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Thunder Receive Defenseman Baldwin in Trade

December 13, 2013 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


Stockton, Calif. - The Stockton Thunder (@StocktonThunder), proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's New York Islanders and AHL's Bridgeport Sound Tigers, have traded forward Brayden Irwin to the Greenville Road Warriors in exchange for defenseman Lee Baldwin, Head Coach and Director of Hockey Operations Rich Kromm announced Friday.

"You always have to give to get and we gave the Road Warriors a good player to get a good player in Baldwin," said Kromm. "We have some offensive depth and for a while, were a bit thin on the defensive end so with this trade both the Road Warriors and our organization fill needs."

Baldwin, 25, is playing in his fourth season in the ECHL. The 6'3" 200-pound defenseman had 3 goals and 3 assists for a total of 6 points in 18 games with Greenville this season.

The Victoria, British Columbia native turned pro following the 2010 season after spending one year at the University of Alaska-Anchorage. He played 7 games for the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack that season scoring his first pro goal in his third game with the team against the Springfield Falcons on April 3, 2010. Baldwin split time between the newly renamed Connecticut Whale and the ECHL's Road Warriors for the next two seasons. Last year he tallied a pro career-high 20 points in 59 games with Greenville.

"He's a big defenseman who is steady defensively and moves the puck well," explained Kromm. "He has some experience and is a very balanced defenseman that could play the power play."

In exchange, the Thunder send forward and joint-leading goal scorer Brayden Irwin to the Eastern Conference. Irwin, 26, was tied with captain Garet Hunt for the team lead in goals with 8 tallies this year. The 6'5" 219-pound forward had 13 points in 15 games with the Thunder this season. Irwin was called up to the AHL for a five-game stint with the Utica Comets earlier this season.

The Toronto, Ontario native has played at least one game in the AHL each of the last four seasons. Irwin also won a Kelly Cup in 2012 with the Florida Everblades. Overall, he has registered 39 goals and 34 assists for a total of 73 points in 90 career, regular season ECHL games.

The Thunder return to action this weekend starting with their first visit to the Cow Palace to take on the San Francisco Bulls on Saturday. The team then returns home on Sunday, December 15th to host the Bakersfield Condors at 4:00 p.m. Fans can take advantage of the Thunder's special Family Day deal, which features four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas for just $38. Purchase that pack online and receive a Thunder hat at no extra charge. Additionally, the first 2,000 fans entering the Stockton Arena will receive a special holiday-themed Brian Foster poster.

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