Hockey Operations Staff

Bruce Ramsay is in his third year as Head Coach of the Wichita Thunder. Ramsay is coming off a fantastic second year, where he was named as the ECHL Head Coach and GM of the Year. He returned to the ECHL last year after spending three seasons as an assistant with the American Hockey League’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Before that, he was the bench boss of the Tulsa Oilers from 2009-15, where he compiled a 185-180-35 record in 400 regular season games. Ramsay led the Oilers to the playoffs in each of his last two seasons in Tulsa - which coincided with Oilers’ final season in the CHL and their first season in the ECHL. A native of Dryden, Ontario, Ramsay played for the Thunder during the 2000-01 season, recording 35 points (11g, 24a) and racked up 364 penalty minutes. Over his 12-year playing career, he was a part of eight championship teams, winning four Colonial Cups and two Royal Bank Cups. He finished with 245 points (74g, 171a) and amassed 3,432 penalty minutes in 677 games as a pro. After his playing career ended in 2005, he was named the Head Coach of the ACHL’s St. Pete/Winston-Salem Patriots. His head coaching career spans 11 seasons, including stints with the Beacons (2002-04), Muskegon Fury (2004-08), International Hockey League’s Muskegon Lumberjacks and the Oilers. Ramsay has consistently led his teams to the postseason, making the playoffs eight out of 11 years. In 2015, Ramsay stepped down from the Oilers to pursue an assistant coaching position with Grand Rapids and helped lead them to the 2017 Calder Cup Title.

John Gurskis was a teammate of current Thunder Head Coach, Bruce Ramsay, during the 2000-01 season. A native of Brockton, Massachusetts, the 43-year old returns behind the Thunder bench as an Assistant Coach for the third year in a row. He served as a Player/Assistant Coach during four separate seasons with Macon, St. Pete-Winston Salem and the Florida Seals. He has been involved with the South Shore Kings in several different roles since 2008-09, working with kids. Prior to coaching, Gurskis had a successful career at the minor league level. He had his best season in 2001-02 with the Thunder, recording 64 points (28g, 36a) in 69 games. Gurskis played all the way until the 2007-08 season when he finished his playing career with the Southern Professional Hockey League’s Twin City Cyclones.

Julia Phillips comes to Wichita after spending the last two years as the Head Athletic Trainer for the Wenatchee Wild, which is now a member of the Western Hockey League. 

Phillips attended the University of Central Florida and graduated in 2018 with a Bachelors in Science degree in Health Sciences. She is a certified athletic trainer and a member of the Professional Hockey Athletic Training Society.

In 2021, Phillips graduated from UCF with a Masters in Athletic Training and received the Excellence Award. In 2019, she interned with the Orlando Solar Bears.