SPRINGFIELD, Mass. - The Springfield Thunderbirds have announced their season-opening roster for the 2026-27 season, which opens on Saturday, Oct. 3 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton:

Forwards

• #8 Justin Carbonneau, RW
• #12 Nathan Walker, LW
• #13 Kale Kessy, LW
• #17 T.J. Tynan, C
• #18 Juraj Pekarcik, LW
• #21 Jakub Stancl, C
• #22 Dylan Peterson, RW
• #25 Sam Stange, RW
• #26 Simon Robertsson, LW/RW
• #28 Otto Stenberg, LW
• #37 Jack Finley, C
• #41 Aleksanteri Kaskimäki, LW
• #70 Oskar Sundqvist, C
• #71 Nikita Susuyev, LW/RW
• #88 Chris Wagner, RW

Defensemen

• #5 Colin Ralph
• #6 Lukas Fischer
• #9 Michael Buchinger
• #16 Ryan Wheeler
• #42 Quinton Burns
• #43 Calle Rosén
• #45 Marc-André Gaudet
• #48 Arseni Koromyslov

Goaltenders

• #30 Georgii Romanov
• #40 Will Cranley

Second-year head coach Steve Ott begins his first full season behind the bench with no shortage of familiarity, as 18 players who skated for the T-Birds in 2025-26 will be returning, including goaltenders Georgii Romanov and Will Cranley, captain Chris Wagner, and young St. Louis Blues prospects Otto Stenberg, Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, and Justin Carbonneau.

The T-Birds are furthered bolstered with veteran additions up front, including former Thunderbird Nathan Walker, who was assigned by the St. Louis Blues earlier this week. Walker tallied 73 points in 77 games with Springfield during the 2021-22 and 2023-24 seasons. 

Another player returning to Springfield is T.J. Tynan, who began his pro career with the Springfield Falcons back in 2014. In a 12-year career, Tynan has become one of the AHL's most dynamic playmakers, registering 579 career assists, the seventh-highest total in league history. 

The T-Birds' most experienced NHL skater will be Oskar Sundqvist, who was assigned by the Blues along with Walker. Sundqvist, 32, has skated in 545 career regular season NHL games and captured the Stanley Cup in 2019 with St. Louis. 

The T-Birds and Penguins drop the puck Saturday with a 6:05 p.m. scheduled puck drop from Mohegan Arena at Casey Plaza. Fans can listen live on NewsRadio 560 AM and 98.9 FM WHYN. The game will also stream on AHLTV powered by FloHockey.

Springfield opens its home slate on Saturday, Oct. 10 against the Laval Rocket for a 6:05 p.m. puck drop on MGM Springfield Opening Night, featuring the Community Bank Pregame Block Party from 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. at The Landing.

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).