Wichita signs Johnson, Kulczycki

WICHITA, Kan. - The Wichita Thunder, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's Edmonton Oilers and American Hockey League's Bakersfield Condors, announced the signing of goaltender Tyler Johnson and forward Kasey Kulczycki.

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, her earned his first AHL victory on May 15 against Rochester, 5-3, making 20 saves. 

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 NAHL's 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, Quebec, he has played his first three years for the Southern Professional Hockey League's Birmhingham Bulls where 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, totaling 34 points (12g-22a) in 96 career games.