Stockton Thunder have 6 players so Far

What do you guys think so far? Do you know anything about them? I am pretty amped to have hockey again. this information is from the Stockton Thunder website.


Jake Moreland – Goaltender – Moreland of Grand Forks, ND was the first man signed for the Thunder. He was the starting goalie for the Boardwalk Bullies last season, with a 20-8-5 record.

Coach on Moreland: “Not only is he a great talent, he is a great individual with a lot of character.”
Dave McCulloch – Defenseman – A native of Lacombe, Alberta, McCulloch played the 2004-2005 season in the ECHL with the Gwinnett Gladiators and the Louisiana IceGators.

Coach on McCulloch: “Dave is a rock solid D-man who plays with intensity and desire every shift.”
Mike Lalonde – Left Winger –Lalonde played the end of last season with the Las Vegas Wrangers of the ECHL. He also played four years at Michigan State University and is originally from Chetwynd, British Columbia.

Coach on Lalonde: “Mike comes highly recommended not only for his skill level, but also for his tenacity all over the ice.”
Brian Escobedo – Defenseman – Escobedo finished the 2003-2004 season with the Cincinnati Cyclones and is from Bayside, NY.

Coach on Escobedo: “He sees the ice well and will jump into the rush to create some offense.”
Erik Eaton – Defenseman – Originally from Larchmont, NY, Eaton spent last year with the Columbia Inferno of the ECHL.

Coach on Eaton: “He brings a physical presence and has a great work ethic that every coach loves.”
Vin Hellemeyer – Center – Hellemeyer, a native of Franklin Square, NY, spent last season playing for the Topeka Tarantulas of the Central Hockey League.

Coach on Hellemeyer: “Vin is an intelligent, two-way forward that will be committed to win every night.”

There's an adage in the ECHL, that players on your roster in August are not the players you want on your roster in March. The players who are already signed are by and large ones who have no hopes of being signed in the AHL, and they will likely be cut from the team, either in October, or later. What you really want on your team are players who tried out with NHL/AHL teams and were cut.

So, in short, there's no telling how good your team is yet, because player acquisition doesn't really get interesting until NHL camps start making cuts.

Very true, I never though of it that way.

I watched Moreland here for 2 years. He was very good in the 2003 playoffs for the Bullies when Scott Stirling was called up to the A. He pretty much got us into the Finals, until Stirling came back and won the Cup for us. Last season he won the starting job and played brilliantly until he got injured. He was going to be called up for sure any day, but like I said, he was injured and had to sit out the rest of the year. You'll like him on your team until he gets called up, cause I guarantee it'll happen. He's definitely an AHL caliber goalie.

Good to hear. Do the Stockton Thunder have an afflialation with an AHL/NHL team? If they do I am not aware of it.

Nice pickups on Moreland and Escobedo.

Good to hear. Do the Stockton Thunder have an afflialation with an AHL/NHL team? If they do I am not aware of it.
So far, no. The Isles were the Bullies affiliation, but they picked up the Mississippi Sea Wolves for the upcoming season.

There's an adage in the ECHL, that players on your roster in August are not the players you want on your roster in March. The players who are already signed are by and large ones who have no hopes of being signed in the AHL, and they will likely be cut from the team, either in October, or later. What you really want on your team are players who tried out with NHL/AHL teams and were cut.

So, in short, there's no telling how good your team is yet, because player acquisition doesn't really get interesting until NHL camps start making cuts.

Nice insight. Anything else for those of us new to the ECHL but not new to hockey? I really want to get excited about AA hockey but don't know what to expect.

Nice insight. Anything else for those of us new to the ECHL but not new to hockey? I really want to get excited about AA hockey but don't know what to expect. It's best to get excited about the very youngest players, the 20-year-olds fresh out of junior, and the goaltenders. These are the players most likely to make it, and you'll have fun following their careers.

Moreland let in four goals in the Thunder's first ever regular season game against the Falcons in Fresno

Two within the first couple minutes of the match

Moreland was replaced by Weber somewhere around the 4-minute mark of the second...and Weber remained perfect while the Thunder put up three goals to crawl back within one

Exciting game, though I would have liked to have seen the Thunder get a 'W' to get things started in Stockton (where I hope they stick) - but, on the other hand - Sharks prospect Jamie Holden grabbed his first pro win between the pipes


Since this was a Stockton thread - i thought I'd just throw this out there haha