SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Springfield Thunderbirds announced today that the club will host the Laval Rocket as they open the home-ice portion of its 2026-27 season on Saturday, October 10 at 6:05 p.m. inside the MassMutual Center.

Steve Ott returns behind the bench for the Thunderbirds for his first full season at the helm. After joining the T-Birds for his head coaching debut on Jan. 23, the former Blues associate coach led Springfield to a 19-13-2-0 record down the stretch, bringing the T-Birds from the bottom of the AHL standings into a playoff position.

From there, Ott helped orchestrate a pair of stunning upsets. Springfield erased a 1-0 series deficit to win two straight and eliminate the Charlotte Checkers in the First Round before completing the biggest upset in Calder Cup Playoff history with a four-game dispatching of the Providence Bruins in the Atlantic Division Semifinals. The Thunderbirds had finished the regular season 38 points behind the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy-winning Bruins.

While Ott's team saw its season come to a crushing end in a deciding Game 5 of the Atlantic Division Finals against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the T-Birds will boast a number of returning players in the Blues system, including captain Chris Wagner, defenseman Calle Rosen, and goaltender Georgii Romanov. Springfield further bolstered its depth with the signing of two-time AHL MVP and former Springfield Falcon T.J. Tynan.

The full 2026-27 AHL schedule, including the complete Thunderbirds slate of games, is expected to be released on Thursday, July 9.

Thunderbirds' 2026-27 season tickets are available now - fans can reserve their seat by visiting www.SpringfieldThunderbirds.com or by calling (413) 739-GOAL (4625).