Bunz Makes Thunder History in NHL Debut

Wichita, KS (April 3rd) - The Wichita Thunder, proud member of the ECHL and powered by Toyota, are excited to announce that goaltender Tyler Bunz made his NHL debut last night for the Edmonton Oilers. Bunz becomes the first player in team history to play in Wichita and make it to the big club in the same season.

Bunz, 23, appeared in 17 games this season for the Thunder, going 6-10-0-1 with a goals against average of 2.97. The St. Albert, Alberta native is a former fifth round draft pick (#121 overall) of the Edmonton Oilers in the 2010 NHL Entry Draft. He was called up to the Barons in early February, which was the third time he had been sent back to the Oilers' AHL affiliate.

Last night, Bunz entered the game against the Los Angeles Kings in the third period after starter Ben Scrivens was pulled for allowing five goals in two periods of work. He stopped nine of 12 shots he faced in 20 minutes of playing time. Netminder Richard Bachman left the team earlier in the week for personal reasons, prompting his call-up to the Oilers and met the team in Anaheim, serving as the back-up.

The Thunder organization would like to congratulate Tyler for making his debut!

Wichita plays tomorrow night against the Brampton Beast starting at 7:05 p.m. Join us for an Easter Egg Hunt before the game. Details are listed on our Facebook page. Tomorrow night is also NWTF Night. The team will be wearing special uniforms with the proceeds benefiting the NWTF. Visit them online to learn more, http://www.nwtf.org.

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-