Evansville, In.: The Evansville Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes are pleased to announce the re-signing of forward Myles Abbate for the 2024-25 season. The Thunderbolts begin the 2024-25 season at Ford Center on Friday, October 18th as they host the Knoxville Ice Bears.
Abbate joined the Thunderbolts off waivers from the Peoria Rivermen early in 2023-24, and as a rookie became one the Thunderbolts’ most prolific scorers, scoring 15 goals and 32 points along with a team-best +8 rating in 44 regular season games, along with a goal and assist in 5 playoff games. The native of Norwell, Massachusetts played four seasons of hockey at Proctor Academy in New Hampshire before a prolific four-year tenure at Plymouth State University between 2019-2023, scoring 54 goals and 115 points in 86 games. At Plymouth State, Abbate was part of three NCAA III MASCAC championship teams in 2019-20, 2021-22, and 2022-23. Individually, Abbate was the conference’s Rookie of the Year and member of the 2nd All-Star Team in 2019-20, before earning Player of the Year and 1st All-Star Team honors in 2021-22 and 2022-23.
“I had to learn quickly about adjusting to pro hockey when I joined the Thunderbolts, my teammates were a great help in getting adjusted and Coach Bes helped me improve as a player at both ends of the ice. During the playoffs I felt confident in our team, and we proved that we could play with anyone in the league on any given night. The playoff environment was great both at home and even on the road with how our fans traveled to support us,” remarked Abbate on his rookie season with Evansville. Abbate continued: “I’m excited to come back this season and build off of what we accomplished last year, I believe we all are hungry and looking forward to taking the next step as a team. I can’t wait to get back to Evansville and play at Ford Center again!”
Abbate joins previously announced forwards Matthew Hobbs, Derek Contessa, Logan vande Meerakker, Kevin Hu, Adam Keyes and Vili Vesalainen, defensemen Dillon Hill, Joey Berkopec, Benjamin Lindberg, and Gehrig Lindberg, along with goaltender Jonah Capriotti on the roster heading into training camp.
Individual game tickets, group packages, and season tickets are on sale for the upcoming 2024-25 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