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Springfield Thunderbirds
SpringfieldThunderbirds
City Springfield, Massachusetts
League American Hockey League
Conference Eastern
Division Atlantic
Founded 1975 (In the NAHL)
Operated 2016-Present
Home arena MassMutual Center
Colors Red, navy blue, sky blue, white, gold
                        
Owner(s) Springfield Hockey, LLC.
General manager Kevin Maxwell[1]
Head coach Daniel Tkaczuk (interim)
Media The Springfield Republican
WHYN NewsRadio 560
CBS 3, 22 News
ABC 40
AHL.TV (Internet)
Affiliates St. Louis Blues (NHL)
Bloomington Bison (ECHL)
Franchise history
1975–1982 Erie Blades
1982–1993 Baltimore Skipjacks
1993–2016 Portland Pirates
2016–present Springfield Thunderbirds
Previous franchise history
Championships
Hockey current event Current season

The Springfield Thunderbirds are a professional ice hockey team in the American Hockey League that began play for the 2016–17 season. They are the affiliate of the National Hockey League's St. Louis Blues. Based in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Thunderbirds play their home games at the MassMutual Center.

History[]

In May 2016, following the relocation of the Springfield Falcons to Tucson, Arizona, after the team was sold to the Arizona Coyotes, the AHL's Portland Pirates were sold to a Springfield-based group who relocated the franchise to Springfield for the 2016–17 season.[2][3]

The new owners were a consortium of local business interests seeking to keep hockey in Springfield, and included Paul Picknelly, owner of the Springfield Sheraton and member of the family-owning Peter Pan Bus Lines, as well as several local hotel owners.[4] A team from Springfield has taken the ice in the AHL and its predecessors for all but seven years since 1926, and in every season since 1954.

The Thunderbirds inherited the Florida Panthers' affiliation with the Pirates. The Panthers assigned their assistant general manager, Eric Joyce, to be Springfield's general manager and named Geordie Kinnear as the new head coach.[5] The Thunderbirds also named Bruce Landon, the Falcons' and Indians' longtime president and general manager, as a consultant, while hiring AHL executive Nathan Costa as their executive vice-president in charge of business operations.[6] The team's new name was announced at a press conference on June 15, 2016. Team management explained that Thunderbirds invokes both the mythological Thunderbird and the United States Air Force presence in the region, such as the Barnes and Westover Air Reserve Bases.[7]

The Thunderbirds played their first game on October 15, 2016, a 4–2 loss to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Anthony Greco scored the first goal in team history.[8] On October 22, 2016, the Thunderbirds played their home opener, a 5–4 win, against the St. John's IceCaps. Dryden Hunt scored the first goal on home ice, and MacKenzie Weegar scored the game-winning goal in overtime in front of a sellout crowd of 6,793.[9] While the inaugural season did not result in a playoff berth, average attendance rose from 3,108 in the Falcons' last season to 4,618 and including three sellouts.

On February 17, 2018, it was announced that the Springfield Thunderbirds and the MassMutual Center would host the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic and Skills contest, to take place on January 27–28, 2019. This marked the first AHL All-Star Game in Springfield since 1959. MGM Springfield served as the host of the event.[10] The Western Conference was victorious in the skills competition, while the Central Division defeated the Atlantic Division in the championship game of the round-robin event. Both events were sold out.

On March 6, 2020, the Springfield Thunderbirds announced a five-year affiliation deal with the St. Louis Blues of the NHL starting from the 2020–21 season.[11] The affiliation with Florida did not yield any playoff appearances, but saw a number of players recalled to the NHL. The team had seen attendance rise in each of its four seasons. Drew Bannister was announced as the second head coach in team history coming from the Blues' previous affiliate, the San Antonio Rampage. However, due to the ongoing restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Thunderbirds were one of three teams that opted out of the 2020–21 AHL season.[12]

In the 2021-22 AHL season, with COVID restrictions lifted and the Thunderbirds having by far their best season, they led the Atlantic Division with a 43-26-4-3 record, with a team record average attendance of 5,375. They made the playoffs for the first time, sweeping the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Charlotte Checkers in the first two rounds before winning the third against the Laval Rocket in seven games. In the Thunderbirds' first Calder Cup Finals appearance, they were defeated by the Chicago Wolves in five games.

The market was previously home to:

Season-by-season results[]

Regular Season Playoffs
Season Games Won Lost OTL SOL Points PCT Goals
for
Goals
against
Standing Year 1st
round
2nd
round
3rd
round
4th
round
Finals
2016–17 76 32 33 9 2 75 .493 197 206 6th, Atlantic 2017 Did not qualify
2017–18 76 32 37 5 2 71 .467 210 233 7th, Atlantic 2018 Did not qualify
2018–19 76 33 29 9 5 80 .526 250 241 7th, Atlantic 2019 Did not qualify
2019–20 61 31 27 3 0 65 .533 190 186 5th, Atlantic 2020 Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2020–21 Did not participate due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2021 Did not participate
2021–22 76 43 24 6 3 95 .625 233 221 2nd, Atlantic 2022 BYE W, 3–0, WBS W, 3–0, CHA W, 4–3, LAV L 1–4, CHI
2022–23 72 38 26 3 5 84 .583 230 211 4th, Atlantic 2023 L, 0–2, HFD
2023–24 72 30 37 3 2 65 .451 226 244 7th, Atlantic 2024 Did not qualify

Players[]

Current roster[]

Updated April 23, 2024.[13]

# Nat Player Pos S/G Age Acquired Birthplace Contract
9 Flag of Russia Abramov, MikhailMikhail Abramov

C L 23 2023 Moscow, Russia Blues
34 Flag of Canada Bitten, SamSam Bitten

C L 24 2023 Ottawa, Ontario Thunderbirds
41 Flag of Canada Bitten, WilliamWilliam Bitten

RW R 26 2022 Ottawa, Ontario Blues
16 Flag of Canada Bolduc, ZacharyZachary Bolduc

C L 21 2023 Trois-Rivières, Quebec Blues
77 Flag of the United States Callin, DrewDrew Callin

C R 29 2021 Middleton, Wisconsin Thunderbirds
14 Flag of Canada Dean, ZachZach Dean

C L 21 2023 Grand Prairie, Alberta Blues
21 Flag of the United States Duszak, JosephJoseph Duszak

D R 27 2023 Franklin Square, New York Thunderbirds
31 Flag of Canada Ellis, ColtenColten Ellis

G L 24 2021 River Denys, Nova Scotia Blues
8 Flag of the United States Gaudette, AdamAdam Gaudette

C R 28 2023 Braintree, Massachusetts Blues
10 Flag of Canada Guy, BraydenBrayden Guy

LW L 23 2022 Brampton, Ontario Thunderbirds
48 Flag of Canada Kalynuk, WyattWyatt Kalynuk

D L 27 2023 Brandon, Manitoba Blues
3 Flag of the United States Kessel, MattMatt Kessel

D R 24 2022 Scottsdale, Arizona Blues
18 Flag of Canada Laferriere, MathiasMathias Laferriere

RW R 24 2021 Montreal, Quebec Blues
7 Flag of Sweden Loof, LeoLeo Loof

D L 22 2023 Karlstad, Sweden Blues
19 Flag of the United States MacEachern, MackenzieMackenzie MacEachern

LW L 30 2023 Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Blues
34 Flag of Sweden Malmstrom, AntonAnton Malmstrom

D L 24 2023 Österhaninge, Sweden Blues
11 Flag of the United States McGing, HughHugh McGing

 (A)

C L 26 2021 Chicago, Illinois Blues
63 Flag of Canada Peca, MatthewMatthew Peca

 (C)

C L 31 2021 Petawawa, Ontario Blues
22 Flag of the United States Peterson, DylanDylan Peterson

C R 22 2024 Roseville, California Blues
43 Flag of Sweden Rosen, CalleCalle Rosen

D L 30 2021 Växjö, Sweden Blues
55 Flag of the United States Skinner, HunterHunter Skinner

D R 23 2023 Wyandotte, Michigan Blues
92 Flag of the Czech Republic Vrana, JakubJakub Vrana

LW L 28 2023 Prague, Czech Republic Blues
27 Flag of Canada Washkurak, KeeanKeean Washkurak

C L 23 2021 Kitchener, Ontario Blues
1 Flag of Russia Zherenko, VadimVadim Zherenko

G L 23 2022 Moscow, Russia Blues

Team captains[]

Retired numbers[]

Note: Shore's number was retired by the Springfield Indians, and Murray's by the Springfield Falcons; the Thunderbirds continue to honor both numbers. Former AHL president Jack Butterfield and vice president Gordie Anziano, longtime Springfield residents, as well as former Indians' general manager and Falcons founder Bruce Landon, and Willie O'Ree, the first African American to play in the AHL, have been honored with banners raised with the retired numbers.

Notable alumni[]

Players playing at least 100 games in Springfield and 100 games in major leagues.

Team records[]

Single season
Goals: 44, Adam Gaudette (2023–24)
Goals by a Rookie: 19, Owen Tippett (2019–20)
Power Play Goals: 15, Adam Gaudette (2023-24)
Short Handed Goals: 6, Anthony Greco (2017–18)
Assists: 44, Sam Anas (2021–22)
Points: 71, Adam Gaudette (2023-24)
Penalty Minutes: 147, Sena Acolatse (2016–17)
+/-: 23, Ian McCoshen (2016–17)
Appearances by a Goalie: 47, Joel Hofer (2022–23)
GAA:2.21, Charlie Lindgren (2021–22)
SV%:.925 Charlie Lindgren (2021–22)
Shutouts: 5, Joel Hofer (2022–23)
Career
Games: 261, Anthony Greco
Penalty Minutes: 238, Paul Thompson
Goaltending Wins: 45, Joel Hofer
Shutouts: 6 Joel Hofer
Goals: 85, Anthony Greco
Assists: 92, Matthew Peca
Points: 157, Anthony Greco
Power Play Goals: 20, Dryden Hunt
Short Handed Goals: 16, Anthony Greco

References[]

External links[]

St. Louis Blues
FranchisePlayersCoachesGMsSeasons • St. Louis Blues Records • St. Louis Blues Draft Picks • Scottrade CenterSt. Louis ArenaSan Antonio RampageTulsa Oilers
This page uses content from Wikipedia. The original article was at Springfield Thunderbirds. The list of authors can be seen in the page history. As with Ice Hockey Wiki, the text of Wikipedia is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike License 3.0 (Unported) (CC-BY-SA).


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