Photo by Andy Camp
By Paul Post
The Adirondack Thunder captured the ECHL’s North Division and Eastern Conference championships last year with a franchise record 97 points.
They also drew an all-time high 4,239 fans per game including 16 sell-out crowds, and their extended six-week playoff run saw gross revenues reach $4 million.
Profits have been invested in both on- and off-ice improvements to make the fan experience even better as the Thunder set their sights on bringing a Kelly Cup championship home to Glens Falls next spring.
“The arena and team had their best year ever, which is real exciting as we head toward 2024-25,” said Jeff Mead, Thunder and Cool Insuring Arena general manager. “When this team started 10 years ago we sold 550 season tickets. Last year it was just north of 1,600 and we expect to be over 2,000 this season. So we’re pretty excited about where we are as an organization.”
The Thunder recently signed Head Coach Pete MacArthur and Assistant Coach Mike Bergin to new two-year deals. It was just over 24 months ago that MacArthur, a rookie head coach, inherited a last-place team that hadn’t made the playoffs since 2019.
But Adirondack earned a 2023 postseason berth with a dramatic win on the regular season’s final day. Building on that momentum, they went all the way to this past season’s Eastern Conference Finals before losing to eventual league champion Florida.
“The plan was to work toward reconnecting the team and the community,” MacArthur said. “Adirondack is a hard working, blue collar area and we want the team to match that mentality and attitude. It has been a pleasure to watch how much joy our games have brought to so many different people and families in Glens Falls and surrounding areas.”
MacArthur had a busy summer signing key returning players such as team Captain Darien Skeoch, veteran forward Ryan Smith (23 goals) and defenseman Ryan Wheeler, while improving the roster with new highly-skilled talent like Ryan Francis who split last season between Ontario (AHL) and Greenville (ECHL).
“Ryan is a proven point producer at the ECHL level and a depth player at the AHL level,” MacArthur said. “He can make plays at top speed, is tenacious on the forecheck and is also willing to defend. We’re excited about adding him into our top-six forward group.”
Former McGill University captain Taylor Ford is expected to bolster the defensive corps. Prior to his college career, he played four seasons of major junior hockey with the Halifax Mooseheads and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies.
“Taylor is a player we targeted toward the end of last regular season,” MacArthur said. “He plays the game with intensity and intelligence from the back end. We are excited for Taylor to be a big part of our team and look forward to his leadership becoming a valuable asset toward our goal of winning a championship.”
Training camp opens in early October and two preseason contests are scheduled. The Thunder will host the Reading Royals on Friday, Oct. 11. The teams will square off again the next night at Reading.
The regular season opens on the road with two games on Friday and Saturday, Oct. 18-19 at Norfolk. Adirondack’s home opener is on Saturday, Oct. 26 against the Trois-Rivieres Lions.
The Thunder compete in the seven-team North Division that now includes the Wheeling Nailers, which moved over from the Central Division to replace the Newfoundland Growlers franchise that folded toward the ended of last season.
The 29-team ECHL has two new teams, the Bloomington (Ill.) Bisons and Tahoe Knight Monsters of the Central and Mountain divisions, respectively. The Thunder have three games at Tahoe on Feb. 6, 7 and 8.
A series of capital upgrades to Cool Insuring Arena will greet fans and players alike when the season opens.
“We invested hundreds of thousands of dollars this summer,” Mead said. “Any time the team has a good year we put the money back into the arena and hockey team.”
Public restrooms, especially those near Heritage Hall, have been done over with new tile, lighting and partitions, and much of the entire building’s electrical system has been updated as well.
A new state-of-the-art skate sharpener has been purchased, the players’ lounge near the locker room has been made over, and handsome graphics adorn walls inside and outside of the locker room.
The referees’ room has been improved, too.
Last year, a new $120,000 Olympia ice machine was acquired and several new luxury boxes were added to the arena. All but a few dates for the suites have already been sold out.
“A new standard has been set here by Pete and the organization the past couple of years,” Mead said. “The plan is to continue that at a high level of hockey for a long time.”
The Thunder will be without the services of fan favorite Shane Harper, who has retired, and top offensive performers Patrick Grasso and Yushiroh Hirano are playing in Europe.
MacArthur has done his best to replace them with not only skilled players, but those who exhibit the character traits he wants the Thunder to have both on and off the ice, to move to the team’s culture forward and keep a tight bond inside the locker room.
Last year’s success did a great deal to help with the recruiting process for the season ahead.