Injuries, Rookies, and Resilience: Thunderbirds Close the 2024-25 Season

The Springfield Thunderbirds’ 2024–25 season officially came to a close following a 5-1 loss to the Providence Bruins, ending their best-of-three playoff series. Despite the early exit, Springfield’s campaign had a lot of positive signs, especially considering the adversity they faced.

One of the Thunderbirds’ biggest challenges this season, ultimately being their downfall, was dealing with the number of shots they gave up on a nightly basis. Springfield often faced 35–40 shots per game and leaned heavily on their goaltending to stay in games. That problem remained in the playoffs, where they were outshot 39–16 in their final loss to Providence.

Still, finishing the year with a 34-32-2-4 record was a strong effort. Springfield had about eight rookies in the lineup and dealt with injuries to almost every player at some point, some for substantial lengths at a time.

Instead of letting the injuries slow them down, the Thunderbirds turned it into a positive. Young players got a chance to play big minutes, grow their games, and handle tough situations all year long.

Now that Springfield’s season is over, the Blues have started calling up a few ‘Black Aces’ — extra players who practice with the NHL team during the playoffs. So far, they’ve brought up goaltender Colten Ellis, forward Nikita Alexandrov, and defenseman Corey Schueneman.

Here’s how some of the Blues’ key prospects progressed over the past year:

Nikita Alexandrov

    •    2023-24: 19 goals, 38 points, +11 rating (41 AHL games)

    •    2024-25: 21 goals, 49 points in 48 games

Alexandrov has really taken off at the AHL level, developing into a dependable scorer and two-way winger. However, he may find it difficult to carve out an NHL role in St. Louis beyond a bottom-six spot, as the Blues are deep down the middle and on the wing. His most realistic path is as a versatile fourth-line forward who can chip in offense…or potentially with another organization.

Dalibor Dvorsky

    •    2023-24: 45 goals, 88 points (OHL)

    •    2024-25: 21 goals, 45 points in 61 AHL games

Dvorsky made a strong first impression in his rookie AHL season, showing he can produce against older competition, even at the NHL level. He projects as a future top-six center for the Blues, with the potential to be a second-line playmaker who can also finish at a high level.

Aleksanteri Kaskimäki

    •    2023-24: 10 goals, 17 points (Liiga)

    •    2024-25: 11 goals, 34 points in 68 AHL games

Kaskimäki adjusted well to North American ice, improving his offensive output while maintaining strong defensive instincts. His upside looks like that of a middle-six winger who can kill penalties and provide depth scoring at the NHL level.

Dylan Peterson

    •    2023-24: 8 goals, 20 points (Boston University)

    •    2024-25: 13 goals, 22 points in 52 AHL games

Peterson showed modest growth in his first pro season, establishing himself as a responsible two-way forward. His NHL ceiling likely tops out as a checking-line, bottom-six winger, finding more value for his defensive reliability than his scoring abilities.

Otto Stenberg

    •    2023-24: 31 games played for Frölunda HC (SHL): 3 goals, 6 points; 9 games played for BIK Karlskoga (HockeyAllsvenskan): 4 goals, 9 points

    •    2024-25: 5 goals, 17 points in 38 AHL games

Stenberg split his 2023–24 season between Sweden’s top and second-tier leagues, with a notable scoring surge after being loaned to BIK Karlskoga and a top-six role with the team. In his first North American season, he had a little of an uneven transition but flashed high-end play-making abilities. Long-term, he still projects as a middle-six winger who can drive offense, though adding strength and consistency will be key to reaching an NHL role.

Colten Ellis

    •    2023-24: 16 games played for Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL): 7-9-0 record, 2.89 GAA, .924 SV%; 21 games played for Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL): 12-5-1 record, 2.45 GAA, .923 SV%

    •    2024-25: 22-14-5 record, 2.63 GAA, .922 SV% in 42 AHL games

Ellis dominated both levels he played at in 2023–24 and carried that strong play into becoming a full-time starter in the AHL this season. He faced more shots than any other goalie in the AHL and was a top-five netminder in save percentage, seventh in wins (22). Ellis is tracking toward earning an NHL backup job soon, with long-term upside as a potential 1B or lower-end starter.

Simon Robertsson

    •    2023-24: 2 goals, 4 points in 27 SHL games

    •    2024-25: 6 goals, 13 points in 26 AHL games

Injuries once again limited Robertsson’s progress, but when healthy, he showed glimpses of his natural scoring touch. If he can stay healthy, he projects as a bottom-six NHL winger with power-play utility, but durability remains a major question mark.

Michael Buchinger

    •    2023-24: 10 goals, 47 points (OHL)

    •    2024-25: 2 goals, 9 points in 51 AHL games

Buchinger had a steep learning curve adjusting to the pro game, particularly defensively. Long-term, he profiles as a third-pairing NHL defenseman who can contribute modestly on the power play if his puck-moving skills and defensive abilities continue to develop.

Zach Dean

        •    2023-24: 49 games played in the AHL producing 9 goals and 14 points, a -20 rating; 9 games in the NHL with 0 points and a -4 rating

        •    2024-25: Limited to 11 games due to injury - 1 goal and 4 points - played three games in Oct., 2 games in Jan., 4 games in Feb., 2 games in April

Dean’s development stalled once again due to injuries this season, limiting his opportunities to build on a promising rookie year. If he can stay healthy, he still projects as a hard-nosed bottom-six NHL forward with penalty-killing upside, but his offensive ceiling looks lower than once hoped.

Jakub Stancl

    •    2023-24: 28 games played for Växjö Lakers J20 (Sweden J20 Nationell): 7 goals, 14 points, -4 rating; 7 games played for Växjö Lakers HC (SHL): 1 goal

    •    2024-25: 58 games played for Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL): 23 goals, 57 points, -18 rating; 10 games played for Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL): 0 goals, 1 assist, -9 rating

Stancl boosted his offensive game with a strong WHL season after transitioning to North America but struggled defensively at the AHL level in a brief 10-game stretch of regular season games. His blend of size and scoring ability makes him an intriguing long-term prospect, but he’ll need to improve his pace and defensive habits to stick in a bottom-six NHL role, maybe middle-six if his development continues to trend upward.

Lukas Fischer

    •    2023-24: 68 games played for Sarnia Sting (OHL): 6 goals, 34 points, -27 rating

    •    2024-25: 51 games played for Sarnia Sting (OHL): 15 goals, 37 points, -19 rating; 3 games played for Springfield Thunderbirds (AHL): 0 points, -6 rating

Fischer showed real growth offensively in his final OHL season, especially in goal-scoring. However, his defensive play remains a work in progress, as seen in his junior plus-minus and a tough AHL debut. Right now, he projects as more of a depth defenseman at the NHL level — likely a No. 6 or 7 — with a small chance to become a steady No. 5 if he can tighten up his defensive game and add more consistency.