The Thunder traded for proven forward Shawn Weller, and he’ll clearly help the team. However, Stockton will have to wait a little while to get him.
Weller was officially traded from the South Carolina Stingrays to Stockton in exchange for defenseman Cameron Brodie. The Stingrays loaned Weller to the St. John’s IceCaps of the AHL, where he suffered a hand injury in December.
A player can not be transferred while injured, so St. John’s has to wait for Weller to gain medical clearance before officially moving him to the Thunder. Stockton coach Matt Thomas expects Weller, a 2010 All Star with Bakersfield, will be ready for the road trip to Alaska on Feb. 8.
Weller is a veteran scorer who has played 294 games in the AHL. He’s also been a captain on two ECHL teams, Bakersfield and South Carolina. And you have to give up something to get something. Brodie was a good, hardworking player in his three seasons with Stockton and a good ambassador in the community.
A FEW NOTES
Friday’s 4-2 loss to Utah was not pretty. It should be noted that the Grizzlies were clearly off sides on T.J. Battani’s game-winning goal in the third period. But Stockton didn’t exactly react well to it, and at one point had a four-minute power play which didn’t produce a single shot. Hard to win that way.
Newly-acquired forward Maxime Boisclair was hired because of his ability to get the tough score, and he proved his worth with a first-period score in which he fought his way inside. … It’s Teddy Bear Toss time on Saturday at Stockton Arena. It’s for a good cause, with the stuffed toys being donated to the United Way of San Joaquin County.
