In this edition of Playing Catchup, more player capsules!
So who’s returning from last year’s Thunder? As of this writing, there are six returnees from last year’s North Division champs.
The only holdover from the team’s days in Stockton, Henry returns for his fourth season in Glens Falls, and sixth overall as a Thunder skater. He would appear in all 72 games for Adirondack last season, with 19 goals and 35 assists, and he was named as an ECHL All Star replacement after an injury to Ty Loney. He would score two goals and pick up 13 assists in 17 Kelly Cup playoff games. Henry also became the franchise’s all time leading scorer, and will enter the season with 148 career Adirondack points.
Conacher returns for his second full season with the Thunder on an ECHL contract after a huge year offensively. He would finish 2017-18 as the team’s leading scorer, with 20 goals and 43 assists in 55 games, while on an AHL/ECHL pact with Syracuse. He would also appear in 10 games for the Crunch, going scoreless. He played in 7 playoff games with 2 goals, before a leg injury during the second round against Manchester ended his season.
Back for his third season is Riley, who had a solid second full year. In 58 games, he scored 5 goals and added 14 assists, while having to play out of his natural position-defense-in several games due to injuries and recalls. In the postseason, Riley would appear in 13 games with 1 goal and 4 assists.
Thompson began his first professional season with Cincinnati, but would come over to the Thunder via a trade in mid-December. He would appear in 44 games for Adirondack, with one goal and six assists. He played in 10 playoff games with an additional goal and three assists.
Bergin returns to the Thunder for his second season after a breakout 2017-18 campaign, his second as a pro. In 65 games, the defenseman would score 15 goals and add 28 assists, then added 7 points in 11 playoff games. He would also make his AHL debut, skating in two games for Hartford and going scoreless.
Szmatula returns for his first full professional season after joining the Thunder in late March from the University of Minnesota. He would pick up two assists in 6 regular season games, then appear in all 17 playoff games, scoring his first pro goal in Game 3 of the first round in Worcester. He would finish with 5 goals and 3 assists for the postseason.
Thoughts Inside The Box 