Kerbashian Named Finalist for Wichita Pro Athlete of the Year

Wichita, KS (June 27th) - The Wichita Thunder, proud member of the ECHL and powered by Toyota, are excited to announce that forward Kale Kerbashian has been named a finalist for the 2016 Wichita Professional Athlete of the Year Award. This will be presented at the annual Greater Wichita Sports Banquet featuring the Johnny Bench Award on Thursday, June 30th at Century II Exhibition Hall starting at 6 p.m.

Kerbashian, 26, was acquired in a trade with the Rapid City Rush on January 4th. He led the Thunder in scoring with 44 points (14g, 30a) and scored 34 points 11g, 23a) in 37 games in Wichita. The Thunder Bay, Ontario native was named as the team's MVP this past season. Kerbashian tallied the game-winner in overtime against Idaho on February 20th and also recorded a hat trick on February 27th against his former team, Allen.

He joins Tim Brown of the Wichita Wingnuts and Clarence Anderson of the Wichita Force as the three finalists for the award.

The Thunder kicks off their 25th Anniversary season on Saturday, October 15th against the Tulsa Oilers. Season tickets are on sale now. Put down your $50 deposit per seat and pay it off all summer long. Contact a Thunder representative at the office today.

Follow along with us on our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter (@wichita_thunder), Snapchat (wichthunder), Instagram (Wichita_Thunder) and LinkedIn, presented by Wichita Brewing Company.

About the ECHLThe 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 29th season in 2016-17. There have been over 500 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-