FALCONS SIGN FORMER FPHL DEFENSEMAN OF THE YEAR JOSH COLTEN AND ENFORCER ELIAS THOMPSON

Fresno adds an award-winning veteran defenseman and an Ice Wars heavyweight ahead of the 2026-27 season

FRESNO, Calif. — The Fresno Falcons have signed former FPHL Defenseman of the Year Josh Colten and veteran enforcer Elias Thompson for the 2026-27 season, adding two experienced players who bring very different elements to the Fresno lineup. Colten brings proven offensive production, leadership and an award-winning résumé from the blue line, while Thompson gives the Falcons an established tough guy who has built his professional career around physicality, intimidation and standing up for his teammates.

The two also arrive in Fresno with familiarity after previously sharing the ice with the Motor City Rockers, where both established themselves as recognizable veterans within the FPHL.

DEFENSEMAN OF THE YEAR COLTEN JOINS FALCONS BLUE LINE

Colten officially joins Fresno after the Falcons acquired him earlier this month from the Motor City Rockers. The Torrance, California native has established himself as one of the FPHL’s most productive veteran defensemen, with his résumé highlighted by being named FPHL Defenseman of the Year in 2018 following a standout season with the Port Huron Prowlers.

During the 2017-18 campaign, Colten recorded 10 goals and 37 assists for 47 points in just 47 games while finishing with a plus-34 rating. That performance established him as one of the league’s premier offensive defensemen and earned him the league’s top individual honor for a blueliner. Colten has continued to provide consistent production from the back end throughout his career while also developing into a veteran leader.

Colten became a major piece of the Motor City blue line beginning in 2022-23, recording seven goals and 34 assists for 41 points in 56 games. He followed that performance with 43 points in 55 games during the 2023-24 season before scoring a career-high 15 goals and finishing with 42 points the following year. His impact extended beyond the scoresheet during his time with Motor City, where he eventually served as captain of the Rockers.

Most recently, the right-shot defenseman spent the 2025-26 season with the Columbus River Dragons, appearing in all 56 regular-season games while recording 10 goals and 29 assists for 39 points. For Fresno, Colten provides an experienced puck-moving defenseman who can contribute offensively, help drive transition and provide another veteran presence on the blue line. His signing also brings the Southern California native back to his home state for the next chapter of his professional career.

THOMPSON BRINGS AN ENFORCER’S EDGE TO FRESNO

While Colten adds offense from the blue line, Thompson brings an entirely different element to the Falcons.

The 6-foot-3, 220-pound forward has developed a reputation as one of the FPHL’s true enforcers, embracing the responsibility of protecting teammates, answering challenges and changing the temperature of a game through his physical presence. During his time with Baton Rouge, Thompson regularly filled the role of the player called upon when games became heated, giving the Zydeco a presence capable of answering the bell and making opponents aware that liberties against his teammates would not go unanswered.

Thompson’s reputation goes beyond traditional hockey fights. In June 2025, he represented Team USA as a heavyweight at BKFC Ice Wars: Battle of the Border, a professional ice-fighting event featuring experienced hockey enforcers and combat athletes. Thompson faced Canadian heavyweight André Thibault and earned a unanimous-decision victory, further establishing his reputation as one of the tougher players in professional hockey.

His role as an enforcer has followed him throughout his professional career. Thompson accumulated 138 penalty minutes in 44 games during Motor City’s inaugural 2022-23 season and returned the following year to continue providing the Rockers with a physical presence. Across his two seasons with Motor City, Thompson totaled 238 penalty minutes in 76 games, becoming known as a player willing to step into difficult situations and defend his teammates.

Thompson later earned an opportunity in the SPHL with the Fayetteville Marksmen during the 2024-25 season, where his willingness to drop the gloves remained part of his game. HockeyFights records five fights during his stint with Fayetteville, including bouts against Tommy Tsicos, Brady Dowler, Nicola Levesque and Josh Hamilton.

He also spent time with the Baton Rouge Zydeco, where his role as the club’s enforcer became one of the defining parts of his identity. Coverage following his departure from Baton Rouge described Thompson as one of the league’s premier enforcers and emphasized the toughness and intimidation he brought to the Zydeco lineup.

For Fresno, Thompson adds more than size. He gives the Falcons a legitimate deterrent in the lineup, a player comfortable playing on the edge and someone who has shown throughout his career that he is willing to protect the players around him. With a roster featuring skill and offensive ability throughout the lineup, Thompson provides a different dimension that can become especially valuable during physical divisional games and heated rivalry matchups.

TWO VETERANS, TWO DIFFERENT ELEMENTS

The signings reunite Colten and Thompson after the two previously shared a locker room with Motor City during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. That familiarity provides both players with an existing connection as they transition to Fresno, but it is the contrast between their games that makes the additions notable.

In Colten, Fresno adds a former Defenseman of the Year with a proven ability to produce offensively, move the puck and provide veteran leadership from the blue line. In Thompson, the Falcons add a true enforcer with professional fighting experience, size and a willingness to stand up for his teammates when games become physical.

Together, Colten and Thompson add experience, leadership and toughness to a Falcons roster continuing to take shape ahead of training camp and the return of professional hockey to Selland Arena.

Welcome to Fresno, Josh and Elias. Talons Up.

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