O'Dette Named Third Captain in Thunder History

February 13, 2009 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Thunder, the proud ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers and American Hockey League's Springfield Falcons, announced veteran defenseman Matt O'Dette has been named the team's new captain, making him the third player in Thunder history to wear the "C" since the team joined the ECHL in 2005-06.

O'Dette, 33, was selected as captain by majority vote among the players in the Thunder dressing room. Defenseman Mark Adamek and left wing Mike Lalonde were selected as alternate captains.

"Matt is an experienced player, he's served as a captain before and understands the responsibilities that come with the role," said Thunder head coach Matt Thomas. "He's a guy that's been there before and we feel he's a guy who can help keep our team focused in the way we're trying to stay focused in the continuous goal of winning. It's important that we identify our leadership group and we know what guy we're going to lean on for leadership amongst our players."

The native of Oshawa, Ontario previously served as co-captain for four seasons (2004-08) with the Fresno Falcons, including three years (2005-08) when Thomas was the head coach for Fresno. O'Dette skated in 261 games during the four-year span while posting 59 points (17g-42a), 661 penalty minutes and appearing in 30 Kelly Cup Playoff games, scoring two assists.

Additionally, O'Dette helped guide the Falcons to their first appearance in the National Conference Finals in club history in 2005-06, a season which included the first Pacific Division title and 100-point regular season campaign in Fresno history.

The 6-foot-5, 230-pound defenseman has parlayed an 11-year plus career as a veteran pro, split between the AHL with Saint John, Quebec and Hamilton and in the ECHL with Stockton, Fresno and Roanoke, skating in 626 career games while amassing 1,537 penalty minutes and 111 points (35g-76a). O'Dette has participated in 64 career playoff games as a professional, scoring three assists while helping guide Saint John to a Calder Cup championship in 2001.

O'Dette has seven points (3g-4a) and 89 penalty minutes in 28 games this year with the Thunder and Fresno. O'Dette was signed by the Thunder as a free agent on Dec. 30, 2008.

O'Dette was originally selected by the Florida Panthers in the seventh round (157th overall) of the 1994 NHL Entry Draft. The Oshawa, Ontario native enjoyed a trip to NHL training camp in 2002-03 with the Montreal Canadiens, scoring two goals in seven games and was a member of the club's Stanley Cup Playoff roster that year.

O'Dette joins Brad Farynuk (2007-08) and Dean Stork (2005-06) in the succession of Thunder captains. The Thunder did not name a captain in 2006-07.

The Thunder was voted "Best Local Sports Team" by readers of San Joaquin Magazine, has led the ECHL in attendance for three consecutive seasons and drew 239,337 fans to Stockton Arena in 2007-08. Season tickets, group tickets, individual tickets and mini plans 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.



ECHL Stories from February 13, 2009


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