On Tuesday, prior to tonight's game in Huntsville, the Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes announced a pair of transactions, led by the waiver claim of forward Vadim Vasjonkin.
Vasjonkin was claimed off waivers from the Peoria Rivermen, where he played 6 games and tallied one assist before departing to play for his home country Estonia in their Olympic Qualification Tournament. Vasjonkin played the start of 2022-23 with Vermilion County, scoring 5 goals and 13 points in 18 games before joining the Birmingham Bulls and later the Rivermen after Vermilion County ceased operations. In total, Vasjonkin has scored 8 goals and 22 points in 37 SPHL games. Vasjonkin played college hockey with Buffalo State University, with whom he served as team captain from 2018-2020, before turning pro in Europe between 2020-2022 with stops in Sweden, Norway, Kazakhstan and Poland.
In additional transaction news, forward Mike Ferraro has been called up by the ECHL's Savannah Ghost Pirates. Through 20 games this season with Evansville, Ferraro has scored 5 goals and 15 points.