WICHITA, Kan. (Dec. 7, 2018) — In a press conference today, Visit Wichita, the Wichita Thunder and the ECHL, Premier ‘AA’ Hockey League, announced the selection of Wichita as the host city for the 2020 ECHL All-Star Classic.
Began in 1988-89 with five teams in four states, the ECHL has grown into a coast-to-coast league with 27 teams in 20 states and two Canadian provinces for its 31st season in 2018-19. There have been 646 players who have gone on to play in the National Hockey League after starting their careers in the ECHL, including four who have made their NHL debuts in the 2018-19 season. The ECHL has affiliations with 25 of the 31 NHL teams in 2018-19, marking the 22nd consecutive season that the league had affiliations with at least 20 teams in the NHL. Further information on the ECHL is available at ECHL.com.
Visit Wichita markets the greater Wichita area as a major convention and tourism destination, thereby enhancing the economic development of the city, county, region and state. Visit Wichita is led by president and CEO Susie Santo, and in 2017 travel and tourism contributed more than $1.1 billion in economic impact to the greater Wichita area.
Wichita Thunder is a minor-league ECHL team that has been playing at INTRUST Bank Arena since 2010. When the Blue Line was founded in 1992, they were one of the original six Central Hockey League teams and went on to win CHL Titles in both 1994 and 1995. The Thunder joined the ECHL in 2014 and has served as the National Hockey League (NHL) affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers since 2017. Former Thunder player Scott Darling won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015 and currently plays for the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes. The Wichita Thunder hockey season runs from October through April at INTRUST Bank Arena.