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, 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 | Matt Marquardt | Carter Cochrane |
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| Goaltending Coach | Director of Player Development | Athletic Trainer |
| Brad Guzda | Steven Goertzen | Phil Varney |
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| Equipment Manager | Assistant Equipment Manager | Respect Champion |
| Ryan Campbell | Brent Coller | Ryan Simonds |
Scouting
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| Director of Player Personnel | Director of Scouting | Senior Scout |
| Craig Goebel | Jag Bal | Matt Beck |
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| Saskatchewan | Alberta | British Columbia |
| Nevin Holowalchuk | Brad Hunt | Kevin Williams |
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| Saskatchewan | Alberta | Alberta |
| Zach Habscheid | Ross Patterson | Kent Dochuk |
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| Special Assignment Scout |
| Kevin Haupt |
Administration
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| President | Vice President, Business Operations | |
| Colin Campbell | Rick Ronish | |
Partnerships and Ticket Sales
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| Vice President, Corporate Partnership | Ticket Operations Manager | Senior Account Executive |
| Jason Thomsen | Dave Nyikos | Dylan Lockhart |
| 253-856-6834 | 253-856-6831 | 253-856-6845 |
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| Account Executive | Michele Fairbanks | |
| Brittany Di Somma | Accounting | |
| 253-856-6843 |
Marketing, Communications and Content
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| Vice President, Marketing and Communications | Director of Social Media | Graphic Designer |
| Erin Crooks | Malea Baumgartner | Jada Current |
| 253-856-6836 | 253-856-6830 | |
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| Intern | Photographer | Merchandising/Hockey Store Manager |
| Keegan Culp | Brian Liesse | Marci Ronish |
| website | 253-856-6858 |
Hockey Medical Staff
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
[email protected]
http://www.momentum4health.com
Game Night Staff
| Public Address Announcer/In-Arena Host | Tyler Gunhus |
| Radio Play-By-Play | Thom Beuning |
| Game Night Promotions | Dave Chambers |
| Game Night Promotions | Jen Galvin |
| Game Night Promotions | Katie Thomsen |
| Game Night Promotions | Bryce Thomsen |
| Game Night Promotions | |
| Game Night Promotions | |
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| Game Night Promotions |
Off-Ice Officials
Aron Bacon, Dave Carr, Laura Colello, Loren Colello, Tom Gorton, Greg Harris, Buck Haywood, Scott Humphreys, Bryan Kriewald, Brenda Mason, Rob Mason, Betty Petrullo, Ed Petrullo, Rick Rice, Lisa Carr, Ailene Harris, Bobbi Kriewald, Jay Carbon and Brian Testa.