Evansville, In.: The Evansville Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes are pleased to announce the re-signing of forward Evan Miller for the 2026-27 season. The Thunderbolts return to Ford Center ice for the 2026-27 season on Saturday, October 17th against the Knoxville Ice Bears.
Miller, one of the SPHL’s top rookies of 2025-26, returns to Evansville for his second professional season after playing four seasons of NCAA Division 1 hockey at RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology) between 2021-2025. Miller initially began 2025-26, his first professional season, in Germany’s 4th-tier league with the Ratinger Ice Aliens before joining Evansville in December and quickly growing into one of the Thunderbolts’ top offensive producers. Despite only playing in 42 regular season games with Evansville, Miller scored 13 goals and 30 points, his .71 points-per-game average ranking second amongst all Thunderbolts skaters and fifth amongst all SPHL rookies who played at least 10 games. In the President’s Cup Playoffs, the Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario native led all Thunderbolts with 6 goals and tied for second on the team with 9 points, with 5 of the 6 goals and 8 of the 9 points coming in the final 7 games against Roanoke and Peoria.
“My first year in Evansville was special,” reflected Miller when asked about his experience so far as a Thunderbolt. “We had a great group of guys, and the fans were amazing all year long. With the different styles of hockey (from NCAA to Germany to the SPHL), it took a few games to adjust, but I was able to adjust quickly after that, and winning the championship was the cherry on top. It’s fun to come to the rink every day surrounded by people who want the best for us on and off the ice. The culture that has been built in that locker room is special; it’s not something that you take for granted.” Looking ahead to building in his second professional season, Miller commented: “I want to continue where I left off last season, be more creative with the puck and be more aggressive in making plays at both ends of the ice. My goal is to bring a third President’s Cup title to the City of Evansville; I couldn’t be more excited to get the season going!”
On re-signing Miller, Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes commented: “Bringing Evan back was a one of our top priorities for this season. He creates offense and has that natural ability to score goals that you just can’t teach, as we saw last season, especially in the playoffs. We will be counting on Evan to take on a bigger role this season and continue to generate offense to help our team win.”
Season tickets for the 2026-27 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