Five Players Assigned To Wichita

WICHITA, Kan. (Oct. 9) – The Wichita Thunder, ECHL affiliate of the NHL's San Jose Sharks, AHL's San Jose Barracuda and powered by Toyota, announced today the following transactions pertaining to players who were in training camp with the San Jose Barracuda. 

Forward Nolan Burke and defenseman Gannon Laroque have been reassigned by the Sharks from the Barracuda to the Thunder. 

Defenseman Jeremie Bucheler (BUSH-ler), goaltenders Aaron Dell and Gabriel Carriere (CARE-ee-AIR) have been loaned by the Barracuda to the Thunder. 

Burke, 21, is entering his second season as a pro. The Peterborough, Ontario native played most of last season with the Atlanta Gladiators where he notched 15 points (5g, 10a) in 47 games. Burke spent most of his junior career with the Ontario Hockey League's Sarnia Sting. The 6-foot-3, 201-pound forward racked up a career-high 82 points (50g, 32a) in 56 games during the 2022-23 campaign. Burke was acquired by the Sharks as a part of the trade that saw highly touted goaltending prospect Yaroslav Askarov head to Northern California. 

Laroque, 21, also enters his second season as a pro. A native of Edmonton, Alberta, the 6-foot-2, 201-pound blueliner split time between San Jose and Wichita. He collected four points (1g, 3a) in 18 combined games between the Thunder and the Barracuda. Laroque was drafted by San Jose during the 2021 NHL Entry Draft (round 4, #103 overall). 

Bucheler, 23, signed an AHL deal with the Barracuda back in April. A native of Montreal, Quebec, the 6-foot-4, 209-pound defenseman played in 11 games where he tallied two helpers for San Jose. Prior to turning pro. Bucheler skated in 143 career NCAA games between Northeastern and Vermont. He finished with 46 points (10g, 36a). 

Dell, 35, brings valuable depth and leadership back to the ECHL for the first time since 2013-14. Thunder fans know him well, having played against Wichita during the 2012-13 season with the Allen Americans. He also played for Allen in 2014-15.

A native of Airdrie, Alberta, the 6-foot, 213-pound netminder has appeared in 130 NHL games with the Sharks, New Jersey Devils and Buffalo Sabres. Dell sports a 50-50-13 record with a 2.92 goals-against average and .905 save percentage during his NHL tenure. He has also appeared in 145 games with the Barracuda, Abbotsford Heat, Worcester Sharks, Binghamton Devils, Rochester Americans and Ontario Reign. 

Carriere, 23, enters his first year as a pro. The Orleans, Ontario native was teammates with Jeremie Bucheler at the University of Vermont. During his senior season, the 6-foot-2, 185-pound goaltender went 13-17-3 in 33 games with a 2.79 goals-against average and .906 save percentage. Carriere was named as a Hobey Baker Award Nominee as the NCAA's Top Collegiate Player. Over his four-year career with the Catamounts, Carriere went 28-47-8 with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage in 88 games.

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