THUNDER BAY – The Lakehead Thunderwolves are losing their captain.
Defenceman Dillon Donnelly has informed team officials he’s leaving OUA men’s hockey behind for a shot at the professional ranks, signing a deal with the Wichita Thunder of the ECHL.
Donnelly, a stay-at-home blue-liner and the son of former NHLer Gord Donnelly, said he appreciates the three years he spent in Thunder Bay.
“I would like to thank Lakehead University and the Athletics Dept. for the first-class support I received, and also the fans that made it an exciting environment every time we played,” he said in a release issued by the team.
“I’d also like to say thank you to Bill McDonald, Andrew Wilkins, Tom Warden, Blake Barry and the rest of the staff that supported me during my time here. Most importantly, I want to thank my teammates for all the great times we had and for the friendships I made in Thunder Bay.”
Coach Andrew Wilkins, whose team missed the playoffs for just the second time in team history, wished Donnelly well.
”He was a great player and captain, and he will be missed,” Wilkins said.
Donnelly was a seventh-round pick of the Colorado Avalanche in 2011 and spent five seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League before spending one season at St. Thomas University before the school cancelled its hockey program.