Thunderbirds look to continue on, off-ice success this seasonDate: 10/6/2023 SPRINGFIELD — October means that hockey season is right around the corner, and the Springfield Thunderbirds will be opening their season at home on Saturday, Oct. 14, at 7:05 p.m. against the Hartford Wolf Pack.
The annual pregame block party on the property of MGM Springfield will take place 4-6 p.m.
Thunderbirds President Nathan Costa said that he is excited to get the season started.
Last season, the Thunderbirds finished with a record of 38-26-3 which was good enough for fourth in the AHL Atlantic Division, before losing in the qualifying round of the playoffs to the Wolf Pack in two games.
Costa added he is looking forward to opening the season against a familiar foe.
“We are looking forward to having hockey back here in Springfield again. It is the change of the season and there is a lot of optimism around our office. Hopefully we start off on the right foot with a revenge win against Hartford. That would be nice to get the year started off.”
The AHL roster is always changing based on potential injures to the organization’s NHL affiliate, the St. Louis Blues, but Costa said he is excited with the projected roster for this season.
He said, “The one thing we are all looking forward to is there will be some younger guys which we have had in the past, but some of top prospects from a few years ago, Zach Dean and Zachary Bolduc, who just finished juniors, and are high on those guys, so we will be seeing them.”
Bolduc is a 21-year-old center who was drafted 17th overall by the Blues in 2021 and Dean is a 20-year-old center who was acquired from the Vegas Golden Knights last season after being drafted 30th overall in 2021.
Costa also praised the St. Louis Blues front office for restocking their veteran roster by adding Malcolm Subban to be their No. 1 goaltender and keeping some returning players including Adam Gaudette, Keean Washkurak, Will Bitten, Hugh McGing and Matthew Peca.
“We have some experience with those guys, so looking forward to getting the core group together mixed in with these younger guys and prospects that the Blues really like. I think that it will be exciting hockey and I think that is one thing we have come to expect with the affiliation with the Blues is that they put a lot behind development, so they want to win at this level, because their viewpoint is if you win at this level it helps develop players quicker and they get to develop in a winning environment,” Costa added.
The goal of any team is to win the championship, and Costa expressed that same mentality for the Thunderbirds.
He said, “I think the goal every year is to win the Calder Cup. That is something that I have always wanted to do, and I know everyone in our office and in this area would love to do and getting another playoff run would be a ton of fun. There were a lot of positives to last year. Obviously, we didn’t go as far in the playoffs as we would have liked.”
Off the ice, Costa said he is looking to continue providing a high level of entertainment and great experiences for those attending the games.
“On the business side, we couldn’t be more pleased. We sold out every Saturday night in the second half of last year and really creating a great atmosphere in the building and our fans are embracing that. I think good hockey helps, but the promotions and themes and all the stuff that we do, I think we hit it out of the park,” he said.
This season will include the return of several signature events, like the Springfield Isotopes game, a teddy bear toss, opening night block party, Ok-T-Bird-Fest, Hockey Fights Cancer Night and a throwback night.
There will also be a bobblehead night on Nov. 4 for former captain Tommy Cross, who recently retired.
This year is also the 20th anniversary of the movie “Napolean Dynamite,” and the Thunderbirds will welcome Jon Gries and Efren Ramirez — who play Uncle Rico and Pedro — to the game on March 23.
“I am really excited to get going this season and have people see some of the stuff we have planned. We have something almost every night, which is great and a ton of giveaways,” Costa added.
Last year the Thunderbirds’ on-ice play and off-ice promotions led to their best average attendance year, averaging approximately 6,100 people per game.
“We have had steady growth since our first year. Attendance is something we are focused on and trying to build. When we took this franchise over, the conversation around attendance was that it was too low and is the team going to be coming back and we have changed that conversation wholeheartedly as an organization.”
Readers can learn more about the Thunderbirds’ 2023-24 season at springfieldthunderbirds.com.
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