The Adirondack Thunder will need a new captain next season, as Patrick Grasso announced that he will be leaving the organization. The Iowa native will be heading to Austria to play for Innsbruck. Former Worcester Railers Head Coach Jordan Smootherman took a job as the team’s head coach for Innsbruck after he mutually parted ways with the Worcester Railers. The news is expected to be officially announced tomorrow by the team.
Grasso spent his collegiate career at the University of New Hampshire, where he played in 138 games with the Wildcats, scoring 49 goals and adding 48 assists for 97 points. He also won the Hockey East Sportsmanship Award in 2021. In three years with the Adirondack Thunder, he put up 84 goals and 58 assists for 142 points in 171 regular season games and added two goals and two assists in five games during the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs. Grasso would have 37 goals during the 2022-23 season in 64 games but was limited to only 39 games this season as he put up 21 goals in 39 games but would end up becoming the Franchise’s all-time leading scorer on January 6th vs Maine Mariners. The 28-year-old center would be named Captain of the Thunder on October 20th. He would a goal and five assists for six points in 18 career AHL games
This is a massive loss for the Thunder, as Grasso was one of the key players on the team when he was healthy and was a fan favorite around the Glens Falls area. Adirondack will not only need to look for someone to possibly replace Grasso, but they will need someone to fill the captaincy as well.
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