Contois, Thunder Agree To Terms

Published on August 14, 2007 under ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Thunder, the ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers and American Hockey League's Springfield Falcons, has agreed to terms with free agent left wing Andy Contois, Thunder head coach Chris Cichocki announced today. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"The first thing that comes to mind about Andy is speed," said Cichocki. "With today's game you need to have at least one guy on your roster that has Andy's breakaway speed and we're thrilled about the opportunities he'll have to put pucks in the net."

Contois, 25, helped guide the Gwinnett Gladiators to a berth in the Kelly Cup Playoffs last season (41-24-7 record, 89 points) as rookie, scoring 40 points (19g-21a) in 71 games with 56 penalty minutes. The Marquette, Michigan native tied for second on the Gladiators with two shorthanded goals and appeared in four Kelly Cup Playoff games last season, scoring a goal and adding an assist.

The 6-foot-1, 195-pound left wing made his professional debut in 2005-06 with the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL), scoring seven points (1g-7a) in only six games while appearing in three Kelly Cup Playoff games.

Contois spent five seasons (2001-06) of his college hockey career split between Northern Michigan University and Lake Superior State University (NCAA), scoring 98 points (44g-54a) in 140 career games with 137 penalty minutes. He led Northern Michigan in goals as a 2004-05 junior (19) and as a 2005-06 senior (16) while tallying a career-high 36 points (19g-17a) in 39 games in 2004-05, ranking second on the Wildcats in scoring.

"Coach Cichocki and his reputation for being a 'player's coach,' while drawing respect from his players was a big factor in the move out here," said Contois. "I've heard Stockton is an unbelievable place to play with nearly 8,000 fans that fill the arena and I'm anticipating it to be rocking this fall. I can't wait for the season to start - jumping on board with the Thunder sounds like a great fit."

Contois is re-united with former Gwinnett teammate and recently re-signed Thunder defenseman Brian Lee.

ABOUT THE ECHL

Opening Day for the 20th Anniversary Season will be Oct. 18 when the Johnstown Chiefs host the Wheeling Nailers at Cambria County War Memorial in a rematch of Game 7 from the first-ever ECHL Finals.

Celebrating its 20th Anniversary as the Premier 'AA' Hockey League in 2007-08, the ECHL began in 1988-89 with five teams in three states and has grown to be a coast-to-coast league that will have 25 teams in 17 states and British Columbia in 2007-08. The 25 teams includes the Mississippi (Biloxi) Sea Wolves, who return after missing two seasons in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and the expansion Elmira (N.Y.) Jackals. The ECHL will play 900 games beginning Oct. 18 and concluding Apr. 5.

Details on Thunder 2007 training camp information will be announced soon. The Thunder begins the 2007-08 ECHL season Friday, October 19 on the road against the Bakersfield Condors at 7:00 p.m. PT, and faces the Alaska Aces on Saturday, October 27 at 7:30 p.m. PT in the home opener at Stockton Arena.

Host of the 2008 ECHL All-Star Game, the Thunder has led the ECHL in attendance for two consecutive seasons and drew 244,085 fans to Stockton Arena in 2006-07. Season tickets for 2007-08 are on sale now. For more information about tickets, merchandise, or other inquiries contact the Stockton Thunder offices at (209) 373-1500 or visit www.stocktonthunder.com.

Andy Contois

Left Wing

Born Oct 11 1981 -- Marquette, MI

Height 6.01 -- Weight 195 -- Shoots L

--- Regular Season --- ---- Playoffs ----

Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

2000-01 Green Bay Gamblers USHL 55 18 24 42 36 4 2 1 3 0

2001-02 Lake Superior State Unive NCAA 9 1 0 1 2

2002-03 Northern Michigan Univers NCAA 23 2 13 15 18

2003-04 Northern Michigan Univers NCAA 32 6 9 15 30

2004-05 Northern Michigan Univers NCAA 39 19 17 36 51

2005-06 Northern Michigan Univers NCAA 37 16 15 31 36

2005-06 Idaho Steelheads ECHL 6 1 6 7 0 3 0 0 0 0

2006-07 Gwinnett Gladiators ECHL 71 19 21 40 56 4 1 1 2 2

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