Owners and Staff
On October 4, 2017, the WHL Board of Governors voted unanimously to approve the sale and transfer of ownership of the Seattle Thunderbirds from Russ Farwell and his ownership group to Dan and Lindsey Leckelt, co-CEOs of Silent-Aire. The Leckelt brothers are the co-owners of Silent-Aire, an engineering and data center equipment manufacturing company with operations in Edmonton, Phoenix, Seattle, Virginia and Dublin, Ireland.
Russ Farwell and his ownership group had owned the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds franchise since 2002 and have operated out of the accesso ShoWare Center in Kent, Washington since 2009. The ownership change also requires approval of the City of Kent with respect to the arena license agreement.
Dan and Lindsey Leckelt, who are graduates of the University of Alberta with Civil and Mechanical Engineering degrees, took over the leadership and strategic direction of Edmonton-based Silent-Aire in early 2000. Silent-Aire engineers and manufactures custom HVAC solutions for data centers, institutions and industrial facilities and has over 900 employees worldwide. Former university, senior and minor professional hockey players, Dan and Lindsey won an Allan Cup National Senior Hockey Championship with the Stony Plain Eagles in 1999. In 2014, Dan and Lindsey purchased the Stony Plain Eagles senior hockey team and in 2017 acquired controlling interest in the Spruce Grove Saints Junior A hockey team of the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
“Dan and Lindsey Leckelt will bring strong business acumen and an extensive hockey background to the WHL as the new owners of our Seattle Thunderbirds franchise,” commented WHL Commissioner Ron Robison. “We believe their passion for the game and their commitment to the community of Kent will put the Thunderbirds in a position to continue to be a highly successful franchise in the seasons ahead.”
“We are very excited to see our passion for business and hockey come full circle in a community that has played such a large part in the growth of our family business,” said Lindsey Leckelt. “For Dan and I to have the opportunity to give back to Kent and the greater Seattle region through the acquisition of the Thunderbirds is truly aligned with our long-term vision.”
“It is an honor to become a part of the Western Hockey League and to be passed the torch from a great leader of our game like Russ Farwell,” said Dan Leckelt. “We are committed to carry on the tradition of the Seattle Thunderbirds with such a quality group of staff, players, sponsors, and fans.”
General Manager Russ Farwell and Vice President Colin Campbell will remain with the Thunderbirds and will continue to be responsible for the hockey and business management of the franchise.
Hockey Operations
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Vice President of Hockey Operations | General Manager | Assistant General Manager |
Russ Farwell | Bil La Forge | Jared Crooks |
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Head Coach | Assistant Coach | Assistant Coach |
Matt O’Dette | Kyle Hagel | Matt Marquardt |
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Goaltender Coach | Director of Player Development | |
Brad Guzda | Steven Goertzen | |
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Athletic Trainer | Equipment Manager | Assistant Equipment Manager |
Phil Varney | Justin Sturtz | Brent Collier |
Scouting
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Director of Player Personnel | Director of Scouting | |
Cal Filson | Craig Goebel | |
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Senior Scout/Recruiting Advisor | Alberta | Alberta |
Jag Bal | Brad Hunt | Dave Kendall |
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Alberta | Alberta | Alberta |
Ian McFatridge | Ross Patterson | Kent Dochuk |
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Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan | Saskatchewan |
Zach Habscheid | Garnet Jacobsen | Nevin Holowachuk |
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Alex Halat | British Columbia | Matt Beck |
Alberta | Kevin Williams | Alberta |
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Mat Malbasa | Washington/WHL | Special Assignment Scout |
Manitoba | Rod Egan | Kevin Haupt |
Administration
Partnerships & Ticket Sales
Communications, Marketing & Content
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Vice President of Communications and Marketing | Director of Social Media | |
Erin Saunders | Malea Baumgartner | |
253-856-6836 | 253-856-6830 | |
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Videographer | Photographer | Graphic Designer |
Ian Portmann | Brian Liesse | Jada Current |
website | 253-856-6842 | |
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Merchandising/Hockey Store Manager | ||
Marci Ronish | ||
253-856-6858 |
Hockey Medical Staff
Club Physicians
Dr. Alfred Blue
1221 Madison., Suite 1250
Seattle, WA
206-292-6226
Proliance Orthopedic Associates
4011 Talbot Road S, Suite 300
Renton, WA 98055
Phone: 425-656-5060
Fax: 425-656-5047
www.prolianceorthopedicassociates.com
Ty C. Jones, M.D.
Andrew L. Merritt, M.D.
Fredrick S. Huang, M.D.
Susan R. Cero, M.D.
Martin S. Tullus, M.D.
Craig T. Arntz, M.D.
William P. Barrett, M.D.
Traci G. Barthel, M.D.
B. Daniel Chilczuk, M.D.
Christopher R. Howe, M.D.
John Howlett, M.D.
Erik J. Novak, M.D., PH.D.
Niket Shrivastava, M.D.
Jason H. Thompson, M.D.
Robert G. Veith, M.D.
Timothy B. Alton, M.D.
Club Dentists
Dr. Steve Inaba
Meridian Dental Clinic
422 East Smith Street
Kent, WA 98032
253-852-3033
http://meridiandentalclinic.com/
Dr. Michael Archuleta
Kent Station Family Dentistry
417 Ramsay Way #114
Kent, WA 98032
253-850-1600
http://www.kentsfd.com/
Club Optometrist
Clearvue Vision Center
Dr. Alexandra Gelt
Dr. Bryan Heitmeyer
Dr. Allison Moy
8009 S 180th Street, #104
Kent, WA 98032
(425) 251-9200
http://www.clearvuevision.com/
Club Chiropractor
Pearson Chiropractic & Rehabilitation Center
13003 SE Kent Kangley Rd Suite 110
Kent, WA 98032
253-639-5115
http://www.pearsonchiropractic.com/
Club Acupuncture Therapist
Viet Quoc Tran, M.S., L.Ac
Vina Acupuncture & Oriental Medicine Clinic
1236-C South Jackson Street
Seattle, WA 98144
206-324-3009
Club Sports Nutrionist
Emily Edison, MS.RD
Momentum Nutrition & Fitness
206-696-4386
emily@momentum4health.com
http://www.momentum4health.com
Game Night Staff
Game Night In-Arena Host | Tyler Gunhus |
Public Address Announcer | Tom Helm |
Radio Play-by-Play Voice | Thom Beuning |
Game Night Promotions | Dave Chambers |
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Off-Ice Officials
Aron Bacon, Dan Butenschoen, Dave Carr, Laura Colella, Loren Colello, Paul Dunn, Keith Espirito, Tom Gorton, Greg Harris, Buck Haywood, Scott Humphreys, Bryan Kriewald, Trevor Lowe, Brenda Mason, Rob Mason. Betty Petrullo, Ed Petrullo, Rick Rice, Danny Smith and James Thomsen.