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Thunder Season-Ending Roster Announced

June 7, 2006 - ECHL (ECHL)
Stockton Thunder News Release


STOCKTON, Calif. - The Stockton Thunder has announced its 2005-06 season-ending roster, which includes 15 players who have appeared in a Thunder uniform for the 2005-06 ECHL season.

The 2005-06 Thunder season-ending roster includes: left wing Aaron Foster, center Kevin Gardner, left wing Ned Havern, forward Joel Irwin, forward Mike Lalonde, defenseman Jeff Lang, forward John Longo, forward Nathan Martz, defenseman Jason Metcalfe, goaltender Jake Moreland, defenseman Dean Stork, goaltender Jeff Weber, forward Avery Wilson, right wing Jeff Worlton and forward Maris Ziedins.

Season-ending rosters may include up to 20 players. Season-ending rosters cannot include any players who did not sign an ECHL contract in 2005-06 (i.e. players who were under contract to teams in either the National Hockey League or the American Hockey League). Each team is entitled to reserve rights to a maximum of eight players from the list of 20 by extending a qualifying offer not later than July 1. Of the eight qualified players, no more than four can be veterans (260 regular season professional hockey games played as of the start of the 2006-07 season). Players on open qualifying offers cannot be traded. Teams are not required to extend a qualifying offer to players who sign a contract prior to July 1.

The qualifying offer must remain open for acceptance until August 1 at which time the qualifying offer becomes null and void and the team may sign the qualified player to any salary or may elect to take no further action. Teams that extend a valid qualifying offer to a non-veteran player shall retain the rights to that qualified player for one playing season.

A team that extends a valid qualifying offer to a veteran player will retain the rights to that veteran until August 1. After August 1, if the veteran player is not signed to a contract by the team, the veteran shall be deemed a restricted free agent and shall be entitled to seek and secure offers of employment from other ECHL teams. Restricted free agents may not be traded. When a restricted free agent receives a contract offer from a team other than the team with the player's rights and the restricted free agent wishes to accept the contract offer, the restricted free agent and the offering member must, within 24 hours, notify the ECHL, the team with the player's rights and the Professional Hockey Players' Association. The member with the player's rights shall have seven days after the date it is notified to exercise its right to match the contract offer. If a restricted free agent is not signed to either an offer sheet or a contract by an ECHL team by August 31, the player shall be deemed an unrestricted free agent.

An ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Phoenix Coyotes and American Hockey League's San Antonio Rampage, the Thunder drew 228,364 fans to Stockton Arena in its inaugural season, the ECHL's best attendance mark for 2005-06.

Thunder season tickets for the 2006-07 season 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 June 7, 2006


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