Defenseman Jordan Little and rookie forward Chris Trafford are expected to come off IR and play tonight.

D man Brett Beauchamp has been waived.

Long: Steve, you have seemed a little grumpy lately. I can think of three possible reasons:
A. You like the Mets, and that organization is a mess.  True.
B. You know I like the Yankees, and youre jealous that my team is about to win its 27th World Series.  False.
C. You went all Bobby Brady and hung from a bar for hours, but it didnt work. You’re still short.

Schuster: A. True. B. False. C. Sure.
Long:  OK, down to more serious matters. Did you know I’m 6 feet 3, inches tall?

Schuster: On skates?

Long: You saw the last road game at Mississippi: What exactly happened in the closing minutes? 

Schuster: Well, you could see the first goal coming.  Mississippi pressured in the zone for an entire power play, and while Wichita killed it off, the RiverKings took advantage of what appeared to be a tired line and scored as soon as the penalty expired.  I think the next two goals that were allowed were just a matter of lack of focus in a short period of time.  That happens from time to time, and if you asked anyone on the team, they’d tell you it’s something they won’t let happen again.  Wichita had lost 10 straight games in that building and had not won in nearly three years, so it’s fitting that there was some tension at the end.

Long: How did Tim Boron look in that game? He has been battling a pretty nasty illness; did he show any ill effects? 

Schuster: He really looked great.  He was 1:44 away from a shutout.  In fact, after Mississippi closed within one goal, Boron made two huge saves on shots taken in the slot to hang on to the lead.  He said he was about 85 percent in the game, which is a good sign.  There really wasn’t any point in the game where you could tell he had missed over a week’s worth of action.  The illness was pretty severe, so it’s good that he was finally able to get back out.  A week off at home and two home games this weekend should help the recovery process too.

Long: Overall, what newcomer has impressed you the most through five games?

Schuster:  Glenn Detulleo has been everything Brent Bilodeau had hoped.  He’s got speed, great hands, and great vision.  Every time he touches the puck, he seems to be able to create a play.  He has the skill to beat a defender one-on-one.  He played on the same line with Jason Duda over the weekend for a lot of shifts, and the two seemed to really work well together.  He is also a fantastic person off the ice, and it’s not a surprise that he was voted as one of the team’s captains.
Long: It looks like Jordan Little and Kyle Bruce are close to hitting the ice for games. Which player will make the greatest impact? 

Schuster: It’s unfair to compare a forward to a defenseman since in general; different things are asked of those positions.  Both bring an excellent physical presence to the ice and neither one is afraid to mix it up with the opposition.  Little will help toughen up the blue line and should make whoever he pairs with defensively a better player.  Fans know how tough Kyle Bruce is, and he also has the ability to put up some points.  His scoring numbers in England were good last year, and he came up with some clutch goals in Wichita two seasons ago.

Long:  The Thunder simply hasnt been able to generate many shots? Why not? 

Schuster: Brent Bilodeau attributed it to trying to hard to go for the “pretty play.” Though the final numbers don’t show it, the Thunder improved on this on Sunday, when they outshot the RiverKings 15 to 6 in the second period and subsequently outscored them 3 to 0.  The trend reversed in the third, when Wichita was outshot 22 to 4, so it will be important to get back to what they were doing in the second period of that game as the season moves forward.

Long: As always, we ask you to take us behind the Thunder curtain. What Thunder employee is most likely to create a paper jam in the copier and slink away without fixing it? 

Schuster: I think I use the copier more than anyone else, so based on odds, I would be the most likely to cause a paper jam.  As far as walking away from it, only a Yankees fan would be capable of that type of behavior.

Long: The Thunder has home games on Friday and Saturday against 0-4 Missouri. Anything less than a sweep would be a big disappointment, right? 

Schuster: It’s hard to sweep any team, though Missouri got pounded 8-1 by Odessa last night and are now 0-5-0.  One thing to keep in mind is that there are a lot of ex-Blazers on the Mavericks’ roster, so they might be amped up to rekindle the old rivalry.  If the Thunder plays the way they did for most of Sunday, then I think fans will be happy with the results this weekend.

Long: I heard all Thunder employees are dressing up for the game on Saturday night. The cool thing for you is that you can fit into most kids costumes, so the options are limitless. What do you think you will dress up as? 

Schuster: If you know where to find an old St. Louis Browns jersey, I could dress as Eddie Gaedel.

Bruce can impact a game in a number of ways, as evidenced by his numbers. In 2007-08 in Wichita, he had 13 goals, 13 assists and 247 penalty minutes in 61 games. Last season, playing for Manchester Phoenix of the Elite Ice Hockey League in the United Kingdom, he scored 40 points and had 179 penalty minutes in 58 games.

Bruce isn’t expected to play this weekend; his immigration paperwork still needs to be completed, Bilodeau said.

For what it’s worth, he also has a Wikipedia entry.

• In a competitive training camp battle, Scott Campbell won the job as back-up goalie to No. 1 Tim Boron. Jamie Gilbert has been waived, coach Brent Bilodeau said Thursday afternoon.

• Rookie forward Chris Trafford will start the season on injured reserve, along with defensemen Jordan Little and Chris Kovalcik.

• Trafford’s status leaves Bilodeau with 11 forwards who can play tomorrow night; one will be inactive for the game.

• News that won’t surprise anyone: NHL veteran Chris McAllister is the Thunder’s captain. He was chosen by a team vote. “He’s well liked and respected by everyone,” coach Brent Bilodeau said.

• Glenn Detulleo and Jason Duda were chosen as assistant captains.

• A little shameless self promotion here: The Eagle’s Thunder preview package, suitable for framing, runs in tomorrow’s paper. Included is a main story on the team’s huge blueline, featuring four players (McAllister, Little, Adamek, Kovalcik) expected to add toughness to the team. There’s also a roster, with highlights for each player; notes, leading off with injury information; and a season schedule. Bob Lutz, the best hockey columnist in Wichita for my money, emerges from a St. Louis Cardinal-created depression to weigh on the Thunder.

Forward Chris Tarkir and defenseman Arthur Fritch have been released.

Some good news for the team: Immigration issues have been cleared up for Tim Boron, Troy Ofukany, Rickard Forslund, and Brett Beauchamp, so they are eligible to play.

• Defenseman Jordan Little will start the season on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury.

• Several players are still awaiting immigration approval. This obviously could become an issue if it isn’t handled before Friday’s opener. The players are Troy Ofukany, Tim Boron, Brett Beauchamp, Richard Forslund and Little. Bilodeau said he isn’t worried. “It is what it is,” he said. “Nothing you can do about it.”

• Finally, news from GM Joel “Loving Me Some Marvin Lewis” Lomurno: The Thunder will have CHL TV for all games this season – even the ones at the Kansas Coliseum. That will be a welcome addition. However, the Thunder will have no games on the radio this year. All games will be on the internet. I’ll have more on both moves when (shameless plug alert) my Thunder preview package runs on Thursday.

At forward, your inactives are Jason Duda, Damian Surma, Joel Hanson and Henri St. Arnault.

As expected, goalie Tim Boron, who has been sick, will not play tonight.

• A new player, forward Henri St. Arnault, is in town and should sign with the Thunder tomorrow. He had 51 points in 59 games for the junior Chilliwack Chiefs in British Columbia. “He’s got some speed, some skill,” Thunder coach Brent Bilodeau said.

• The Thunder announced the signing of defenseman Jim Jorgensen on Thursday. He has played in 73 pro games, all in the East Coast Hockey League, and is plus-7.

• Bilodeau will suit up 20 players for the exhibition games Friday and Saturday.

• The status of goalie Tim Boron is uncertain for the exhibition games. He continues to battle illness.

• In tomorrow’s paper, I have an update on Mike Batovanja, who is coming off ACL and MCL tears in his right knee. The fiery forward says he still isn’t 100 percent but feels like he is getting stronger. Batovanja has always been a fan favorite, primarily because of his work ethic and intensity. He plays bigger than his 5-7 frame. And he’s active in the community, too. I don’t know if Batovanja will make the team this year – it’s not a given – but he’s a guy most Thunder fans will certainly be rooting for.