Gauthier Becomes First Thunder Rep at All-Star Game

Wichita, KS (Jan. 21st) - The Wichita Thunder, proud member of the ECHL and powered by Toyota, will be represented tonight by forward Danick Gauthier at the 2015 CCM/ECHL All-Star Classic, presented by Visit Orlando. Gauthier (GO-tee-ay) will be the first-ever representative from Wichita joining a team comprised of ECHL All-Stars who will face the Orlando Solar Bears at the Amway Center.

Gauthier, 23, has been terrific in his first season with the Thunder. In his third year as a pro, The Tampa Bay Lightning product leads Wichita in goals with 15 and second in points with 33. A native of Brossard, PQ, the 6-foot-2, 207-pound forward split time between the Syracuse Crunch of the American Hockey League and the Florida Everblades last year. He appeared in 19 games with the Crunch, posting seven points (3g, 4a) and 30 games in Florida, notching 17 points (5g, 12a).

The starting lineups are determined by a vote of coaches, team captains, media relations directors, broadcasters and members of the media. Coaches also submit the players who they feel are the top prospects from their team and other teams in their conference, which helps determine the final roster. Each of the ECHL teams has either a starter, reserve or alternate named for the ECHL All-Star Classic.

More than 60 players from the ECHL All-Star Game have gone on to play in the National Hockey League, including 46 since 2002 when the lineups began having players who coaches felt were prospects to move up to a higher level. To view the full roster for 2015 CCM/ECHL All-Star Game, click here.

Fans can catch the game live at Pucks Sports Bar, located at the Wichita Ice Center, starting at 6 p.m. The broadcast will also be available online through ECHL.TV. Fans can set up an ECHL.TV account free of charge and use the code CCMASC2015 to access the feed from Orlando. The play-by-play broadcaster for the game will be Dave Mishkin, the radio voice of the Tampa Bay Lightning. Orlando Solar Bears' broadcaster Bob Mills will serve as the color analyst for the game. To learn more about the rebroadcast of the event click here.

Wichita continues on its five-game road swing with two contests in the Black Hills this Friday and Saturday night against Rapid City.

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-