Bunz Assigned Back to Wichita

Wichita, KS (Oct. 30th) - The Wichita Thunder, proud member of the ECHL and powered by Toyota, announced this afternoon that goaltender Tyler Bunz has been assigned back to the Thunder from the Oklahoma City Barons of the American Hockey League by the Edmonton Oilers (NHL). Bunz was called up on October 24th to the Barons, a day before the Thunder's home opener.

Bunz, 22, did not appear in a game with Oklahoma City. The third-year netminder out of St. Albert, Alberta was originally assigned to Wichita on October 9th before the start of training camp. Bunz is a former fifth-round selection of the Edmonton Oilers (121st overeall) in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He has spent time with the Bakersfield Condors and Stockton Thunder of the ECHL along with six appearances with the Barons over the last two years. The 6-foot-1, 198-pound netminder has a combined pro record of 23-19-8 with a 3.27 goals against average and .889 save percentage

Bunz played a five-year junior career for Medicine Hat of the WHL. He shattered the program's record for wins (115), surpassing some impressive names like Kelly Hrudey and Chris Osgood. He was named the Tigers' regular season and playoff Most Valuable Player in 2012 and was selected as a WHL Eastern Conference First Team All-Star. He added to his awards that year by winning the Del Wilson Trophy as the WHL's top goaltender.

The Thunder will have a few days off before hosting the Missouri Mavericks on Saturday night at 7:05 p.m. Wichita pays a visit to Tulsa on Sunday, November 2nd at 4:05 p.m. Individual tickets are on sale now. Don't delay! Tickets can be purchased at the INTRUST Arena Box office, by calling 755-SEAT or go online at www.selectaseat.com. Stay up-to-date on all the news during the season by visiting www.wichitathunder.com. About the ECHL The ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states and has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 28 teams in 20 states and one Canadian province for its 27th season in 2014-15. There have been 541 players who have started their career in the ECHL have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, including 29 who made their NHL debuts in the 2013-14 season. The ECHL had affiliations with 26 of the 30 NHL teams in 2013-14, marking the 17th consecutive season that the league had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available on its website at ECHL.com, as well as on Twitter and Facebook.

-Thunder-