Monych Returns To Thunder In Trade With Mississippi

Published on February 20, 2008 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 acquired right wing Lance Monych (MAWN-itch) from the Mississippi Sea Wolves in exchange for left wing Andy Contois (KAWN-toys), Thunder head coach Chris Cichocki announced today.

"The opportunity to trade for a pure goal-scorer like Lance doesn't come around often and we felt it was a need we had to address," said Cichocki. "Lance creates a lot with his speed and it was a move made to bolster our goal-scoring which is an area where we've struggled recently."

Monych, 23, returns for his second stint in a Thunder uniform after leading Mississippi with 25 goals (tied for eighth in the ECHL) this season while scoring 38 points (25g-13a) in 48 games and tallying 55 penalty minutes. A fourth round selection (97th overall) of the Phoenix Coyotes in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft, Monych was assigned to the Thunder from the Coyotes in February 2006 and scored 21 points (11g-10a) in 26 games in 2005-06.

The 6-foot-2, 203-pound forward made Thunder history against the Bakersfield Condors in March 2006, scoring the first hat trick in club history and has scored 92 points (56g-36a) in 187 career games with 196 penalty minutes, spanning three seasons with Stockton, Mississippi and the Phoenix RoadRunners of the ECHL, San Antonio and Norfolk of the AHL, and the Central Hockey League's Laredo Bucks. Monych has also registered four assists in four Kelly Cup Playoff games last year with Phoenix.

Monych spent a six-year junior career (1999-05) with the Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL), posting 236 career points (110g-126a) in 319 career games. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native guided Brandon to a 2005 WHL Eastern Conference Championship, finishing fourth on the team in scoring (66 points) and third in goals (30) in 64 games during the 2004-05 campaign.

Contois, originally signed by the Thunder as a free agent on August 14, 2007, led the Thunder in scoring with 43 points (16g-27a) in 51games and paced the team with 27 assists. The 26-year old was named to the National Conference roster for the 2008 ECHL All-Star Game, replacing injured left wing Jacob Micflikier. Contois has scored 90 points (36g-54a) in 128 career games, spanning three seasons (2005-08) with Stockton, Gwinnett and Idaho of the ECHL.

The Thunder returns to play this Friday with a 7:30 p.m. road game against the Fresno Falcons from Save Mart Center. The game can be heard live on radio at 1420-AM KSTN and online (video and audio available) at www.stocktonthunder.com, courtesy of B2 Networks.

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, mini plans, group and individual 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.

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



ECHL Stories from February 20, 2008


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.

OurSports Central