Thunderbirds make roster moves

They are ranked second nationally and boast a 17-2-0-0 record but the Soo Thunderbirds continue to make roster moves as the Northern Ontario Junior Hockey League season progresses.

This week saw a pair of moves for the NOJHL leaders, which included adding a player with Ontario Hockey League experience and played role in the team winning the 2015 Dudley Hewitt Cup.

Earlier this week, the Thunderbirds received word that goaltender Mario Culina was being reassigned by the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires and would be returning to the team.

In 28 games with the Thunderbirds last season, Culina posted 20 wins and a 2.35 goals against average before going 6-1 in the playoffs.

Culina made the Spitfires as a free agent in September but did not play in a regular season game before being reassigned.

He missed the early part of the season due to a knee injury.

The move means the Thunderbirds now have three goaltenders in the system including Culina, Nathan Warren and Brandon Gordon.

On Thursday, the team announced that defenceman Matt Murray had been dealt to the Blind River Beavers in exchange for a player development fee.

“Matthew is a great young player who unfortunately got caught up in a numbers game here this season,” Thunderbirds General Manager Jamie Henderson said in a prepared statement. “We wanted to ensure that he could continue his development and had the opportunity to play a lot.”

The team is in the process of completing another deal with a player coming back to the Thunderbirds though the team wouldn’t confirm a move as of Thursday night.

The Thunderbirds are back in action on Friday night in Elliot Lake against the Wildcats.