Thunder Re-Signs Right Wing Ryan Hayes

August 6, 2013 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Thunder (@StocktonThunder), proud ECHL affiliate of the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League, and head coach and director of hockey operations Rich Kromm announced today that the team has re-signed right wing Ryan Hayes. Per club policy, terms of the deal were not disclosed.

Hayes, 24, joins Shawn Boutin, Nathan Deck and Garet Hunt as the fourth player to return after helping guide the Thunder to a Western Conference championship last season. He led the Thunder and was second in Kelly Cup Playoff scoring with 24 points (9g-15a) in 23 games.

"Ryan has always had a reputation as a guy who can produce offensively and his results last year spoke volumes of how dangerous he can be in the playoffs," said Kromm. "We're confident he can be relied upon as an offensive leader to compliment our team that will compete with grit each night. Part of our philosophy includes finding players who come through when the chips are down and Ryan tremendously fits that standard."

He was also tied for the ECHL playoff lead last season with 15 assists while contributing with a game winning goal and +8 rating. Hayes was originally acquired by the Thunder on Mar. 1, 2013 from the South Carolina Stingrays in exchange for future considerations and finished the regular season with 11 points (5g-6a) and a +5 rating in 12 games with Stockton.

Following his acquisition, Hayes earned an assist in his Thunder debut, had three multi point games during the regular season and boasted eight multi point games in the postseason.

The 5-foot-9 and 185-pound forward became the third player in Thunder history to earn a playoff hat trick, occurring in Game 7 of the Western Conference Quarterfinal against Las Vegas. He had four points in the game en route to a 6-4 Thunder victory at Stockton Arena.

"It will be pretty cool to come back to Stockton and see a banner raised on Opening Night," said Hayes. "It's a great piece of motivation to continue building off the success of last season. The fans were there for us and it seemed like we almost had a sold out building every night. We're expecting our best effort each game and I'm looking forward to pushing for that with Coach Kromm's direction."

The native of Syracuse, N.Y., spent last season with the Thunder, Stingrays and Trenton Titans, earning 27 points (14g-13a) and a +1 rating in 40 games. He has skated in 170 career ECHL games, notching 127 points (59g-68a) with Stockton, South Carolina, Trenton and Greenville. He previously racked up 102 points in 132 career games in his junior career with the Plymouth Whalers of the Ontario Hockey League and was a gold medalist with Team USA in the 2006 IIHF World Under-18 Championships.

The Thunder opens the regular season at home for "Opening Night," with the unveiling of the Western Conference championship banner on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 7:30 p.m. against the Colorado Eagles at Stockton Arena.

A two time recipient of the ECHL "Award of Excellence" and defending Western Conference champion, the Thunder led the ECHL in attendance for four consecutive seasons and drew over 200,000 fans for the eighth consecutive season in 2012-13. Season 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 August 6, 2013


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