Springfield Thunderbirds

American Hockey League team in Springfield, Massachusetts

Springfield Thunderbirds

City| Springfield, Massachusetts
League| American Hockey League
Conference| Eastern
Division| Atlantic
Founded| 1975 (In the NAHL)
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)

Franchise history
1975–1982| Erie Blades
1982–1993| Baltimore Skipjacks
1993–2016| Portland Pirates
2016–present| Springfield Thunderbirds
Championships
Conference titles| 1 (2021–22)
Current uniform
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[edit]

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:

* Springfield Indians (1926–1994)
* Springfield Falcons (1994–2016)

## Season-by-season results[edit]

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 | — | — | — | —

## Players[edit]

### Current roster[edit]

Updated February 20, 2024.[13]

Team roster  No. | Nat | Player  | Pos | S/G | Age  | Acquired  | Birthplace  | Contract

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

9 |  | Mikhail Abramov | C | L  | 23  | 2023 | Moscow, Russia | Blues
34 |  | Sam Bitten | C | L  | 24  | 2023 | Ottawa, Ontario | Thunderbirds
41 |  | William Bitten | RW | R  | 25  | 2022 | Ottawa, Ontario | Blues
77 |  | Drew Callin | C | R  | 28  | 2021 | Middleton, Wisconsin | Thunderbirds
25 |  | Dylan Coghlan | D | R  | 26  | 2023 | Duncan, British Columbia | Hurricanes
14 |  | Zach Dean | C | L  | 21  | 2023 | Grand Prairie, Alberta | Blues
21 |  | Joseph Duszak | D | R  | 26  | 2023 | Franklin Square, New York | Thunderbirds
31 |  | Colten Ellis | G | L  | 23  | 2021 | River Denys, Nova Scotia | Blues
45 |  | Marc-Andre Gaudet | D | L  | 20  | 2024 | Saint-Ignace, New Brunswick | Blues
8 |  | Adam Gaudette | C | R  | 27  | 2023 | Braintree, Massachusetts | Blues
48 |  | Wyatt Kalynuk | D | L  | 26  | 2023 | Brandon, Manitoba | Blues
18 |  | Mathias Laferriere | RW | R  | 23  | 2021 | Montreal, Quebec | Blues
7 |  | Leo Loof | D | L  | 21  | 2023 | Karlstad, Sweden | Blues
19 |  | Mackenzie MacEachern | LW | L  | 30  | 2023 | Bloomfield Hills, Michigan | Blues
11 |  | Hugh McGing (A) | C | L  | 25  | 2021 | Chicago, Illinois | Blues
63 |  | Matthew Peca (C) | C | L  | 30  | 2021 | Petawawa, Ontario | Blues
39 |  | Jamieson Rees | F | L  | 23  | 2023 | Hamilton, Ontario | Hurricanes
55 |  | Hunter Skinner | D | R  | 22  | 2023 | Wyandotte, Michigan | Blues
36 |  | Ryan Suzuki | C | L  | 22  | 2023 | London, Ontario | Hurricanes
92 |  | Jakub Vrana | LW | L  | 28  | 2023 | Prague, Czech Republic | Blues
27 |  | Keean Washkurak | C | L  | 22  | 2021 | Kitchener, Ontario | Blues
1 |  | Vadim Zherenko | G | L  | 23  | 2022 | Moscow, Russia | Blues

### Team captains[edit]

* Brent Regner: 2016–2017
* Paul Thompson: 2018–2020
* Tommy Cross: 2021–2023
* Matthew Peca: 2023–present

### Retired numbers[edit]

* #2: Eddie Shore
* #23: Rob Murray

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[edit]

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

* Josh Brown
* Bobby Farnham
* Dryden Hunt
* Juho Lammikko
* Steven Santini

## Team records[edit]

Single season
Goals: 30, Anthony Greco (2018–19), Martin Frk (2022–23)
Goals by a Rookie: 19, Owen Tippett (2019–20)
Power Play Goals: 12, Martin Frk (2022–23)
Short Handed Goals: 6, Anthony Greco (2017–18)
Assists: 44, Sam Anas (2021–22)
Points: 64, Sam Anas (2021–22), Martin Frk (2022–23)
Penalty Minutes: 147, Sena Acolatse (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: 78, Dryden Hunt
Points: 157, Anthony Greco
Power Play Goals: 20, Dryden Hunt
Short Handed Goals: 16, Anthony Greco

## References[edit]

1. ^ "Maxwell named GM of Springfield Thunderbirds". NHL.com. August 1, 2022. Retrieved April 23, 2023.
2. ^ "Portland Pirates to leave Maine and move to Springfield, MA". WCSH. May 4, 2016. Retrieved May 4, 2016.
3. ^ "American Hockey League Announces Franchise Transaction". OurSports Central. May 23, 2016. Retrieved May 23, 2016.
4. ^ Michalski, Jessica (June 5, 2016). "The investors of Springfield's new hockey team revealed". Western Mass News. Archived from the original on June 30, 2016. Retrieved June 30, 2016.
5. ^ "Kinnear named coach of Florida's AHL affiliate". American Hockey League. June 7, 2016. Archived from the original on August 4, 2016. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
6. ^ Pignatello, Jim (June 8, 2016). "Springfield AHL team names city native Nathan Costa as Executive VP; Bruce Landon to serve as consultant". The Republican. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
7. ^ Pignatiello, Jim (June 15, 2016). "Springfield Thunderbirds announced as name, mascot of city's AHL franchise". The Republican. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
8. ^ "Greco, Hunt Tally in Losing Effort to Phantoms". Springfield Thunderbirds. October 15, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
9. ^ "Sellout Crowd Witnesses Classic Comeback Win in OT". Springfield Thunderbirds. October 22, 2016. Retrieved November 19, 2021.
10. ^ Ryan, Conor (February 17, 2018). "Springfield Thunderbirds to host 2019 AHL All-Star Classic". The Republican. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
11. ^ "Thunderbirds announce new partnership with Blues". American Hockey League. March 6, 2020. Retrieved March 6, 2020.
12. ^ "28 teams to participate in 2020-21 AHL season". American Hockey League. January 4, 2021. Retrieved January 4, 2021.
13. ^ "Springfield Thunderbirds Roster". Springfield Thunderbirds. Retrieved February 20, 2024.

## External links[edit]

* Springfield Thunderbirds Official Website

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