Thunderbolts Re-sign Timothy Faulkner

The Evansville Thunderbolts, of the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League), announced today the re-signing of Defenseman Timothy Faulkner to the 2022-2023 team.

The 6’4” native of New Baden, Illinois will start his second year as a pro with the Thunderbolts, where he played 48 games in his rookie campaign (2 goals, 8 assists, 10 points, 65 penalty minutes).  Prior to his start in Evansville, he played three years at Aurora University.

Head Coach Jeff Bes says about the Sophomore, “Tim came in mid-way last season and contributed in every game he played. He committed himself this summer to be ready and prepared to help our team win some games.”

Faulkner says about his time in Evansville last season, “I had a blast in Evansville, and I’m excited to build on what we had going last year.  It was a great experience, and I can’t wait to get it started again.”

Opening night is coming Saturday, October 22.  Individual game tickets will go on sale September 30.  Season ticket and group packages are now on sale for the upcoming season.  

Thunderbolts Announce Addition of Goalie Zane Steeves to Team

The Evansville Thunderbolts, of the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League), announced today the signing of goalie Zane Steeves to the 2022-2023 hockey roster.

Steeves will begin his second pro season in the SPHL after spending time with the Birmingham Bulls and Huntsville Havoc.  He had a record of 6-4-1 with the combined teams and a goals against average under three goals a game.  Before that, the 6’ 3” lefty from Red Deer, Alberta spent a year in Sweden after coming out of four years with the College of St. Scholastica. 

Head Coach Jeff Bes says of his new goalie, “Zane is big mobile goalie who moves very well. He has experience and success in our league last season, and we are excited for him to continue his development with us. We look forward to Zane arriving in town and helping us win some hockey games.”

Steeves talks about his new team, “I’m thrilled to be joining the team and community in Evansville this year. It's a great opportunity to come into a successful program, help build what they have and win a championship. Jeff's strong reputation as a coach speaks for itself in terms of how success follows him.”

Thunderbolts Sign Kristaps Nimanis to Team

The Evansville Thunderbolts, of the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League), announced today the signing of Kristaps Nimanis to the 2022-2023 season squad.

The 29-year-old, 6’ 1” defenseman is from Liepaja, Latvia, but has extensive playing time both overseas and in America.  He has seen time with Quad City among other teams in the SPHL, plus earlier time in the Federal Hockey League.  Nimanis played the last two seasons in Latvia, where his team played eleven games in their league’s playoffs.

Head Coach Jeff Bes talks about Nimanis, “Kristaps is a veteran Defenseman who brings a work horse mentality. He has an old school player mentality which you don’t see too often anymore. He plays hard and physical, blocks shot and does all the dirty details to help a team win. I look forward to having Nimo on our team.”

Thunderbolts Add Huffnagle and Debacco to Squad

The Evansville Thunderbolts, of the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League), announced today the signings of Aaron Huffnagle and Alex Dibacco for the 2022-2023 season.  This marks the fourth and fifth players announced by Head Coach Jeff Bes, and the first two American players.

Huffnagle is a 6’ 3” Forward from Marlton, New Jersey.  He is beginning his fourth year of pro hockey and played three games with the Thunderbolts last season.  He started last season with the Birmingham Bulls and saw action with the Fort Wayne Komets and Norfolk Admirals in the ECHL.  Prior to that, he logged time with Knoxville, Fayetteville and Roanoke in the SPHL.  Overall, he has played more than seventy games of professional hockey (11 goals, 14 assists, 25 points).

Head Coach Jeff Bes says of Huffnagle, “Aaron filled in last season right at the end when we had numerous injuries. He played very well for us in that period. Huff is a versatile player that can play up and down the lineup and produce with whoever he plays with. He has experience in the ECHL as well as our league and we are looking for a breakout season this year.”

Aaron adds, “When the season ended and Coach Bes called, I knew right away I wanted to head back to Evansville.  I look forward to contributing to the culture the guys before me have built and I can’t wait to compete in front of the best fans in the league.”

Dibacco is a 5’ 11” Defenseman from Darien, Illinois.  He comes back to America after spending his first pro season in Finland playing for the HC Giants (19 games, 4 goals, 6 assists, 10 points).  Prior to that, he played four seasons of college hockey at Saint Mary’s University in Minnesota.

Head Coach Jeff Bes reports about Dibacco, “Alex is a strong skating defenseman who has a lot of offensive potential. He really worked on his game last season in Finland, and gained valuable experience, and I feel he will really help our defense core this season.”

Alex says of joining the team, “I am very excited for the chance to play for such a great organization in Evansville. The city seems like a great hockey town with an awesome fan base that supports the team. I am looking forward to meeting everyone on the team and doing my best to us help have success on the ice this year. October can’t come soon enough!”

Thunderbolts Announce Signing of Defenseman Dillon Hill

The Evansville Thunderbolts, of the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League), announced today the signing of defenseman Dillon Hill for the 2022-2023 season.  Hill marks the third player announcement of the new season by Head Coach Jeff Bes.

The 6’ 3” native of Niagara Falls, Ontario played three games for the Thunderbolts last season.  He also saw time with Roanoke in the SPHL and ten games with the Fort Wayne Komets in the ECHL. 

Head Coach Jeff Bes says of Hill, “Dillon is big, strong and versatile player who brings experience to our team.  He knows what it takes to play every day and he will bring that to the team.”

Hill adds, “I am extremely happy to be back in Evansville and excited for the season to get underway.  Opening night can’t come soon enough.”

Season ticket and group packages are now on sale for the upcoming season.  Call 812-422-BOLT or visit our all-new website (www.evansvillethunderbolts.com) for details.