Kyle Kruenegel’s path from the Stockton Thunder’s open tryouts to a possible permanent spot on the roster took another step forward this week.

One of 33 players who attended open tryouts earlier this month, Kruenegel received a professional tryout offer, or PTO, and will report to camp Oct. 1 with a chance to earn a full contract with the team.

“It was nice hearing that at least I’m able to go out there and show the general manager how I can play, and then hopefully get a full contract from that one,” Kruenegel said.

The 32-year-old Manteca native grew up playing youth hockey with the Stockton Colts before spending four seasons in junior hockey. After taking nearly seven years away from the sport to start a family, he returned to the ice in 2022, playing senior hockey for the Santa Rosa Growlers and coaching a local girls hockey team.

While Kruenegel is currently listed on the Thunder’s roster, he is not guaranteed a permanent spot. There is no set length for his tryout offer, meaning he will continue with the team as long as the Thunder want to evaluate him.

“If they don’t like the way it goes, then they can just release me,” he said. “But if they do like me, then they can offer the full contract and then retain my rights.”

Thunder coach Zach Pochiro said Kruenegel’s experience and ability to read the ice during open tryouts helped him stand out.

“I was just very impressed with how smooth and how experienced he seemed,” Pochiro said Friday. “I know it’s just open camp, but I’m very excited to see what he brings to the table with the other guys, with the pro guys.”

Kruenegel will now have to show how his game translates against professional competition after spending so much time away from higher-level hockey, the coach said.

“I personally think it’s there,” Pochiro said. “He’s just going to have to show it because he’s been away from the game for so long.”

Kruenegel is one of three players from the Thunder’s open tryouts to move forward with the team. Defenseman Kenyon Carda, a 25-year-old from Sooke, British Columbia, and forward Payton Jones, a 24-year-old from Cedar Park, Texas, also earned opportunities with the Thunder. Jones played with the Biloxi Breakers of the Federal Prospects Hockey League last season.

Taking his shot

Kruenegel said he initially approached open tryouts in early August as simply a chance to have fun and see where his skills stood.

Now that the Thunder have shown interest in him, he is training six days a week.

“I’m taking it more personal,” Kruenegel said. “Training has been ramped up a whole lot more since the last tryout.”

Earning a full contract would mean more to Kruenegel than just making the team. He grew up watching the original Thunder play, dreaming of skating himself in front of a packed Stockton Arena. Now he has the chance to do that with his own family watching.

“I’ll be able to prove myself to others that I am actually a skilled hockey player and I can play professional hockey, since I never moved forward with it when I was younger,” Kruenegel said. “That I’m still able to do it, that I’m older and have a family, and now I can actually play in front of my kids and my wife … that, to me, would just mean a whole lot.”

Thunder open downtown offices

Kruenegel’s PTO comes as the Thunder continue establishing themselves in Stockton. The team’s first home game is scheduled for Oct. 17.

The Thunder, part of the Federal Prospects Hockey League, opened their new downtown offices and retail store Thursday, complete with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.

The space will serve as the center of the Thunder’s business operations. Season tickets — which are on sale now — corporate partnerships and group sales will be based there.

Team President Scott Brand said the organization wants its presence in Stockton to extend beyond hockey.

“We’re about community,” Brand said during the event. “It’s not about hockey. Hockey is going to be the entertainment part, but it’s what we can do for the community and what we can give back.”

Local officials, business representatives and fans attended the grand opening celebration. Some remember cheering on the original Thunder.

Stockton resident Jeremiah Stanley came out to see the return of a franchise he grew up watching.

“It feels great to bring, like, a past back into the 209, and brings it into a new era,” Stanley said.

AJ Martinez and Cameron Simmental traveled from Fairfield for the opening. Martinez said having a team in Stockton gives him a nearby option to watch hockey.

“I’m a big fan of hockey, so I knew that Stockton was getting a team and I wanted to check it out,” Martinez said.

Community support follows

As the organization moves toward opening night, Kruenegel is working on the possibility of being on the ice with the Thunder.

He said support has been widespread. Friends from his past have reached out after they saw his story and learned of his efforts to further his hockey career.

“That just meant the world to me,” Kruenegel said. “Just seeing that from people that I haven’t talked to in years, people from my past reaching out and saying stuff and cheering me on.”

For now, Kruenegel’s PTO remains an opportunity to prove himself. He still has to earn a full contract.

But the open tryouts gave him the chance to get there.

“I’m just showing up and playing day by day,” he said.