Meet the T-Birds: Springfield’s opening roster for the 2025-26 season

The Springfield Thunderbirds are back.

Get to know the team ahead of their 2025-26 season opener on Oct. 11 with the player bios below.

Goaltenders

#1 Vadim Zherenko

6-4, 207 lbs, 24 years old

Moscow, Russia

Entering the 2025-26 season, Zherenko has appeared in 86 AHL games, posting a 34-40-9 record, a 3.37 goals-against average, and a .904 save percentage. He accrued his first AHL shutout on Nov. 25, 2023, with 33 saves in a 7-0 win over Utica.

#30 Georgii Romanov

6-5, 207 lbs, 25 years old

Yekaterinburg, Russia

Romanov, 25, spent the majority of last season with the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda, posting an 11-6-3 record along with a 3.10 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage in 21 regular-season appearances. He was signed by St. Louis as a free agent on Oct. 8.

#40 Will Cranley

6-4, 185 lbs, 23 years old

Peterborough, ON, Canada

A sixth-round pick by the Blues in 2020, Cranley enters his third pro season after posting an 11-9-3 record with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .896 save percentage with the ECHL’s Florida Everblades last season. He made his AHL debut last December for Springfield.

Defensemen

#4 Theo Lindstein

6-0, 197 lbs, 20 years old

Gavle, Sweden

The Blues’ third of three first-round picks in 2023, Lindstein, enters his first season in North America after parts of four professional seasons in his native Sweden. Last season with Brynas IF Gavle, the blueliner posted nine points (4g, 5a) and a +9 rating in 44 games.

#6 Corey Schueneman (Alternate Captain)

6-0, 200 lbs, 30 years old

Brighton, MI

In his first season in the Blues organization, Schueneman posted his third straight 20-point season with four goals and 16 assists in 63 Springfield games. He also skated in four games for the Blues.

Schueneman agreed to terms on a one-year, two-way NHL contract extension on Jan. 31.

#7 Leo Loof

6-1, 200 lbs, 23 years old

Karlstad, Sweden

Originally selected by the Blues in the third round (88th overall) in 2020, Loof skated in 113 professional games in Europe before joining the Thunderbirds in 2023.

In 121 AHL games heading into the 2025-26 season, Loof has tallied 24 assists and 93 penalty minutes with the T-Birds.

#8 Samuel Johannesson

5-11, 181 lbs, 24 years old

Halmstad, Sweden

Originally selected in the 6th round by Columbus in 2020, Johannesson has skated in 239 pro games in the Swedish league (SHL), posting 81 points in that time (22g, 59a) and just 28 PIMs.

In his first season with the T-Birds, Johannesson tallied 32 points (5g, 27a), which included a team-high 16 power-play assists.

#9 Michael Buchinger

6-0, 192 lbs, 21 years old

Markham, ON, Canada

Originally drafted in the third round by St. Louis in 2022, Buchinger turns pro in 2024-25 following three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the Guelph Storm, where he was coached by Thunderbirds assistant coach Chad Wiseman.

As a rookie in 2024-25, Buchinger picked up nine points (2g, 7a) in 51 games with the Thunderbirds to go along with 33 penalty minutes.

#42 Quinton Burns

6-2, 198 lbs, 20 years old

Smiths Falls, ON, Canada

A Blues 3rd round pick (74th overall) in 2023, Burns begins his professional career following a prolific season in 2024-25 with the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs, where the rugged defenseman posted 49 points and 100 penalty minutes in just 66 games.

#44 Anthony Kehrer

5-11, 210 lbs, 23 years old

Winnipeg, MB, Canada

Kehrer will begin his pro career after a five-year NCAA career with the University of Wisconsin. In 166 collegiate games with the Badgers, the right-shot blueliner tallied a +15 rating, 32 points (5g, 27a), and registered just 73 minutes in penalties over five seasons.

#45 Marc-Andre Gaudet

6-3, 195 lbs, 21 years old

Moncton, NB, Canada

The Blues’ fifth-round selection in 2022, Gaudet, battled injuries last season, playing in just five AHL games. Gaudet posted a strong first professional season in 2023-24 with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, potting 26 points (6g, 20a) and a +8 rating in 55 games.

#55 Hunter Skinner

6-3, 198 lbs, 24 years old

Pinckney, MI

A fourth-round pick of the New York Rangers in 2019, Skinner joined the Blues organization in the trade that sent Vladimir Tarasenko to New York in 2023.

In his second season with Springfield, Skinner made significant strides, putting up 23 points (8g, 15a) and 98 penalty minutes in 71 games.

Forwards

#11 Hugh McGing

5-10, 172 lbs, 27 years old

Chicago, IL

A fifth-round pick by the Blues in 2018, McGing is entering his fifth professional season in the Blues organization and fourth as a Thunderbird.

Entering the 2025-26 season, McGing posted 146 points in 257 career games with Springfield. He enters the year second in T-Birds club history in games played, just four behind Anthony Greco (261) for the most all-time, fourth in points (146), and second in assists (93).

He produced seven points (4g, 3a) in 18 playoff games during the T-Birds’ run to the 2022 Calder Cup Finals. In Game 1 of the Finals, McGing scored the Thunderbirds’ first-ever Calder Cup Finals goal.

#13 Kale Kessy

6-4, 225 lbs, 32 years old

Shaunavon, SK, Canada

Originally a fourth-round pick by the Arizona Coyotes in 2011, Kessy has played in 359 AHL games across 12 seasons, posting 961 penalty minutes and 43 points (21g, 22a).

He skated in 15 regular-season games and all three playoff games for Springfield after being acquired from the Syracuse Crunch last season.

#15 Dalibor Dvorsky

6-1, 206 lbs, 20 years old

Zvolen, Slovakia

The 10th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft by the Blues, Dvorsky embarks on his second professional season in North America. Dvorsky, named to the AHL’s Top Prospects Team last season, represented his native Slovakia in the World Junior Championships four times through his junior hockey career, including last year.

As a rookie in 2024-25 with the T-Birds, Dvorsky tallied 45 points (21g, 24a) in 61 games. He finished tied for second among AHL rookies with 10 power-play goals. He made his NHL debut with St. Louis on March 23 against Nashville.

#17 Nikita Alexandrov

6-0, 188 lbs, 25 years old

Burgwedel, Germany

Originally selected in the 2nd round (62nd overall) by the Blues in the 2019 NHL Draft, Alexandrov made his NHL debut for St. Louis on Nov. 10, 2022, vs. SJ, and scored his first NHL goal on Jan. 7, 2023, @ MTL.

Last season, he averaged better than a point per game, with 49 points (21g, 28a) in 48 contests.

#18 Juraj Pekarcik

6-2, 204 lbs, 20 years old

Trstena, Slovakia

A third-round pick by St. Louis in 2023, Pekarcik begins his pro career on the heels of a QMJHL championship season with the Moncton Wildcats in 2024-25. Pekarcik registered 67 points (24g, 43a) in 53 games and added 21 more points in 19 playoff games for the Wildcats.

He was teammates with Dalibor Dvorsky at the World Junior Championships for Slovakia each of the last two years, registering 10 points in 10 games.

#22 Dylan Peterson

6-4, 203 lbs, 23 years old

Roseville, CA

Originally selected by the Blues in the third round (86th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft, Peterson debuted with the Thunderbirds on April 14, 2024, recording an assist in his first game against Providence.

In his first full season in the AHL, the Boston University alumnus tallied 22 points (13g, 9a) in 52 games to go along with 82 penalty minutes.

#26 Simon Robertsson

6-0, 194 lbs, 22 years old

Pitea, Sweden

A third-round pick by the Blues in 2021, Robertsson enters his second season in North America having already played 121 games in the Swedish Hockey League, during which time he posted 14 goals.

In 26 games as a rookie with the T-Birds in 2024-25, Robertsson tallied 13 points (6g, 7a) and a +9 rating.

#28 Otto Stenberg

5-11, 180 lbs, 20 years old

Stenungsund, Sweden

Originally a first-round pick by St. Louis in 2023 (25th overall), Stenberg made his North American pro debut with the Thunderbirds as a 19-year-old on Jan. 18, 2025, at Bridgeport, where he recorded a goal and an assist. In 38 games, he posted 17 points (5g, 12a) and a +5 rating.

Before coming to Springfield, Stenberg skated in 79 games in the SHL for Frolunda HC and the Malmö Redhawks. He has also represented his native Sweden twice at the World Junior Championships, where he has parlayed 17 points (8g, 9a) in 14 career tournament games.

#34 Sam Bitten

6-2, 220 lbs, 25 years old

Ottawa, ON, Canada

The fierce Bitten enters his third season with the Thunderbirds after signing a two-year AHL contract in 2024 that will keep him in the organization through the 2025-26 season.

As a rookie in 2023-24, Bitten had 75 penalty minutes in 29 games and also chipped in his first AHL goal on February 25, 2024, at Bridgeport. In 2024-25, Bitten skated in 60 games, posting six points (2g, 4a) and 101 penalty minutes.

#39 Matt Luff

6-3, 225 lbs, 28 years old

Oakville, ON, Canada

Luff enters his second season with the T-Birds after signing an NHL contract with St. Louis in the offseason. In 50 games with Springfield last season, the 28-year-old tallied 45 points (18g, 27a) in helping to lead Springfield to the Calder Cup Playoffs.

He also scored the game-winning goal in Springfield’s Game 1 win in Providence to begin the postseason. Luff brings 108 games of NHL experience with Los Angeles, Nashville, and Detroit.

#41 Aleksanteri Kaskimaki

6-0, 193 lbs, 21 years old

Espoo, Finland

The Blues’ third-round pick (73rd overall) in 2022, Kaskimaki enters his second pro season in North America after skating with HIFK in the Finnish League (Liiga) in 2023-24. Kaskimaki totaled 10 goals and 17 points in 48 games, and he also represented his native Finland in the World Junior Championships, where he tallied four points in seven tournament games.

Finland captured a bronze in the tournament. As a rookie in the AHL in 2024-25, Kaskimaki posted 34 points (11g, 23a) in 63 games, including 10 power-play points and a shorthanded goal.

#49 Jakub Stancl

6-3, 198 lbs, 20 years old

Prague, Czechia

Originally a fourth-round pick by the St. Louis Blues in 2023, Stancl made his AHL debut with Springfield on March 28, 2025, against Iowa. He picked up his first AHL point with an assist on April 4, 2025, at Utica.

Stancl had 57 points (23g, 34a) in 58 games for the WHL’s Kelowna Rockets in 2024-25. He also represented his native Czechia at the World Junior Championships, leading the tournament with seven goals in seven games.

#63 Matthew Peca (Captain)

5-10, 180 lbs, 32 years old

Petawawa, ON, Canada

Originally a seventh-round pick by the Lightning in 2011, Peca is entering his fifth season in the Blues organization and third as Thunderbirds captain. In 222 games in Springfield, Peca has put up a team-record 199 points (75g, 124a). He also begins the 2025-26 season second all-time in T-Birds history in goals and first all-time in assists.

Peca had a stellar season in 2023-24 with 41 points in 48 games, but his 2024-25 season proved to be the most prolific of the veteran’s career. Peca was named to the AHL First All-Star Team after the captain posted a career-high 31 goals and 63 points. He became the fourth T-Bird ever to record 30 goals in a season.

#88 Chris Wagner (Alternate Captain)

6-0, 192 lbs, 34 years old

Walpole, MA

Entering his 14th professional season, Wagner joins the T-Birds after splitting time between the Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Eagles last season.

The former Anaheim draft pick and Walpole native brings 401 games of NHL experience, including parts of five seasons with the Boston Bruins, including a trip to the 2019 Stanley Cup Final.

Wagner tied his career highs with the Eagles in 2024-25 with 19 goals and 31 points in just 44 games.

#91 Nikita Susuev

6-0, 172 lbs, 20 years old

Ussuriysk, Russia

A seventh-round pick by the Blues in 2023, Susuev begins his North American career after playing professionally in his native Russia for the past three seasons. In 55 games in the KHL, Susuev has posted six goals and three assists.