Going into the season, the Springfield Thunderbirds have to be frustrated with the way the previous season ended. Not only did they lose in the first round of the playoffs, but they lost to their rivals – the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Springfield, however, looks to get back on track the best way possible when it opens its season against Hartford on Saturday at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, where they will play in front of a sellout crowd on Saturday. This marks the seventh year in a row that the club will play in front of a capacity crowd on opening night.
Thunderbirds’ Leadership Changes
Not only did the Thunderbirds’ devastating defeat leave a bad taste in their mouth, but they also lost quite a few players. Some players went overseas, some retired, but most were moved up to the NHL. So, all in all, good for the players, but bad for the T-Birds.
Among those lost, was captain Tommy Cross, who announced his retirement in August.
“He’s a big loss,” Springfield head coach Drew Bannister said. “It’s disappointing for him to end his career the way it did… He’s left a dent in the culture, the standard we expect, and a big part of him and what last year’s group did.”
Springfield has yet to announce their next captain or who their leadership group will be. Bannister confirmed as such and was very coy when asked about who they would lean towards. Bannister confirmed that he has had some thoughts about who he would name the captain, but would not share it with the media and preferred to share it with the team first.
Bannister also reiterated that he was in no rush to name a captain and would likely not name one even within the first week of the season and wants to “get the right guys in the right spots” before naming anyone to the group.
“It’s going to be a group of many guys,” Bannister said. “That’s how we did it last year, and how we’re going to do it again this year. It’s not just one guy, it’s a group of leaders.”
One person who is suspected to be named to the leadership is Matthew Peca. Peca acted as a de-facto leader when Cross was hurt last season both on and off the ice, but Bannister would not confirm if Peca would immediately take the role.
“He’s a consummate professional,” Bannister said of Peca. “He comes to the rink and does everything right. Whether it’s in the gym or on the ice in practice or games, he’s someone our younger players look up to.”
Goaltending Must Remain Steady
Another big loss for the Thunderbirds was goaltender Joel Hofer who was a stalwart in net to say the least. In 47 games in net for Springfield, Hofer tallied a 27-15-5 record. He also racked up five shutouts with a 2.50 GAA and .921 SV%.
While, the T-Birds could have just as easily looked internally and let Vadim Zherenko start in net, they looked externally and wound up signing Malcolm Subban. Presumably, Subban will be starting in net this season, but Bannister would not confirm this.
“I thought [Zherenko] has played pretty well so far,” Bannister said. “Overall, our effort from our group [of goalies] has been good so far.”
Springfield Has Also Lost Some Forwards and a Defenseman
Among the other losses were forwards Nikita Alexandrov, Jake Neighbours, Alexey Toropchenko, and defenseman Tyler Tucker.
“I think we have a lot of capable players who can fill in down here,” Bannister said of the losses. “Pending waivers, we have some pretty good players who are coming down here.”
The Thunderbirds also lost forward Martin Frk, who will being playing in Europe this season. Bannister did also say that he was expecting big things from certain players.
“I expect [Mathias] Laferriere is going to make a big stride for us, [Keean] Washkurak as well,” Bannister said. “We will continue to lean on [Hugh] McGing, Matt Kessel. I imagine [Kessel] will take a big step for us this year… I expect Zherenko to take a big step too.”
Team Identity: Unclear
Bannister is not looking too far ahead on the season. In fact, he said he and his staff are not even looking ahead to the playoffs. He said his team’s identity is very concrete, but not in the way you would think.
They will be looking to build on last year, but not completely. They want to take it and improve on it moving forward.
“We’re not looking ahead; we’re not looking at the playoffs,” Bannister said of his team’s identity and outlook this season. “For us it’s about coming to the rink every day and practicing… We want to make sure that compounds over the year and gets us opportunities to win every night.
“As we get to the end of the season, we’ll see where we’re at. Right now, we want to make sure we take care of our days here at the rink and getting better every day.”
How Does the Thunderbirds’ First Weekend Look?
The first weekend is a mirror image of Springfield’s preseason schedule. Instead of being on the road against Hartford, they are at home, and they finish off the two-game slate, also at home against the Providence Bruins.
Both will be available for viewing for free on AHLTV. Puck drop on Saturday is at 7:05 p.m., and on Sunday at 3:05 p.m.
