players,” the statement concluded.
The Eagle reached out to Thunder general manager Joel T. Lomurno, coach Bruce Ramsay and Thunder players for comment. All declined beyond statements already released.
How the ECHL labor dispute reached a breaking point
The ECHL’s previous collective bargaining agreement expired in June. Since then, players continued competing under the old terms while negotiating a new deal.
The first public sign of trouble came Nov. 13 when ECHL players released an open letter to fans warning that negotiations were stalled. Players identified three core concerns: rest and safety, fair wages and unpaid off-ice labor such as team appearances and community events.
Tensions escalated in December as negotiations stalled.
On Dec. 18, PHPA members voted to authorize a strike if talks failed. On Dec. 23, the union formally served notice that a strike would take effect Dec. 26, following standard labor procedures.
By the time Friday’s noon deadline arrived, all formal steps toward a work stoppage had been completed.
The ECHL offer and the union’s response
As the deadline approached, the ECHL went public with its proposals.
On Dec. 22, the league outlined an offer that included salary-cap increases, mandatory days off, travel limits between back-to-back games, expanded holiday breaks, increased per diems and continued coverage of housing and in-season medical benefits.
On Dec. 25, the ECHL said it made its “last, best and final offer,” raising the immediate salary-cap increase to 19.8% and warning that future offers would need to account for revenue lost from missed games. The league accused union leadership of not allowing players to vote on the proposal.
The PHPA strongly disputed that characterization.
PHPA executive director Brian Ramsay said the union repeatedly attempted to resume talks and proposed mediation or arbitration to avoid missing games — offers he said the league rejected.
The union also accused the league of coercive conduct during negotiations and said it filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board.
Late Friday, the PHPA publicly outlined what it said were unresolved issues, including stricter travel limits, guaranteed contracts, uninterrupted off-season health coverage, group licensing rights and higher baseline player compensation.
It was not immediately clear how many, if any, of the union’s demands were addressed in the tentative agreement.
This story was originally published December 28, 2025 at 3:57 PM.
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