2008 All-Star Oren Eizenman, Thunder Agree to Terms

Published on September 24, 2009 under ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Thunder, the proud ECHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers of the National Hockey League and Springfield Falcons of the American Hockey League, has agreed to contract terms with center Oren Eizenman (IZE-en-man), Thunder head coach Matt Thomas announced today. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Eizenman, 24, scored two goals at Stockton Arena as a member of the National Conference in the 2008 ECHL All-Star Game and is the sixth returning player from last year's team that finished 22-16-3 after Dec. 31, advancing to the seventh game of the second round (Pacific Division Final) of the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

"It's an exciting day when we can add a player with Oren's talent," said Thomas. "He's a proven, premier centerman who gives an honest effort every single night and continues to improve as a two-way player. He has the tools to keep advancing his career to the American Hockey League and we're looking for him to develop further as a leader that our young players can model their careers after."

The 6-foot, 190-pound pivot finished third place in voting for the CCM Tacks ECHL Rookie of the Year award in 2007-08, leading the Fresno Falcons in scoring with 66 points (27g-39a) and pacing the team with 27 goals in 53 games while adding a +12 rating and 28 penalty minutes.

During that season, his 12 power-play goals and six game-winning goals paced the Falcons and also ranked fifth in the ECHL with a 19.3 shooting percentage which led the team. In six Kelly Cup Playoff games, Eizenman led Fresno with four goals and added one assist.

The Toronto, Ontario native was also honored with back-to-back ECHL monthly awards in his rookie year, winning the CCM Vector ECHL Rookie of the Month award for December and CCM Tacks ECHL Player of the Month award for January.

Last season, Eizenman was signed by the Thunder as a free agent on Feb. 20 and scored 14 points (3g-11a) in 14 ECHL games with Stockton and Fresno, spelling 31 games at the AHL level with the Manitoba Moose, San Antonio Rampage and Milwaukee Admirals where he scored seven points (2g-5a) and added an assist in four Calder Cup Playoff games with Milwaukee.

"Coming back to Stockton was an easy choice for me," said Eizenman. "I'm comfortable with Matt Thomas' coaching style and the huge fan base is second to none in this league. I got to play only one home game at Stockton Arena last year but I got a sense of how the fans really get behind you and the community gets fired up, much like my hometown of Toronto. It's the best place to keep developing my game and be a part of a very competitive team."

Eizenman, who played for Thomas in Fresno his first two years, guided Israel to a gold medal in the 2005 World Championships (Division II), has skated in 106 career professional games with Milwaukee, Worcester and Manitoba of the AHL and Stockton and Fresno of the ECHL, scoring 88 points (32g-56a) while posting 50 penalty minutes.

Eizenman skated in 129 games in college during his four-year (2003-07) career for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (NCAA), scoring 99 points (37g-62a) and posting 90 penalty minutes. He was named to the East Coast Athletic Conference All-Rookie Team in 2003-04 after scoring 18 points (6g-12a) in 37 games.

The Thunder returns to the ice for preseason play on Thursday, Oct. 8 against the Bakersfield Condors, starting at 7:00 p.m. at Stockton Arena. The 2009-10 season, the fifth-year anniversary for the team, launches on Friday, Oct. 16 at Qwest Arena against the Idaho Steelheads at 6:10 p.m. and the Thunder home opener is Friday, Oct. 23 against the Ontario Reign at 7:30 p.m. at Stockton Arena.

Thunder Training Camp for the 2009-10 season is scheduled to begin Saturday, Oct. 3 at Stockton Arena and the team will host "FanFest" on Sunday, Oct. 11 from 4:00 - 6:00 p.m. at Stockton Arena, where admission is free to the public.

The Thunder was voted "Best Local Sports Team" by readers of the San Joaquin Magazine, has led the ECHL in attendance for four consecutive seasons and drew 223,854 fans to Stockton Arena in 2008-09. Season Tickets for 2009-10 are on sale now. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit http://www.stocktonthunder.com/.

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