| Evansville Thunderbolts | |
|---|---|
 | |
| City | Evansville, Indiana |
| League | SPHL |
| Founded | 2016 (2016) |
| Home arena | Ford Center |
| Colors | Red, blue, gray, white |
| Owners | VW Sports, LLC. |
| Head coach | Jeff Bes |
| Website | evansvillethunderbolts |
| Franchise history | |
| 2016–present | Evansville Thunderbolts |
| Championships | |
| Playoff championships | 1 (2024-25) |
TheEvansville Thunderbolts are a minor leagueice hockey team in theSPHL. The team plays at theFord Center inEvansville, Indiana. The team replaced theEvansville IceMen of theECHL.
During the2015–16 season, the City of Evansville and the owner of theECHL'sEvansville IceMen, Ron Geary, were unable to agree to a new lease for the IceMen to continue to operate out of the Ford Center.[1] On January 19, 2016, Geary announced that he had agreed to terms with the nearby city ofOwensboro, Kentucky to relocate the team to theOwensboro Sports Center.[2]
On February 8, 2016, Evansville mayor,Lloyd Winnecke, announced that local businessman and IceMen season ticket holder, Mike Hall, had secured an expansion team in theSouthern Professional Hockey League to play at the Ford Center beginning in the2016–17 season, thus displacing the IceMen franchise from Evansville.[3] On March 1, the City of Evansville and the new team signed a five-year lease agreement to play at the Ford Center.[4] Hall would act as general manager while the majority owner was VW Sports, LLC., a subsidiary of VenuWorks, Inc., the arena management company.[5]
On March 22, 2016, former IceMen head coachJeff Pyle was announced as the head coach for its inaugural season.[6] The new team name was announced on April 15, 2016,[7] taken from theP-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft which was manufactured in Evansville during theSecond World War.[8] Near the end of the first season, Mike Hall sold his portion of the team to VW Sports, LLC.[5] and Pete Xander was named the new general manager for the 2017–18 season.[9]
After two seasons, head coach Pyle left for the head coaching position with theAtlanta Gladiators of theECHL.[10] Pyle was replaced by former NHL playerIan Moran as head coach and Adam Stio was named general manager for the2018–19 season.[11] The team finished in last place and general manager Stio was fired at the end of the season[12] and Moran resigned.[13] Longtime SPHL head coachJeff Bes was hired as the head coach for the 2019–20 season,[14] while Patrick Kelly was hired as the new general manager.[15] The2019–20 SPHL season was curtailed by the onset of theCOVID-19 pandemic while the Thunderbolts were in a position to qualify for the playoffs.
Due to the ongoing effects and restrictions during the pandemic, the Thunderbolts were one of five SPHL teams to not participate in the2020–21 season.[16] Before returning for the2021–22 season, the Thunderbolts hiredBob McNamara as the general manager.[17]
At the conclusion of the 2024–25 regular season the Thunderbolts finished with a 24–24–2–6 record clinching the 7th seed in the President's Cup. On April 24, 2025, the Thunderbolts won The President's Cup, their 1st in franchise history following a 2–1 overtime win over theKnoxville Ice Bears.
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | Pts | GF | GA | Finish | Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016–17 | 56 | 14 | 32 | 10 | 38 | 138 | 206 | 10th of 10, SPHL | did not qualify |
| 2017–18 | 56 | 27 | 20 | 9 | 63 | 186 | 191 | 6th of 10, SPHL | Lost Quarterfinals, 2-1 (Macon) |
| 2018–19 | 56 | 12 | 38 | 6 | 30 | 124 | 224 | 10th of 10, SPHL | did not qualify |
| 2019–20 | 46 | 25 | 14 | 7 | 57 | 153 | 151 | 5th of 10, SPHL | Season cancelled |
| 2020–21 | did not participate | ||||||||
| 2021–22 | 56 | 28 | 26 | 2 | 58 | 162 | 155 | 7th of 11, SPHL | Lost Quarterfinals, 2-0 (Huntsville) |
| 2022–23 | 56 | 32 | 22 | 2 | 66 | 172 | 165 | 5th of 11, SPHL | Lost Quarterfinals, 2-0 (Roanoke) |
| 2023-24 | 56 | 23 | 29 | 4 | 50 | 149 | 177 | 8th of 10, SPHL | Won Quarterfinals, 2-1 (Birmingham) Lost Semifinals, 2-0 (Peoria) |
| 2024-25 | 56 | 24 | 24 | 8 | 56 | 149 | 172 | 7th of 10, SPHL | Won Quarterfinals, 2–1 (Huntsville)Won Semifinals, 2–0(Peoria)Won Finals, 2–0 (Knoxville) |
