Thunderbolts Sign Forward Evan Miller; van der Veen returns from ECHL

Prior to Sunday's game at Quad City, Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes announced a pair of transactions, the signing of forward Evan Miller and the return of defenseman Will van der Veen from call-up to Tulsa (ECHL).

Miller joins the Thunderbolts in the midst of his first professional season, having started the year with the Ratinger Ice Aliens of the Germany4 pro circuit, registering 2 goals and 12 points in only 8 games.  Prior to this season, Miller played four seasons of NCAA Division 1 hockey with RIT (Rochester Institute of Tech.), scoring 2 goals and 11 points in 65 regular season games.  The native of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario played several seasons of junior hockey in his home province prior to college, first in the GOJHL with St. Catharines, Fort Erie, and Thorold between 2017-2019, and the Wellington Dukes of the OJHL in 2019-20, where he scored 8 goals and 21 points in 22 games.

Van der Veen rejoins the Thunderbolts following a call-up with the ECHL's Tulsa Oilers, where he played four games while on loan.  So far this season with Evansville, van der Veen has scored 2 goals and 4 points along with a +5 rating in 14 games.

Aidan Litke receives D1 Scholarship from Niagara University

Evansville, In.: The Evansville Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes are proud to announce that forward Aidan Litke has received a scholarship to attend Niagara University and play NCAA hockey at the Division 1 level, the first SPHL player ever to receive the opportunity.

Litke joined the Thunderbolts in the 2024-25 season in a trade from the Birmingham Bulls and immediately provided a boost in offense, scoring 6 goals and 9 points in 20 regular season games before adding 3 goals and 4 points in 7 playoff games, including the President’s Cup-winning overtime goal against the Knoxville Ice Bears. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native continued where he left off going into this season, scoring 6 goals and 11 points in 16 games, while also drawing many penalties with his persistence in getting under the skin of opposing players.

“I’m so excited for the opportunity to play (NCAA Division 1 hockey), it was an opportunity I could not turn down” commented Litke on accepting the scholarship. Litke continued: “I had a great experience in my time with Evansville; our captain Matt Hobbs made the transition joining the Thunderbolts so easy and the whole team was very welcoming. The Thunderbolts organization and the Evansville community has provided a huge support system and that helped lead us to so many wins, including winning the President’s Cup. I can’t wait for this new opportunity and to bring my experience from Evansville into it!”

Head Coach Jeff Bes commented: “Opportunities like these do not come along very often, so this news is exciting for Aidan as well as for our organization, as this opens a new road for developing players through Evansville. This will be a great opportunity for Aidan to continue to grow in his hockey career as well as academically for his career after hockey.”

Per SPHL guidelines for a corresponding transaction, Litke has been placed on team suspension while he embarks on his collegiate career.

Season tickets and single game tickets for the 2025-26 season are on sale now. Call 812-422-BOLT(2658) or visit our website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.com) for details.

About Evansville Thunderbolts: The Evansville Thunderbolts is the area’s only professional hockey team. The Thunderbolts are a proud member of the SPHL. The team is owned and operated by VW Sports, L.L.C, a subsidiary of VenuWorks, Inc. www.evansvillethunderbolts.com

Thunderbolts Dominate Bulls in 5-1 Victory

Evansville, In.:  After Friday’s tough loss to Macon, the Thunderbolts responded well, soundly defeating the Birmingham Bulls 5-1 at Ford Center on Saturday night and taking 3 out of 4 possible points on the weekend.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Saturday, December 20th against the Peoria Rivermen at 7:00pm CT.

                Evansville took control early and took the game’s first lead 6:36 into the game, with Jordan Simoneau scoring on a takeaway in the Birmingham zone, assisted by Myles Abbate and Matthew Hobbs.  At 13:08, Connor Federkow broke to the net off the right side boards and scored to extend Evansville’s lead to 2-0, assisted by Scott Kirton and Tyson Gilmour.  In the second period, Gilmour ended a long goal-scoring drought to make it 3-0, scoring on a rebound from Kirton and Joey Berkopec at 12:39.  The Bulls’ last gasp came early in the third period as Shawn Kennedy scored at 2:59 off a 3-on-1 rush immediately following a Birmingham penalty kill, briefly shortening the Thunderbolts lead to 3-1.  The Thunderbolts brushed the Bulls’ comeback attempt aside in short order, with Isaac Chapman scoring on a 2-on-1 just over three minutes later at 6:19 from Aidan Litke to make it a 4-1 game.  At 12:48, the final dagger came from Keanan Stewart, scoring unassisted after stealing the puck in the Birmingham zone to finish the scoring at 5-1 Evansville.

Gilmour finished with one goal and one assist while Chapman, Simoneau, Federkow and Stewart scored one goal each.  Kirton tallied a pair of assists, while Kristian Stead finished with 15 saves on 16 shots on goal for his 11th win of the season.  The Thunderbolts and Bulls meet again on Wednesday, December 31stat Ford Center, with Evansville leading the season series 2-0.

Season tickets, Individual game tickets and group packages are on sale for the 2025-26 season.  Call 812-422-BOLT(2658) or visit our website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.com) for details.

About Evansville Thunderbolts: The Evansville Thunderbolts is the area’s only professional hockey team. The Thunderbolts are a proud member of the SPHL.  The team is owned and operated by VW Sports, L.L.C, a subsidiary of VenuWorks, Inc. www.evansvillethunderbolts.com

Over 4,000 Teddy Bears Thrown Onto Ford Center Ice on Teddy Bear Toss Night

Evansville, In.:  Despite the tough 4-3 shootout loss to the Macon Mayhem, it was a great win for children in need in the Tri-State as 4,304 stuffed animals were tossed onto the ice for the Thunderbolts’ Annual Teddy Bear Toss on Friday night at Ford Center.  The Thunderbolts’ next home game at Ford Center will be on Saturday, December 6th against the Birmingham Bulls at 7:00pm CT.

The Mayhem took the game’s first lead 3:30 into the game off a net-front redirection by Conor Witherspoon.  At 13:20, Evansville tied the game as Isaac Chapman scored on a turnaround shot in the mid-slot from Dilan Peters and Derek Contessa to begin the deluge of stuffed animals onto the ice from the stands on all sides.  The Thunderbolts jumped ahead in the second period as Keanan Stewart scored from Scott Kirton and Tyson Gilmour to give Evansville their first lead, pushed further to 3-1 at 11:37 as Stewart scored again on a 2-on-1 rush from Eelis Laaksonen and Connor Tait.  Macon rallied to tie in the third period, as Connor May scored at 11:48 and Hayden Ford scored with 46 seconds remaining to force overtime.  The game required a shootout as overtime went scoreless, and Macon defeated Evansville in the shootout two goals to none to win 4-3.

Stewart scored twice for Evansville, while Chapman scored one goal.   In goal, Stead finished with 36 saves on 39 shots.  The Thunderbolts and Mayhem meet again on Friday, February 6th at Macon Coliseum, with Macon leading the season series 2-0.

Season tickets, Individual game tickets and group packages are on sale for the 2025-26 season.  Call 812-422-BOLT(2658) or visit our website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.com) for details.

About Evansville Thunderbolts: The Evansville Thunderbolts is the area’s only professional hockey team. The Thunderbolts are a proud member of the SPHL.  The team is owned and operated by VW Sports, L.L.C, a subsidiary of VenuWorks, Inc. www.evansvillethunderbolts.com

Thunderbolts Sign Goalie Adam Manji; Activate Peters and Tait

Prior to Friday's game against Macon, the Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes announced several transactions, led by the signing of goaltender Adam Manji to a standard contract, as well as the activations of Dilan Peters and Connor Tait from Injured Reserve.

Manji played NCAA Division 1 hockey at American International College in 2024-25, going 2-1 with a .921% save percentage in 7 games played before transferring to Lake Superior State University.  The native of New Westminster, British Columbia played three seasons of junior hockey in the BCHL with the Coquitlam Express between 2021-2024, compiling a record of 36-38-13 with a .904% save percentage in 90 games played in goal.

In other transaction news, defenseman Dilan Peters and forward Connor Tait have been activated from Injured Reserve.  Peters has played 7 games so far this season with Evansville, holding a +1 rating, while Tait has so far scored 1 goal in 6 games.  Lastly, goaltender Brendahn Brawley has been placed on waivers.