Thunder Announce 2015-16 Opening Day Roster

Team Captains Announced for This Season

Wichita, KS (Oct. 15th) - The Wichita Thunder, powered by Toyota, announced today their 2015-16 Opening Day roster. The roster includes 22 players divided into 10 forwards, six defensemen and two goaltenders. The team also announced this year's captains and assistants for the upcoming season.

Ian Lowe will resume his role serving as the captain while Dan Milan and Michael Neal will be assistant captains. Lowe, entering his fifth season as a pro and fourth in Wichita, took over the mantle last November. Milan was named as an assistant captain near the end of last season while Neal is entering his first year in the Air Capital.

Nine players return from a year ago, including seven that were on the Opening Night Roster for the 2014-15 season. Danick Gauthier, Ian Lowe, Todd Hosmer and Erick Lizon are the returning forwards while Theo Peckham, Dan Milan and Dalton Reum return on the blue line. Michael Neal and Joey Sides join the core upfront. Brandon Martell, Andrew Blazek and Ryan Ruikka will help solidify the backend.

2015-16 Opening Day Roster

Forwards (10)Cullen BradshawTodd Hosmer (HAHS-mer)Kenton MillerAnthony DelucaDanick Gauthier (GO-tee-ay)Ian LoweErick Lizon (LYE-zahn)Joey SidesMichael NealMason Baptista

Defensemen (6)Ryan Ruikka (RYE-kah)Andrew Blazek (BLAY-zek)Dan Milan (MY-lin)Dalton Reum (REE-um)Brandon MartellTheo Peckham

Goaltenders (2)David Shantz (SHAWN-tz)Grant Rollheisier (roll-HIGH-zer)

ReserveAndrew Darrigo (dah-REE-go)Andy Huff

21-Day IRRG FlathPaxton Leroux (le-ROO)

The Thunder open their second season in the ECHL on Friday night with a road game against longtime rival, Tulsa. The two teams will once again play for the StoneWolf Casino Cup, with the winner of the season-series grabbing bragging rights.

Opening Night is just around the corner against the Quad City Mallards! Join us for our Opening Night Block Party, brought to you by Toyota. Starting at 4 p.m., fans can congregate in front of Entrance A and B with all kinds of family fun activities.

The first 1,000 fans in the door that night will get a free voucher for a selfie stick, presented by Waste Connections. Fans who receive this voucher can pick up their prize on the way out of the arena.

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.

Season tickets are on sale now. Don't delay! Call the Wichita Thunder office and visit with a season ticket rep today to learn more. Stay up-to-date on all the news during the season by visiting www.wichitathunder.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-