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Musing With Malsy, Volume 1

Thursday, July 11th
Musing With Malsy, Volume 1

Thunder Nation! Hope you're having a good summer so far. Can you believe we're less than 100 days away from the start of another season? 

Every year, the days seem to go by faster. Before you know it, we will be back at IBA getting ready to hear Austin announce the starting lineups. 

First, before I give some feedback from a year ago and how things are starting to look for this coming season, I wanted to educate the fans about the whole Where's Malsy concept. I blame Sean Zeller, who was a former employee who did graphics and game ops for us. He thought it would be funny to do something with me on the video board one game. It started out with them using an old hockey card of mine on my birthday and then he invented the Where's Malsy Cam. Now, I want to make sure fans understand, I wasn't asking for this. It grew and evolved to where they would do it multiple times a season and now, its just a funny joke. So instead of avoiding it, this summer I'm embracing it. In fact, one fan even decided to bring me and my daughter a Where's Waldo outfit for Halloween! 
 
Ok, now to the team itself. I really didn't get much of a chance to reflect on how last season ended up and I'm sure most people want to move forward. Like most of the fans and staff, we were disappointed that we came up short in our battle to get into the postseason. Two years in a row just missing out hurts for everyone. So yes, it's time to move on and focus on the 2024-25 season and see how Bruce is starting to form this team. 
 
So far, we have announced four players. First, I want to start with Jay Dickman. He had a wonderful year statistically and was a force on the power play. He set new career-highs in all three categories. Jay does such a good job of protecting the puck and working down low below the goal line. 
 
Coming back to Wichita will be Peter Bates. I spoke to him briefly and he is excited to get back here. For him, it wasn't an easy decision to leave and go overseas last year. I don't blame him. He was offered a lot of money and with it being tax-free, its hard to say no. Peter told me that he missed Wichita, playing for Bruce and is glad to get the season started. Bates was the team's All-Star representative and was in the top five in scoring before he left for Europe. Welcome back, Pete!
 
Earlier this week, we announced the re-signings of Shane Kuzmeski and Kobe Walker. Shane added a veteran element to the blue line last year. He showed his mobility along with his heady play. Shane finished with a +14 rating, which led the team by a wide margin. 
 
I'm excited to see what Kobe can do for a full season. He joined the team late last year after his college campaign ended and was a solid addition. He mentioned to me in an interview we did that I'll edit and post at some point about getting a full offseason to get healthy and prepare. He said getting a taste of the pro game should help him adjust faster this year and is ready to go. 
 
Good luck to Jason Pineo, Jeremy Masella and Nick Nardella, who have all signed to go overseas. I enjoyed getting to know all three and liked their games. I wish them the best of luck. 
 
Lastly, the Thunder and the Sharks extended their affiliation for another season. The exciting part of this is the infusion of all the young talent that San Jose has coming into their system. There is a lot of buzz around Macklin Celebrini, who was drafted as the first overall pick at the end of June. The Sharks have also signed rookies Will Smith and Sam Dickinson, which will be fun to watch their progression as they turn pro. 
 
I have not heard anything about who may potentially be loaned to us this year. One thing to keep in mind is that when a team is rebuilding like the Sharks are, they had to get out from underneath contracts that caused issues with their cap situation, trade off assets and that process is starting to turn the corner. Now that didn't translate to wins, but the hope is to see a much improved on-ice product in San Jose this year. Mike Grier has added a lot more depth so far this summer and we shall see if that trickle down affects us.
 
I know Bruce is working hard to get the roster set for this year. We do have several more players already signed, but haven't been announced. Keep an eye for more to come as we move through the month of July and into August. 

I wanted to congratulate the Florida Everblades on their three-peat. Winning one title is not easy, but to do it like they did is a great accomplishment. 

That will do it for the first edition of Musing with Malsy for the summer. Thank you for reading and I'll check back in in a few weeks. 
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