Evansville, In.: During Wednesday morning’s press conference at Ford Center, Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes announced the re-signing of forward Matthew Hobbs, who was simultaneously named the 9th captain in Evansville Thunderbolts team history. The Thunderbolts begin the 2024-25 season at Ford Center on Friday, October 18th as they host the Knoxville Ice Bears.
Hobbs joined the Thunderbolts late in the 2021-22 season and has played two full seasons with Evansville since then, scoring 16 goals and 43 points in 102 regular season games. In 2023-24, Hobbs was appointed to be one of the Thunderbolts’ alternate captains, a reflection of his rising role as a leader coming into this previous season. Wearing the “A”, the Burlington, Ontario native took a massive leap forward in offensive production in the second half of the 2023-24 season, scoring 11 goals and 29 points in the final 27 games of the regular season before posting 5 points in 5 playoff games, highlighted by scoring the series-winning overtime goal in Game 3 of the quarterfinal series against the Birmingham Bulls. Hobbs is no stranger to the captaincy role, having previously worn the “C” twice in junior hockey, first with the Welland Jr. Canadians of the GOJHL in 2017-18, before later captaining the OJHL’s Burlington Cougars in 2019-20.
“It’s an honor, of course, to know that Scott (Schoenike) and Jeff (Bes) have faith in me to lead the team and back up their goals and plans for the team, and from the success we had last season, we’re going to keep it rolling,” remarked Hobbs in his reaction to being named captain. “I’m hungrier than ever, I’ve never wanted something so bad and I’m not going to take anything less than a championship this season.” On his decision to name Hobbs captain, Coach Bes commented: “Hobbs has definitely grown over the course of the time he has played here, we’ve seen him evolve and elevate his game, and we still know there is more growth to come. He has consistently been a leader both on and off the ice, and because of that we are excited to name him captain and for him to lead our squad.”
Season tickets for the 2024-25 season are on sale now. Call 812-422-BOLT 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