Thunder Add Depth; Acquire Former Princeton Netminder

Wichita, KS (Feb. 13th) - The Wichita Thunder, proud member of the ECHL and powered by Toyota, announced a trade this afternoon, acquiring goaltender Sean Bonar from the Orlando Solar Bears for future considerations. Bonar, 24, is in his first year as a pro. A native of Delta, British Columbia, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound rookie out of Princeton University signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Orlando Solar Bears last season. Bonar began the year with the Indy Fuel, appearing in three games before heading to the Fayetteville FireAntz of the SPHL. He signed with the Solar Bears on December 27th and played his first game for Orlando on January 10th against Florida, making 38 of 40 saves in relief. Bonar finished 1-1-0-0 in two appearances with the Solar Bears, sporting a 2.65 goals against average and a .911 save percentage.

Prior to turning pro, he played a four-year career at Princeton and was a teammate of current Thunder blueliner Eric Meland. In 63 career games as a Tiger, Bonar posted a 17-33-6 record with a goals against average of 3.15 and a save percentage of .898. His best statistical season came as a freshman, going 8-6-1 with a 2.20 GAA and a save percentage of .912. Before heading to the college ranks, he spent two seasons playing for the Penticton Vees of the BCHL, where he was an All-Star during the 2008-09 season. The following year, he was named as a member of Team Canada West and earned tournament MVP honors at the World Junior A Challenge.

Wichita begins a three-in-three tonight as the Missouri Mavericks come to town starting at 7:05 p.m. 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-