On Tuesday, the Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes announced several transactions, led by the signing of defenseman Dmitri Yushkevich and addition of goaltender Michael Herringer as an Emergency Backup Goaltender (EBUG).
Yushkevich signed with the Thunderbolts following his North American professional debut with the Wichita Thunder of the ECHL, with whom Yushkevich played two games this season. Yushkevich began his professional career in 2017-18 in the KHL with Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk, playing in four games before moving to the VHL, where he has played most of his professional career, split between Rubin Tyumen, Yugra, Dynamo St. Petersburg, Omskie Krylia, and most notably Zvezda Moskva, with whom Yushkevich played three seasons between 2019-2022. In total, Yushkevich played 205 games in the VHL, scoring 10 goals and 37 points, before finishing last season in Kazakhstan, scoring a goal and 2 points in 9 games with Arlan Kokshetau. Yushkevich was born in Toronto, Ontario, while his father, also named Dmitri Yushkevich, was a defenseman for the NHL's Toronto Maple Leafs.
In additional transaction news, goaltender Michael Herringer has been added as an Emergency Backup Goaltender (EBUG). Herringer played 6 games with the Fayetteville Marksmen late in 2022-23 and earlier this season, and also played one game in the ECHL with the Savannah Ghost Pirates. The native of Comox, British Columbia turned professional late in 2022-23 following four seasons of college hockey with Nipissing University and the University of Regina between 2017-2023, and four seasons of major junior hockey with the Victoria Royals in 2012-13 and the Kelowna Rockets between 2014-17, winning the WHL Championship and participating in the Memorial Cup in 2015.
In additional transaction news, defenseman Jackson Siemens has been placed on waivers.