Thunder Acquire Former Wisconsin Product from Atlanta

Wichita, KS (Nov. 16th) - The Wichita Thunder, proud member of the ECHL and powered by Toyota, is continuing to retool its roster, acquiring the rights to defenseman Eric Springer from the Atlanta Gladiators for future considerations.

Springer, 26, comes to Wichita after spending the parts of the last two seasons with the Gladiators. A native of Wrightstown, Wisconsin, the 5-foot-9, 194-pound blueliner appeared in 35 games last year and finished with eight points (1g, 7a). He led Atlanta in plus/minus during the 2013-14 campaign with a +13 rating. That same season, he began with the Ontario Reign before playing the final 25 games with the Gladiators. The former Wisconsin Badger has appeared in 120 ECHL games, recording 33 points (4g, 33a) and is a +31 all-time.

Wichita returns home on Friday night as the Allen Americans make their first trip to INTRUST Bank Arena this season. The team is helping the cause by raising money for Men's Health Awareness and growing moustaches. Fans are encouraged to donate to the Movember Foundation by clicking here.

The Thunder face-off against the Missouri Mavericks on Saturday night, which is Teddy Bear Toss Night. Fans are encouraged to bring a new stuffed animal to toss onto the ice after the Thunder score their first goal of the night. All donations will be collected and distributed to several different places around the city including hospitals, charities and places where a young child can receive a gift for the holidays.

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-