On Monday, July 8, the Wichita Thunder announced that defenseman Shane Kuzmeski and forward Kobe Walker would be returning to the team for the 2024-2025 season.
Shane Kuzmeski came to the Wichita Thunder in January, previously playing for the Florida Everblades. This past season, Kuzmeski participated in 35 games for the Thunder. During these 35 games, he would end the season with eight points (one goal and seven assists), and he would end up leading the Thunder in plus/minus (+20 overall, +14 with Wichita). Kuzmeski, who is from Grayslake, Illinois, has played for six other ECHL teams prior to joining the Thunder. Those teams include the Wheeling Nailers, Iowa Heartlanders, Utah Grizzlies, Indy Fuel, Trois-Rivieres Lions, and the Florida Everblades. Throughout his ECHL career, Kuzmeski has played in 163 games and has a total of 60 points (11 goals and 49 assists).
Kobe Walker joined the Thunder in early February of this year. He played a total of 25 games, scoring 8 goals and having 8 assists. Walker, who is originally from Lloydminster, Alberta, joined the Thunder after finishing his collegiate hockey career at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). At RIT, he participated in a total of 142 over the course of five years. He would finish his college career with a total of 80 recorded points. He was an alternate captain for the Tigers during the 2021-2022 season. During his last collegiate hockey season, Walker was named team captain.
The Wichita Thunder are back in action on October 18 at Intrust Bank Arena. They will start off their season facing off against the Kansas City Mavericks.
