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AHL Stockton Heat

Back to Where It Started

January 29, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Stockton Heat News Release


Depending on the direction you're traveling, I-5 provides the reminder of what got hockey started or where it's heading in Stockton.

Either southbound on your way in or northbound on your way out, it's a nod to the club that firmly planted hockey's roots in the Port City, a Stockton Thunder logo adorning a water tower that sits just feet off a main thoroughfare.

The Thunder have been gone for seven seasons, now, with the ECHL club Stockton Thunder and then-AHL Club, Adirondack Flames, swapping places at the inception of the AHL's Pacific Division. The Thunder name moved east, as did the colors.

The team, though, has firmly held its place in Stockton sports lore, no surprise because it's a reminder of when people first fell in love with the game, got hooked on the flash goal lights, the sound of sticks and pucks and board collisions.

The Heat, seven years into the club's existence, have benefitted by standing on the shoulders of what was started.

The stories exist in the stands, with fans who have held season tickets since 2005, the first year of the ECHL club, in the rafters, where a Western Conference championship banner and Garet Hunt's number 24 hang proudly.

The history also is felt on Stockton's bench, assistant equipment manager Ryan Campbell, now 24, dating his resume back to being a stick boy nearly a decade ago.

"This town bled black and yellow," said Campbell, affectionately known around the rink as 'Soup.' "In a town that was really struggling , it was a great escape from reality for many people and the city just loved the blue collar team that the Stockton Thunder was."

On Saturday, the Heat will be rocking throwbacks with Thunder colors and patterns, a recognition of the foundation laid before the current representative of the sport occupied Stockton Arena. As Campbell carries out his normal game day duties and sees black and yellow, colors that for him stretch back to seeing games with his grandparents when he was 10, it's a sight he's eager to experience once again.

Johannes Kinnvall models the Turn Back The Clock Night jerseys. (photo by Luke Martin)

"The Thunder hold a special place in my heart," he explained. "It's where it all started for me and I remember how important it was to the city. Now, working for the Heat, it feels special to see the logo and colors of the team that made it all happen on the ice in Stockton again."

Without the Thunder and their impact on Stockton, deeply engraining the sport of hockey into a northern California town's DNA, who knows where the Heat would be? For the fans who have braved the heat to catch a game played on ice, seen players from Garet Hunt, Ryan Constant and Devan Dubnyk to Andrew Mangiapane, Juuso Valimaki and Dustin Wolf, Saturday's threads are recognition of them and their commitment to this team and this sport as well.

For Campbell, it's a nod to the path he's traveled and where it all started.

"Without the Thunder, I honestly have no clue where I'd be," he said. "I've always loved hockey, and that's thanks to them. It's hard to see myself doing anything else.

"This night will be special for me, and for a lot of people. I owe a lot to the Thunder."

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American Hockey League Stories from January 29, 2022


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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