ECHL 2024-25 Season Preview: Adirondack Thunder

The Adirondack Thunder are coming off a historic season in which they went 43-18-7-4, finishing with 97 points while winning the North Division and the Eastern Conference. Adirondack’s magic continued into the post-season, as they knocked out the Maine Mariners in a thrilling seven-game series. They then erased a 2-0 series deficit to win four straight to eliminate the Norfolk Admirals in six games before having the clock struck midnight on their season as they lost in six games to the Florida Everblades in the Eastern Conference Finals.

“It’s exciting, the guys coming back know what it means to our community and the team not neccearily the wins and the losses but the compete to the bitter end. A lot of the conversations I had with players over the Summer it seems like the perception from the outside is changing a bit and that’s our goal and knowing it’s a great place to play and live some come and join us and let’s have some fun learning how to be successful. I think there’s a lot of energy from the returners and a lot of new energy and passion from the new guys”

Head Coach Pete MacArthur on building off the momentum from last season

Front Office and Hockey Operations Department

It was a rather busy off-season for the Adirondack Thunder Front Office and Hockey Operations Department. It started with the Thunder taking home multiple awards from Vegas, highlighted by Jeff Mead winning Executive of the Year and the Adirondack Thunder County Jerseys winning Specialty Jersey of the Year. Adirondack would also sign a three-year affiliation extension with the New Jersey Devils.

Head Coach Pete MacArthur and Assistant Coach Mike Bergin both got well-deserved contract extensions, which will take them through the 2025-26 season. One of the biggest things we saw from the coaching staff last season is that every player who stepped into the Thunder locker room made an impact right away, and that’s what you need in a league like the ECHL. Having someone like MacArthur and Bergin who know what they need and have shown that it will pay off is absolutely huge in an ever-changing league like the ECHL. Zach Walker, who recently announced his retirement, will be joining the Adirondack Thunder Front Office for the upcoming season.

Key Departures

The Adirondack Thunder were among the few teams that didn’t lose many guys to Europe. However, the Thunder suffered three key losses this off-season: Patrick Grasso went to Europe, and Tristan Ashbrook was traded to the Cincinnati Cyclones.

Patrick Grasso—After coming off a 37-goal season in 2022-23, injuries would limit the 28-year-old forward to just 39 games, but he was still able to put up 21 goals. Grasso was not only a leader on the ice but also made an impact off the ice, beginning the year as Captain before Darian Skeoch took over that role late in the season.

Tristan Ashbrook– The 26-year-old forward was a massive part of the Thunders success during the 2023-24 season, putting a 32-goal season in 69 games in his rookie year.

Matt Stief– The loss of Matt Stief is substantial to a Thunder blueline that had trouble contributing offensively last year. It will be even harder next year without Matt Stief, who’s led the Thunder in that department over the past two seasons.

Forwards

There’s no question that the Adirondack Thunder lost a lot of key pieces up front this off-season with Patrick Grasso going to Europe, Tristan Ashbrook being traded to Cincinnati, and Shane Harper who is still undecided on the future of his playing days. Adirondack did go out and acquire Patrick Polino from Cincinnati and signed Ryan Francis to an ECHL contract both guys who have the ability to light up the lamp.

Adirondack will also begin the season with four rookie forwards on ECHL contracts. However, all four of them have some ECHL experience under their belt. Out of the four rookies, the most promising rookie is Alex Young. There was a lot to like about the 23-year-old forward, who put up six points in seven games at the end of the regular season.

One player who I think will finally see the spotlight is Ryan Smith. The 27-year-old forward has been an important piece for Adirondack, playing a strong two-way game. He is coming off a breakout season in which he scored 27 goals and 23 assists for 50 points in 69 games.

The Blue Line

Heading into the 2024-25 season, the Adirondack Thunder blue line has a mix of some guys who played here last year and some new faces. When looking at the blue line, the biggest returning player has to be Darian Skeoch, who was a mid-season acquisition by Adirondack last year and ended up being named interim Captain. The New Liskeard, Ontario native is not going to be a guy who will be a force offensively but will do everything else. Throw a big hit, be a leader for Adirondack on and off the ice, and have no problem picking up big minutes. Adirondack also brought back Ryan Conroy and Brendan Less.

“It’s been good, guys in Utica were working their butts off and we got a little taste of AHL pre-season so guys know what it’s like up there and that’s kinda the mentality we brought down he was work hard and improve every day, I like our group”

-Skeoch on the Adirondack Thunder’s revamped blueline

The biggest defensive loss for Adirondack has to be Matt Stief, who was traded to Orlando for Kurt Gosselin before deciding to go overseas. Stief was a big point producer for the Thunder on the blue line, and I believe that offensive production could be an issue early in the season, especially with the number of rookies. Ryan Wheeler, who finished the year as a forward, and Brendan Less were the only two defensemen for Adirondack who were on ECHL deals last season and finished the year in Adirondack that had a double-digit point total.

Goaltending

Heading into next season, the goaltending will be similar to last season, as Jeremy Brodeur and Tyler Brennan will handle the majority of netminding duties this season. Adirondack would end up trading Vinnie Purpura to Reading; however, they would add another goaltender to the roster. David Fessenden, a rookie out of Canisius College, will be Adirondack’s third goalie to begin the season. There’s no question that we’ve seen in past years how important it is to carry a third goaltender in the past as Purpura, who started last year as the Thunders’s third goaltender last year, ended up seeing time as the starter last season.

“Just for him to be himself, you look at his college numbers and he played doubled the amount of games than Purpura and he actually had better numbers not to take anything away from Vinnie, we absoultey loved having Vinnie here on the ice and he was very well liked by his teammates and he earned the oppurtunity to go somewhere else where we think he’s going to get an oppurtunuity to play so when we heard David was available 6’6, 260, athletic and catches normal and not goofy like Vinnie. I think you are going to see something similar to Vinny and he made some pretty unbeliavable saves in the first day of training camp

– Head Coache Pete MacArthur on his exceptions for Fessenden

Once again, goaltending next year should be one of the biggest strengths, especially since Jeremy Brodeur is coming off a career year in which he put up an 18-9-3 record with a 2.56GAA, .918SV%, and two shutouts. Tyler Brennan’s health will also play a key role for the Thunder as he was limited to just 13 games as he went 5-5 with 3.16 GAA, .896SV%, and one shutout. There were times when Brennan looked really good, and there were times he looked really bad. Hopefully, if he plays consistently well for the Thunder and stays healthy, he could have a huge bounce-back season for the Thunder.

Who’s Coming Down From Utica?

There’s no telling who Adirondack will get from Utica this season, but there are a few names that I believe will see some time in a Thunder uniform this season.

Andre Ghantous—There’s definitely an argument to be made that Ghantous was the best college signing for the Thunder last season. He picked up three goals and 10 assists for 13 points in 10 games with Adirondack and a goal and an assist in three games with Utica. Those numbers would earn him an AHL deal this Summer.

Jace Isley– Despite being on an AHL deal, Isley spent the majority of last season in Adirondack, putting up six goals and 17 assists for 23 points in 55 games last season. He would add one goal in seven games with the Comets. The 22-year-old has shown promise at the ECHL level, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he splits next season between Adirondack and Utica.

Jackson van de Leest- The 6’7 defenseman was another late-season by the Thunder as he put up two assists in 14 games with Adirondack and added an assist in six games with Utica. Despite being 6’7, he doesn’t play a physical game; instead, he uses his size to play a more fundamental game. I would expect a majority of his playing time to come with Adirondack.

Filip Engaras– The 25-year-old center spent most of the 2023-24 season in Utica, putting up six goals and six assists in 53 games with the Comets. Engaras played four games with the Thunder in early November, where he put up two goals and an assist before being recalled to Utica. The former sixth-round pick of the Edmonton Oilers would return to Adirondack in March for two games after suffering an injury in Utica, which kept him for a little over a month. Engaras would add seven goals and two assists for nine points in 17 games during the Kelly Cup Playoffs.

Kevin O’Neil– In his three seasons with the South Carolina Stingrays, O’Neil has put up 46 goals and 77 assists for 123 points in 126 games, but despite those numbers has only seen nine games at the AHL level. A change of scenery from Hershey to Utica should give the 26-year-old winger more of an opportunity at the AHL level. I would expect O’Neil to see some time in Adirondack, but he can produce at the same level he has in the ECHL in the AHL he won’t see much time in Adirondack. However, if O’Neil does end up being a piece that Utica stashes in Adirondack, expect him to play a big role for the Thunder.

Tag Bertuzzi– Adirondack acquired Bertuzzi’s ECHL rights in the Broughman/Purpura trade. Bertuzzi is a guy who will likely spend a lot of time in Utica next season after signing an AHL deal. The 23-year-old center has solid numbers at the ECHL level and, like O’Neil, will finally get a longer look at the AHL level.

Expectations For 2024-25

There’s no question that after last season, the expectations for the Thunder are to once again make the Kelly Cup Playoffs, and despite some key losses this off-season, that is still possible. One of the biggest parts of putting together a championship is goaltending, and that didn’t change much during the off-season. They brought in a few new faces with more experience to help some of the younger players on this team, and despite losing both Patrick Grasso and Tristan Ashbrook, they addressed that issue by bringing in Patrick Polino.

Adirondack’s season kicks off on October 18th, when they travel to Norfolk for a rematch of last year’s North Division Finals.