LAWRENCE — Kansas coach Bill Self officially announced the addition of Arkansas transfer Hunter Mickelson on Friday morning, releasing that the 6-foot-10 Mickelson had signed a grant-in-aid agreement to play at KU.

Mickelson, who spent two seasons at Arkansas, made his move public on Thursday. He will sit out the 2013-14 season before being eligible for two seasons at Kansas.

“Hunter is a young man that we recruited out of high school, offered a scholarship and he chose to stay close to home,” Self said in a statement. “He decided after two years at Arkansas that a change would do him good and we’re very excited about the change.

“He fits how we play. He’s long, very interchangeable and will be able to step away from the basket and stretch it. Defensively, he is a presence because he’s a shot blocker.”

Mickelson averaged 5.5 points and 3.5 rebounds as a sophomore at Arkansas. But a diminished role and a concern over future playing time prompted a decision to transfer. When Kansas showed interest, Mickelson committed to Self without taking a visit to campus.

“There’s no telling until it happens,” Mickelson told The Star on Thursday, “But hopefully it’s a good change for me.”

It will start with a year off, where Mickelson, a former top-100 recruit, can work on improving in the Jayhawks’ system.

“I think the redshirt year will be great for him,” Self said. “It will give him the opportunity to get stronger, get confidence and get his game to the point where he can be a serious impact player for us the following year.”

There is some good news personnel wise: Defenseman Kevin Seibel has signed with the Thunder, potentially a big boost for the team. Last season in 34 games with Odessa, he had 18 points and was plus-3 in 34 games. “He’s a good defenseman,” McClelland said. “He’s a good defenseman. He’s the kind of guy we’ve been looking for.”

Finally, the Eagle gave Thunder fans a chance to vote for the top 20 players in team history, a feature to go along with the franchise’s 20th anniversary season. We start unveiling the Top 20 tomorrow, with No. 20.

I asked coach Kevin McClelland what he thought about the two-game suspension the CHL handed out to Alex Bourret, who got a match penalty on Friday on a hit that officials deemed an illegal check to the head.

After I asked the question, McClelland immediately said “no comment.” Then, he added: “I got two tickets to the ballet. I’m gonna enjoy it with my wife on Sunday.”

Andrew Martens, the CHL's top defenseman, won't play in tomorrow's exhibition game. He should play Saturday.

We know there are players on the bubble to make the Thunder roster. Their job gets tougher with the addition of Chris Chappell, a 6-foot-4 forward whose rights are owned by the NY Rangers.

His signing should be made official today. Coach Kevin McClelland described him as a “big body” who works in the corners and has the potential to score some points.

Chappell was an all star in the Ontario Hockey League, scoring 38 goals and 76 points, to go along with 88 penalty minutes, for Saginaw in 2008-09. In July 2009, he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Rangers. After being limited by injuries in 2009-10, he played 53 games for the Greenville Road Warriors in 2010-2011, scoring nine goals and 38 points. He earned a five-game promotion to Connecticut of the American Hockey League.

• The Thunder plays the first of two home exhibition games tonight against the Tulsa Oilers at the Wichita Ice Center. McClelland said every player on the current roster will see action in at least one game.
• Rather than having goalies Alex Russo and Ryan MacDonald split time, McClelland said he is leaning toward having each play a full game. As of Thursday evening, he was unsure who would start tonight.
• A few exciting newcomers won’t play tomorrow, including Alex Bourret. I’ll have a longer list of players who won’t go in the paper tomorrow or at Kansas.com.
• Bryan Wells and Sean O’Reilly, former Thunder stars, will coach over the weekend while McClelland watches from up above, as is customary.

THUNDER PLAYERS TO BEGIN TRAINING FOR 2011-2012 SEASON ON MONDAY

Players will start a rigorous training schedule in anticipation of the season, which kicks off on October 21.

Wichita, KS – The Wichita Thunder opens training camp on their 20^th Central Hockey League season 10 a.m. on Monday morning at the Wichita Ice Center.

The Thunder will hold their first practice from 10 – 11:30 a.m. on Monday, though the remainder of the training camp practice schedule will be announced later next week.

The practice is open to the public, and each year the training camp attracts a sizable amount of fans.

Twenty-four players will take to the ice on Monday with the addition of rookie forward Steve Moore. The new Thunder team will see their first action next weekend when they host the Tulsa Oilers on Friday and Saturday, October 14 and 15, also at the Wichita Ice Center. Both games will face-off at 7:05 p.m. Tickets are still available and can be purchased at the Thunder office, located at 505 W. Maple.

The Wichita Thunder will open the regular season on Friday, October 21 versus the Rapid City Rush and tickets are on sale now at the INTRUST Bank Arena Box Office, www.selectaseat.com or by calling (316) 755-SEAT. Season tickets are still available and can be ordered by calling the Thunder office at (316) 264-GOAL. For more information, visit us online at www.wichitathunder.com.

Alex Bourret: 83 points in 78 ECHL games the past two years.

Alex Bourret is a big get for Wichita Thunder coach Kevin McClelland this late in the recruiting season. McClelland said that numerous teams were after Bourret, who was a first-round NHL pick and has three years experience in the AHL. It wouldn’t be surprising if he earned a call-up this season.

“He’s still very young,” McClelland said. “If he comes down and puts up good numbers, we may not see him for three quarters of the season.”

Last season for the Ontario Reign of the ECHL, he has 12 goals and 37 points in 42 games. A blog called “Where the Reign Reigns” summed up his year like this:

Pros: Bourret is one of the most dynamic offensive players ever to come through Ontario. With him at left wing and Jordan Morrison at center, the Reign had a bona fide top-line pair that was as good as any they faced last season. Fighting and killing penalties weren’t his strengths, but Bourret was willing to do both when needed.

Cons: The minus-20 rating isn’t entirely his fault, but is still pretty hard to amass in only 42 games. Bourret’s fights often took him off the ice when he would have been more effective on it. He will be 25 next season and might not have the patience to stick around if the AHL call doesn’t come.

A poll on the site asked whether Bourret should be brought back. The vote was 100 to 11 in favor of his return. There is a postseason interview with him here.

The trade of Jesse Bennefield to Fort Wayne for D man Craig Cescon looks like a win for all involved. The Thunder didn’t need Bennefield’s offense (he led the team with 75 points last season), and McClelland said that it was a good move for Bennefield’s current “direction in life.”

Cescon gives the Thunder a needed stay-at-home defenseman. He’s tough (six points, 174 PIM last season) and expected to log a lot of minutes.

“He’s not flashy by any means, but you can’t have all flash and dash on your hockey club,” McClelland said.

The 6-2 Cescon adds even more toughness to a team that already has a couple tough customers.

“We want to be a physical hockey club,” McClelland said. “We’ve got a lot of skilled players on our team. We want to make sure everyone is comfortable wearing our jersey every night.”

“It’s always excited to get called up, because the opportunity isn’t alwasy there,” he said about 30 minutes after getting the call.

Lake Erie is 42-28-3 and has already clinched a spot in the playoffs. Martens wasn’t sure how long the call-up would last, saying he considered it a “day-to-day” situation. He did expect to get playing time right away.

It’s well-deserved for Martens, who scored 54 points and was plus-7 in 65 games for the Thunder. In addition, Martens also brought maturity and a positive approach in the dressing room.

Martens said he very much enjoyed his time in Wichita.

“I loved it here,” he said. “We had a great year, and it was a lot of fun. I met a lot of new people, a lot of good people.”

Martens said that “if the stars align,” and the Thunder wants him back that “I’d love to come back.”

That’s not a guarantee, of course, but it’s pretty good early off-season news for Thunder fans.

Galbraith may miss playoffs.

Lance Galbraith has meant a lot to the Thunder this season. His attitude, locker room presence and ability to chip in some points (45 points in 61 games) have made him a valuable presence. So it will hurt if he isn’t available for the playoffs. His status is uncertain, as coach Kevin McClelland described it as “touch and go” on Thursday afternoon.

I’ve got a story in tomorrow’s paper about defenseman Andrew Martens. We will find out today if he is the CHL’s Most Outstanding Defenseman.

McClelland has been pleased with the play of Brent Cullaton. Cullaton can’t be in game shape yet, so the upcoming three-in-three will be interesting. “He’s been good,” McClelland said. “He adds another dimension to our hockey club.”

Team awards will return this season. They will be announced prior to the season finale on Sunday. Last season, the Thunder ditched the awards for the first time becaue, well, can you have a team MVP when the team wins nine games? Who is your MVP?

Martens is all-CHL

I remember asking Thunder coach Kevin McClelland, about a week into the season, what defenseman he really liked. He said Martens, without hesitation. Martens stayed steady all season and was rewarded on Monday when he was named to the all-Central Hockey League team. He has14 goals, 52 points and is plus-6 in 61 games.

Rookie wins honor.

Marc-Antoine Gelinas is the CHL goaltender of the week. He was 3-0-0 with a 1.63 goals-against average and a .940 saves percentage.

The week bumps his numbers in Wichita to 24-10-5, 2.84, and .900.

3-0-0, 1.63, .940