On Saturday, the Springfield Thunderbirds kick off their 2024-25 campaign at home against the Laval Rocket.
Before this rematch of the 2022 Eastern Conference Championship, fans are welcome to attend the annual season-opener block party at MGM’s Plaza between 4 and 6 p.m.
The event will feature live music, food, and drinks. The team also anticipates an impressive ninth consecutive season-opening sellout and 15th straight sellout dating back to last season. Fans are also asked to locate their seats for opening-night festivities at 6:45 p.m.
“It’s been a long offseason,” Thunderbirds president Nathan Costa said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t get as far as we would have liked. But that’s how this goes, and the St. Louis Blues have done an excellent job reloading our team as they are trying to rebuild.
“So I think it will positively affect our roster because seeing fresh faces is nice. And we also couldn’t be happier to see former Thunderbirds coach Drew Bannister be named the Blues’ newest coach. We’re really proud of that, especially since he came through our league and helped lead our team into the finals.”
Once Bannister signed a two-year contract to remain coach of St. Louis, the search was on to find his replacement in Springfield. Two weeks later, St. Louis Blues president of hockey operations and general manager Doug Armstrong announced that the team had named Steve Konowalchuk head coach of the Thunderbirds.
“We went through an extensive interview process, and through those conversations, it became clear that Steve best fit what we were seeking in a head coach,” said Thunderbirds general manager Kevin Maxwell of the move. “We look forward to seeing him work with the next wave of Blues prospects and developing them into successful NHL players in St. Louis.”
So who is Konowalchuk?
For starters, the 51-year-old spent last season as an associate coach with the AHL’s Colorado Eagles, where he helped lead the team to a 40-25-7 regular-season record and a fifth-place finish in the Western Conference. The Salt Lake City, Utah native’s coaching career began in Colorado, where he served two seasons as an assistant coach for the Avalanche.
But in 2011, Konowalchuk was named head coach of the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds and spent six seasons behind their bench. During his tenure, he guided the Thunderbirds to five postseason appearances, including in 2017, when they captured the Ed Chynoweth Cup (WHL championship).
Aside from an impressive coaching background, Konowalchuk also had a 14-year NHL career. After being drafted by the Washington Capitals in 1991, Konowalchuk played 790 regular-season games, with 693 of them for the Capitals.
Konowalchuk also represented the United States in the 1996 World Cup of Hockey, where he captured a gold medal.
Konowalchuk will be accompanied on the bench alongside assistant coaches Jaroslav Modry and Chad Wiseman, while Dan Stewart will also serve as the goaltending development coach. The complete list of the Thunderbirds’ hockey operations can be found here.
“We’ve heard really great things about Konowalchuk,” Costa said. “We’ve also heard good things about his staff and the group they put together.”
- Fans can view the full Springfield Thunderbirds schedule here. In addition, single-game tickets for the Thunderbirds’ regular-season games are available at SpringfieldThunderbirds.com or the box office at (413) 739-GOAL.
The Thunderbirds’ roster was recently completed with opening night around the corner. At the forward position, some familiar faces will include Hugh McGing, Zach Dean, Nikita Alexandrov, Mackenzie MacEachern, Sam Bitten, Matthew Peca, and Drew Callin.
Fans can view the complete roster here.
On the defensive side, meanwhile, Springfield will lean on Tyler Tucker, Marc-Andre Gaudet, and Hunter Skinner, to name three of the six listed defensemen. Lastly, the Thunderbirds are set to carry three goaltenders: Vadim Zherenko, Colten Ellis, and Will Cranley.
Jordan Binnington, meanwhile, won the starting job over former Thunderbird standout Joel Hofer in St. Louis.
Speaking of their NHL-affiliated team, the Springfield Thunderbirds and St. Louis Blues announced the extension of their affiliation agreement last week through the end of the 2030-31 season. The deal further solidified the long-term future of the American Hockey League in one of the league’s charter cities.
“We are thrilled to continue our richly rewarding long-term partnership with the St. Louis Blues,” Costa said. “The Blues and Thunderbirds share similar core values regarding player and staff development and maintaining a deep commitment to their communities.
“Our collaboration has enabled us to grow our franchise on the ice and throughout the region. We cannot wait to see the next generation of Blues stars hone their talents in Springfield in front of the best fans in the AHL.”
Thunderbirds managing owner Paul Picknelly couldn’t be happier.
“On behalf of our local ownership group, we are proud to announce an extension of our affiliation agreement with the St. Louis Blues,” Picknelly said. “I want to thank Blues chairman Tom Stillman, general manager Doug Armstrong, and the Blues staff, as well as our president Nate Costa and his team, for building a culture of cooperation and success unparalleled within the AHL.
“This agreement will ensure that AHL hockey has a home in Springfield for many years.”
Springfield built upon its success last season, posting a franchise-record 20 sellout games, including a 14-game sellout streak to end the campaign. Last year also marked the Thunderbirds’ eighth consecutive season of attendance growth, with an average of 6,321 fans per game.
The club will look to continue that streak behind several promotional nights. Fans can expect to see five specialty jerseys corresponding to the team’s traditional theme nights: Teddy Bear Toss Night, Throwback Night, Ice-O-Topes Night, Military Appreciation Night, and Pink in the Rink.
“It’s about the experience of coming to games,” said Costa of the team’s newest promotional schedule. “I think we’ve done an excellent job establishing some traditional events that we will continue to build upon. You have to do different stuff each year. We have been talking about doing some different stuff, but you also try and focus on some key events.
“But this year, we wanted to take advantage of the election. So, instead of doing it in a political way, we wanted to have fun with the idea since everything around the election has a negative tone. So we’re doing a bobblehead giveaway with Boomer as president, and then we’re having the Bruins’ Anthemist Todd Angilly do some pregame bartending to benefit Square One.
“The big thing is that we wanted to do a ton of giveaways this year. So the idea was to add something to each weekend we’re playing at home.”
Though the Thunderbirds recorded one of their best years in attendance, Costa acknowledged how grateful the organization is for the fans’ continued support, especially since the original Civic Center Parking Garage was demolished in 2022.
Besides space for almost 1,000 vehicles, the new $35 million project will include 10,000 square feet of retail or restaurant space and a next-door multi-use plaza known as Bruce’s Landing after Bruce Landon. The project is expected to be completed this fall, said Timothy T. Sheehan, the city’s chief development officer.
“This new parking garage is going to be fantastic for the area,” Costa said. “But we really wanna commend our fans for staying behind us. And we promise this will be in our rearview mirror soon. That said, we’re just asking for more patience from our fans.”
