Wichita names Clayton as head coach

WICHITA, Kan. – The Wichita Thunder, ECHL affiliate of the National Hockey League's San Jose Sharks and American Hockey League's San Jose Barracuda, announced that Travis Clayton has been hired as the 15th head coach in team history.

"Wichita has always been home. My wife is from here, I spent 11 seasons playing for the Thunder, and it’s where we started our family," stated Clayton. "To have my first professional coaching opportunity in the ECHL right here is a true full-circle moment. I’m incredibly grateful to Joel and the Steven Brothers for their trust, and I can’t wait to get to work building a championship team for this community."

Clayton, 50, recently completed his second season as the Thunder's assistant coach.

The Paradise Hill, Saskatchewan native began his coaching career with the Western States Hockey League's Dallas Snipers in 2012-13. Clayton transitioned back to Canada, where he took the helm of the Lloydminster Bobcats U18 AAA team for three seasons. He finished with the Alberta Junior Hockey League's Whitecourt Wolverines during the 2021-22 year before coming to Wichita.

“I'm very excited to give Travis this opportunity to take the Thunder to a higher level," commented Thunder GM Joel T. Lomurno. "Travis was a hard-working player who never took a shift off. The last two years, he has put in long hours to learn the business and prepare for the next step in his career. Travis and I are on the same page about what we want to see out of the Thunder on the ice next season and we cannot wait to get started and come out of the gates hard in October."

During his playing career, Clayton spent 11 seasons in the Air Capital. He finished his career with the Bossier-Shreveport, playing two seasons with the Mudbugs. Clayton won his first President's Cup Trophy with Bossier-Shreveport during the 2010-11 season, tallying 13 points (3g-10a) in 21 playoff games.

Clayton was one of the faces of the franchise during his time in Wichita. He is near the top of every single offensive category in team history, sitting second in goals (326), second in assists (508), second in points (834), second in games played (696), first in power play goals (110), second in penalty minutes (1,063), first in shorthanded goals (26), first in game-winning goals (50) and first in plus/minus (+108).

He finished his playing career with 983 points (382g-601a) in a league-record 880 Central Hockey League games.

Clayon is one of just five players in franchise history to have his number retired. He joined Ron Handy, Bobby Desjardins, Rob Weingartner and Jason Duda as the only players in the team's 34-year history to receive that honor.