Wichita Adds Two Ahead of Season-Opener

WICHITA, Kan. (Oct. 22) - The Wichita Thunder, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers and American Hockey League's Bakersfield Condors and powered by Toyota, announced the signing of goaltender Tyler Johnson and forward Kasey Kulczycki ahead of the team's season-opening games this weekend against Allen.

Johnson, 23, enters his first full season as a pro after playing in one game last year for the AHL's Syracuse Crunch. A native of Amherst, New York, the 6-foot-2, 187-pound netminder earned his first AHL victory on May 15 against Rochester, 5-3, making 20 saves for the Crunch. 

Prior to turning pro, Johnson played five years of junior hockey split between the Ontario Hockey League, the United States Hockey League and the North American Hockey League. He appeared in 33 games for the Topeka Roadrunners during the 2015-16 campaign, going 20-13-0 with a 2.56 goals-against average and .906 save percentage. 

In 2016-17, he made his way to the London Knights and played there for two seasons. His best year in the OHL was in 2017-18 for the Soo Greyhounds, where he went 14-1-1 with a 2.36 goals-against average and .912 save percentage. He won the Dave Pinkney Trophy for having the lowest team goals-against average in the OHL.

Johnson finished his junior hockey in the USHL, playing for both the Lincoln Stars and Fargo Force during the 2018-19 season. Following the 2018-19 season, he attended the University of Windsor. 

Kulczycki, 28, begins his fourth year as a pro. A native of Laval, PC. the 5-foot-9, 194-pound forward has played his first three years for the Southern Professional Hockey League's Birmhingham Bulls. He has collected 45 points (19g, 26a) in 140 games. Last season, he racked up 114 penalty minutes and was the SPHL's Most Penalized Player.

He played his college hockey for SUNY-Canton (NCAA D-III). In 96 games for the Roos, he recorded 34 points (12g, 22a).

Wichita opens the 2021-22 campaign with a pair of games in Texas this weekend against the Allen Americans. The two-game series begins on Saturday, October 23 at the Allen Event Center.

The Thunder opens their home schedule on Friday, October 29 against the Utah Grizzlies and closes home-opening weekend on Saturday, October 30 as the Wheeling Nailers make their first-ever trip to the Air Capital. Click here to purchase tickets today!

Single game tickets are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased at the Wichita Thunder office located at 505 W. Maple, Suite 100, Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. On weekday game days, the Thunder office closes at 4 p.m. Click here to purchase online!

Fans can also purchase tickets at the Select-A-Seat Box Office at INTRUST Bank Arena Monday through Friday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and starting at noon on weekend game days. 

Season tickets for the 2021-22 season are still available. Join Thunder Nation today and lock in your seat(s) for all 36 home games at INTRUST Bank Arena. For more information, click HERE.

FloSports is the official provider for ECHL TV for the 2021-22 season. Watch live events across all screens by downloading the FloSports app on iOS, Android, Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Chromecast. To become a subscriber, click here.

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