The Thunderbirds' season takes a 180-degree turn | TheAHL.com

Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer

Patience is often a wise strategy in the opening months of the AHL season.

Easier said than done, though.

The Springfield Thunderbirds have lost nine of their first 13 games under the new coach Steve Konowalchuka longtime NHL forward who went on to a long coaching career. St. Louis Blues hired Konowalchuk at the start of the season, and hires like this make for top prospects entering this season.

But early struggles test the team's confidence. As of November 11, the Thunderbirds sit at 4-8-1-0. They ranked 27th in the league in scoring at 2.54 per game, and their power play struggled to produce much, going 4-for-44 out of the gate. That scoring deficit put a lot of pressure on Springfield defensively; the Thunderbirds were allowing 32.9 shots on goal and 3.38 goals per game, and their penalty kill ranked 22nd in the AHL at 79.6 percent.

So sometimes all it takes is a goalkeeper to pull the rest of the team into contention. For the Thunderbirds, the duo of Vadim Zherenko again Colten Ellis they have held the team in games until the rest get a team meeting. Since the start Springfield is 8-1-0-0, allowing 2.33 goals per game. After dropping four of their first five home games, they made the MassMutual Center a difficult place for the hosts, winning seven of eight at the “Thunderdome.” Now they have to work on establishing a solid game, as they open a five-game road series Saturday night at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.

Ellis, top 10 in the league in save percentage (.921), minutes played (778) and wins (8), joined the Blues organization as a 2019 third-round draft pick but this is his first full season at the AHL level, spending most of the year his first three in the ECHL. Most of the time at that time he had to play behind the lovers of Joel Hofer again Charlie Lindgren on the depth chart of St.

But opportunities will eventually open up in this league. Louis was trading Malcolm Subban to Columbus on March 8, opening a place in Springfield for Ellis. He had a .918 save percentage in 10 appearances as Springfield tried to clinch a postseason berth, including a 47-save effort in a 5-1 win over Toronto on March 9, one day after the Suban trade . The playoff bid fell short, but Ellis had shown enough to earn a new one-year contract.

Turning a team around sometimes requires adjusting the roster, which the Thunderbirds did by adding forwards Matt Luff on November 7. Coming off a season split between the Detroit Red Wings and the Grand Rapids Griffins, Luff thrived in Springfield, providing five goals and five assists in nine games with the team. That kind of veteran offensive help took some of the pressure off an early season where goals were hard to come by.

These Thunderbirds also have a fun little talent. Dalibor Dvorskytaken 10th overall by the Blues in the 2023 NHL Draft, he excelled as a 19-year-old with a team-leading 10 goals in his first 22 games. Another young striker, 20 years old Alexander Kaskimakiis second on the team with 15 points. Off-season signing Marcus Sylvegarda player coming off a career-best 23-goal season in the Swedish Hockey League, a rookie, and Dylan Peterson he posted 11 points in 22 games after completing his collegiate career at Boston University.

There are more than four months left in the regular season, and a tough road trip will follow. But this is a Thunderbirds team that has shown it can have staying power.

In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL's James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league's top scorer in 2016.