Dickman, Stewart, Weninger Named to All-Rookie Team

WICHITA, Kan. (June 2) - The Wichita Thunder, ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Edmonton Oilers, AHL's Bakersfield Condors and powered by Toyota, are excited to announce, in accordance with the ECHL, that forward Jay Dickman, defenseman Dean Stewart and goaltender Evan Weninger have been selected to the 2020-21 All-Rookie Team. 

The team was determined in a vote of ECHL coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media, who were asked to select a goaltender, two defensemen and three forwards. 

A rookie is defined as a player who has played in less than 25 professional games at the “AA” level or higher prior to the start of the current season. 

Dickman, 27, ranks second among ECHL rookies with 19 goals and 47 points, while his 28 assists are tied for second. Dickman’s 156 shots on goal are fourth among first-year players and he leads rookies, and is fifth overall in the league, with a +25 rating.

Prior to turning pro, Dickman appeared in 132 career games for Bemidji State University, collecting 55 points (30g-25a). His best season came in 2017-18 where he recorded 23 points (15g-8a) in 37 games. In 2016-17, he helped the Beavers to a Western Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season title.

Stewart, 22, leads rookie blueliners with 35 points and a +21 rating - which is third among all defensemen - and his six goals are fifth among rookie defensemen. 

He turned pro after completing a four-year career at the University of Omaha. A native of Portage la Prairie, Manitoba, the 6-foot-2, 201-pound defenseman was named captain during his senior campaign. He collected 45 points (7g, 38a) in 130 career games for the Mavericks. He was named the team’s MVP, Most Outstanding Defenseman and won the Biggest Heart award last year.  

Weninger, 24, leads all rookie goaltenders with 16 wins and a 2.63 goals-against average, which are tied for sixth and seventh overall in the league, respectively. He is second among all goaltenders with a .925 save percentage, fourth with 943 saves and eighth with 1,724 minutes played.

The Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native played four years at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He owns the program records for career saves (3,260) and shutouts (8). Weninger played in 115 career games for the Mavericks, going 48-56-8 with a 3.14 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. He was named the NCHC Goaltender of the Week on three occasions during his senior campaign. During his freshman season, he was named to the NCHC All-Rookie Team, logging career bests in goals-against average (2.46) and save percentage (.923).

2020-21 ECHL All-Rookie TeamG – Evan Weninger, Wichita Thunder (29 gp, 16-8-4, 2.65 GAA, .925 save pct.)D – Ben Finkelstein, Greenville Swamp Rabbits (33 gp, 11g, 21a, 32 pts.)D – Dean Stewart, Wichita Thunder (52 gp, 6g, 29a, 35 pts.)F – Matthew Boucher, Utah Grizzlies (56 gp, 23g, 26a, 49 pts.)F – Jay Dickman, Wichita Thunder (69 gp, 19g, 28a, 47 pts.)F – Joseph Garreffa, Orlando Solar Bears (55 gp, 12g, 28a, 40 pts.)

Since the ECHL began naming the All-Rookie Team in 2000-01, 21 players selected have gone on to play in the National Hockey League: Simon Gamache (2001-02); Mike Glumac, Vern Fiddler, Adam Hauser, Jason Jaffray and Zenon Konopka (2002-03); Kevin Doell and Brian Fahey (2003-04); Joey Tenute (2004-05); Cedrick Desjardins (2006-07); David Desharnais and Anton Khudobin (2007-08); Richard Bachman (2009-10); Kael Mouillierat and Ben Street (2010-11); Philipp Grubauer (2011-12); Laurent Brossoit (2013-14); Roman Will (2014-15), Jacob MacDonald and Vitek Vanecek (2015-16) and Landon Bow (2016-17).

The ECHL will announce its First-Team All-ECHL and Second-Team All-ECHL teams on Thursday.

Wichita heads on the road for the final two games of the regular season starting tonight in Texas against Allen at 7:05 p.m.

Playoff packages for season ticket holders are available now. Information on playoff tickets for the general public will be announced at a later date. Call the Thunder office or click here for playoff FAQ's.

Single game tickets are on sale now. Click here to purchase tickets or call the Thunder office at 316-264-4625.

ECHL TV has a new provider for the 2020-21 season. We are proud to partner with FloHockey, which provides subscribers with plenty of content. Watch live events across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast. To become a subscriber, click here.

Follow along with us on our social media platforms on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.