Thunder, Aces Complete Four-Player Deal

Wichita, KS (Dec. 1st) - The Wichita Thunder, proud member of the ECHL and powered by Toyota, announced this afternoon that the team has completed a trade with the Alaska Aces, acquiring defenseman Landon Oslanski and forward Dean Chelios for forward Anthony Deluca and defenseman Daniel Johnston.

Oslanski, 23, returns to the Midwest after spending parts of last season with the Missouri Mavericks and Rapid City Rush. A native of Camrose, Alberta, the 5-foot-11, 186-pound defenseman is cousins with current Thunder blueliner Dalton Reum. In 157 career ECHL games, the 2014-15 All-Star has 69 points (20g, 49a). His best season came in 2013-14 with the Stockton Thunder, collecting eight goals and 27 points in 67 games during his rookie season.

Prior to turning pro, Oslanski spent five seasons in the WHL between Spokane, Lethbridge and Everett. He finished his junior career with 118 points (33g, 85a) in 279 games.

Chelios, 26, was acquired last year by Alaska at the trade deadline in a deal with the Indy Fuel. A native of Bloomington Hills, Michigan, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound forward had 14 points (2g, 12a) in 36 games with the Fuel before finishing with 11 points (1g, 10a) in 13 games for the Aces last season.

Chelios comes to the Air Capital with quite the pedigree. His father, Chris, is a member of the Hockey Hall of Fame (class of 2013) and played in the NHL for 26 seasons with Montreal, Chicago, Detroit and Atlanta. He finished with three Stanley Cup championships and currently works for the Red Wings as an advisor to their Hockey Operations department. His uncle, Steve, played for the Thunder from 1992-94 and helped Wichita to their first CHL Championship. His brother, Jake, is currently playing with the Charlotte Checkers of the American Hockey League.

Prior to turning pro, Chelios played a four-year career at Michigan State University. He finished with 53 points (22g, 31a) in 139 games with his best season coming during his junior campaign, tallying eight goals and 15 points.

Wichita begins a seven-game road trip starting on Saturday night against the Missouri Mavericks at 7:05 p.m. The Thunder will not return home until December 20th to host the Cincinnati Cyclones for the first time in franchise history.

December 20th is also Star Wars Night, presented by Dunkin Donuts and WYHA. Come join us to celebrate the release of Star Wars, the Force Awakens with characters from the movie. The team will be wearing special Star Wars-themed jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game. The proceeds from the auction will help benefit the Wichita Youth Hockey Association.

Individual tickets for all games are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at the INTRUST Arena Box office, by calling 855-755-SEAT or go online at www.selectaseat.com.

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 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-