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Team: Wichita Thunder
Founded: 1991
Head Coach: Bruce Ramsay
League: ECHL
Home Stadium: INTRUST Bank Arena
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Wichita Thunder is Wichita's longest-running professional sports team. The Thunder is part of the 27-team ECHL and acts as an affiliate team for the NHL's
Edmonton Oilers
as well as AHL's
Bakersfield Condors
. The Wichita Thunder was one of the original members of the Central Hockey League from 1992 until it joined up with the ECHL. Under their affiliation agreement with the Oilers, the Edmonton team selects players within their development system to play with Wichita. An 18-player roster is a mix of returning players as well as new blood. An average of 75% of the players on the team come from Canada. In recent years, Wichita Thunder goaltender Tyler Bunz became the first player in the history of the team to play for Wichita and head to the NHL in the same season when he made his debut with the Edmonton Oilers. You can watch the team live by getting your Wichita Thunder tickets at StubHub.
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The Wichita Thunder has had many rivals throughout its history. These have included the
Mississippi RiverKings
, the
Colorado Eagles
, the
Allen Americans
, the
Oklahoma City Blazers
and the
Tulsa Oilers
. The most notable of these rivals is likely the Tulsa Oilers.
''The coaching staff for the Wichita Thunder is made up of Bruce Ramsay, who serves as the head coach, as well as John Gurskis, who acts as the assistant coach. The rest of the coaching staff is made up of Frank Jury, who is the equipment manager, Josh Elmer, who is the team's athletic trainer and Dmitrii Jury, who serves as the assistant equipment manager for the Wichita Thunder.'
'Some noteworthy Thunder players include forwards Joe Blaznek, Travis Clayton and Jason Duda. Combined, these players represent 1,953 in scored points for the Thunder. Representing the back end, you have Andrew Martens and Daniel Tetrault. These two are possibly the greatest defensive linemen in the team's history. Bobby Desjardins remains the wins leader amongst goaltenders for the Thunder.'
'There are 36 home games in the regular season, and 28 of those fall on either a Friday, Saturday or Sunday.'
'A Wichita Thunder game regularly attracts somewhere between 5,000 to 6,000 local ice hockey fans, with 2,000 of those patrons being season ticket holders.'
'Many home games have unique promotions attached to them. These can include everything from merchandise giveaways and character-themed nights to games where tickets are discounted. A new promotion that has been recently added is the #ILOVEWICHITA night. For this promotion, the team wears special jerseys that celebrate the city's flag. These jerseys are then auctioned off at the end of the match, and fans that wear items that represent the city of Wichita get special discounts.'
'The INTRUST Bank Arena is considered a state-of-the-art facility to see a game and is located in the heart of Wichita with plenty of local attractions nearby. The venue features 65-foot ceilings for exemplary acoustics and offers 16 concession stands with a wide variety of food options. There are also 4,000 parking spaces available within a few block radius. The arena has several options for hockey fans looking for an even more premium game experience as well. The arena offers 300 premium seats as well as 40 loge boxes and 22 suites.'