Tornado footprint visible in all levels of hockey
June 13, 2012 - North American Hockey League (NAHL)
Texas Tornado News Release
Since the team's inaugural season in 1999, The Texas Tornado have prided itself on not only having a successful team year in and year out, but developing its players to go on to have successful hockey careers elsewhere. After a Robertson Cup championship in Frisco and Tornado alumni making headlines at all other levels of hockey, it's safe to say that the organization is pleased with the way 2011-2012 panned out.
Former Tornado goaltender Ben Bishop was drafted by the St. Louis Blues, and appeared in 13 games with the team from 2008-2011. This season, the Blues got outstanding goaltending from both Brian Elliot and Jaroslav Halak, leaving Bishop without a spot on the NHL roster. He spent the first part of the season with Peoria, the Blues' AHL affiliate, but when Ottawa Senators starting goaltender Craig Anderson went down with an injury in late February, the team came calling about the 6'7" netminder. Bishop appeared in 10 games for the Senators, posting a 3-3-2 record, a 2.48 GAA, and a .909 SV%. He also signed a one-way contract extension through 2013, and is expected to compete for the backup job next season.
Bishop's trade to Ottawa allowed him to join another player in the organization with Tornado ties, Stephane Da Costa. Da Costa made his NHL debut at the end of 2010-2011, playing in four games with Ottawa after two seasons at NCAA Divison-I Merrimack College. He opened 2011-2012 on the NHL roster, and scored his first career NHL goal in the second game of the season. The Paris, France native picked up 8 points in 22 games for Ottawa, but also notched in 13 goals and 23 assists in 46 games with Binghamton, Ottawa's AHL affiliate.
Al Montoya had bounced around the minor leagues since being drafted 6th overall by the New York Rangers in 2004, but found a home over the last two years with the other NHL team located in the Empire State. Montoya never made it to Madison Square Garden and had appeared in just 5 career NHL games with Phoenix before the Islanders, whose goaltending corps had been ravaged by injury, traded for him in February of 2011. Montoya played very well towards the end of that season, but split time the majority of time in net this year with former NHL All-Star Evgeni Nabokov.
Moving to minor hockey, twin brothers Trevor and Tyler Ludwig played together with the Tornado from 2002-2004. Both appeared on AHL rosters for a short time this season, though they also played together for most of the year with the CHL's Allen Americans. Jake Newton, who played for the Tornado in 2006-2007, also played in 11 games for Allen this season. He spent most of the year with the Lake Erie Monsters, AHL affiliate of the Colorado Avalanche.
Former Tornado players also had success at the collegiate level on 2011-2012. Dan Sullivan, another former Tornado goaltender, played in Frisco during the 2009-2010 season. He moved on to play NCAA Division-I hockey at the University of Maine, where he just completed his sophomore season. Sullivan played in 36 games for the Black Bears-who earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament-posting a 22-11-3 record, a 2.59 GAA and a .909 SV%.
Matt Tennyson played for the Tornado in 2007-2008 before moving to the USHL and playing collegiately with Western Michigan University. Following his three-year NCAA Division-I career, Tennyson signed an entry-level contract with the San Jose Sharks and appeared in 7 games with Worcester, their AHL affiliate, at the end of this season.
There was even a former Tornado player in uniform for Team USA at the International Ice Hockey Federation InLine World Championship, held earlier this month in Ingolstadt, Germany. Nielsson Arcibal was a member of the Tornado from 2005-2007, during which time he scored 27 goals and 36 assists, while also winning a Robertson Cup in 2006. He scored two goals and one assist in five games for Team USA, who placed fifth in the inline hockey tournament.
The Tornado are now preparing to defend their Robertson Cup championship, and will be taking the steps to building that team at its main camp in Detroit later this month. Though a national championship is something that players will likely never forget, they also know that the Tornado have a history of proving that hockey careers won't end there.
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