Meet the Thunderbirds: Springfield’s opening roster for the 2024-25 season
The Springfield Thunderbirds are back.
Get to know the team ahead of their 2024-25 season opener on Oct. 12 with the player bios below:
#1 Vadim Zherenko – Goaltender
6-4, 196, 23 years old – Moscow, Russia
Originally selected by the Blues in the 7th round (208th overall) in the 2019 NHL Draft, Zherenko debuted with the Thunderbirds on Oct. 21, 2022 at Belleville, where he posted 30 saves for his first AHL win.
Entering the 2024-25 season, Zherenko has appeared in 54 AHL games, posting a 22-23-4 record, a 3.33 goals-against average, and .908 save percentage. He accrued his first AHL shutout on Nov. 25, 2023 with 33 saves in a 7-0 win over Utica.
#5 Tyler Tucker – Defenseman
6-1, 205, 24 years old – Thunder Bay, ON
Originally selected by the Blues in the seventh round (200th overall) of the 2018 NHL Draft, Tucker was a key piece of the T-Birds’ 2022 Eastern Conference title team, picking up 18 points and 114 penalty minutes in 72 games before skating in each of the team’s 18 playoff contests.
He made his NHL debut with St. Louis on November 16, 2022 against Chicago and, entering the 2024-25 season, has skated in 52 NHL games with the Blues. He recorded his first NHL goal on February 23, 2023 against Vancouver.
#6 Corey Schueneman – Defenseman
6-0, 196, 29 years old – Brighton, MI
Originally signed to an AHL contract by the Stockton Heat in 2019, Schueneman turned pro after skating in 144 NCAA games with Western Michigan, where he was teammates with fellow Thunderbird Hugh McGing.
Though he was not drafted, Schueneman made his NHL debut less than three years after turning pro, skating for the Montreal Canadiens on Dec. 28, 2021 at Tampa, recording his first NHL point on an assist. He tallied his first NHL goal on March 17, 2022 vs. Dallas.
Entering the 2024-25 season, Schueneman had skated in 244 AHL games, recording 90 points (21g, 69a) and 97 PIMs, as well as a +20 rating. He was a member of the Laval Rocket squad that fell in seven games to Springfield in the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals.
#7 Leo Loof – Defenseman
6-1, 179, 22 years old – Karlstad, Sweden
Originally selected by the Blues in the third round (88th overall) in 2020, Loof skated in 113 professional games in Europe before joining the Thunderbirds in 2023.
A native of Sweden, Loof captured a bronze medal at the 2021 World Junior Championships. In his final pro season in Europe with Ilves of the Finnish League (Liiga), Loof tallied 15 points (4g, 12a) in 55 games with a +22 rating.
#8 Samuel Johannesson – Defenseman
5-11, 176, 23 years old – Halmstad, Sweden
Originally selected in the 6th round by Columbus in 2020, Johannesson has skated in 239 pro games in the Swedish league (SHL), posting 81 points in that time (22g, 59a) and just 28 PIMs. With Rogle BK, Johanneson captured a Champions Hockey League title in 2022.This is his first season in North America.
