AHL Suspends Thunderbirds Defenseman Wyatt Newpower Two Games for Kneeing

The AHL's Player Safety Committee handed Springfield Thunderbirds defenseman Wyatt Newpower a two-game suspension on March 15, stemming from a kneeing incident during Springfield's March 14 contest against the Utica Comets.

The timing is particularly disruptive for the Thunderbirds. Newpower, 28, had only recently joined Springfield after the club acquired him from the Syracuse Crunch in exchange for forward Matthew Peca. He barely had time to settle into the lineup before the suspension clock started.

The Hugo, Minnesota native is in his sixth professional season and arrived in Springfield carrying respectable numbers from his time with the Iowa Wild and Syracuse this year: 8 points (2 goals, 6 assists) in 44 combined games. His 21-game stretch with Syracuse was especially solid, producing 5 points (2 goals, 3 assists) and a plus-5 rating. Those numbers, combined with his 256 career AHL games and 52 career points (13 goals, 39 assists), made him a credible addition to the Thunderbirds' blue line.

But the 272 career penalty minutes that sit alongside those career totals hint at the physical edge that apparently got him in trouble against Utica. Kneeing infractions fall squarely within the category of dangerous plays the AHL Player Safety Committee has moved aggressively to discipline, and Newpower's two-game ban reflects that standard.

Newpower turned pro in 2020 after four seasons at the University of Connecticut, where he posted 47 points (11 goals, 36 assists) over 114 games with the Huskies. His path from UConn to a sixth professional season across multiple AHL organizations reflects the grind of borderline roster life in professional hockey.

For Springfield, a primary developmental affiliate of the St. Louis Blues and a member of the AHL's Atlantic Division, losing a newly acquired defensive piece at this stage of the 2025-26 season adds a layer of roster uncertainty. The exact games Newpower will miss were not confirmed in the suspension announcement, but the two-game ban takes immediate effect from the March 15 ruling.