Springfield Thunderbirds honored for ticket sales, corporate growth in 2025-26
Springfield topped 600 new full-season equivalents and drew 18 sellouts, turning business gains into a stronger game-night base at MassMutual Center.
Springfield’s strongest honor from the AHL’s Team Business Meetings came with a clear fan-facing payoff: the Thunderbirds reached 600 new Full Season Equivalents in 2025-26, helped fill MassMutual Center for 18 sellout crowds and lifted average attendance to 92.1 percent capacity, or 6,258 fans a night. For a club trying to keep its building loud and full, that is more than a sales milestone, it is evidence of a franchise that has turned consistent demand into a real home-ice asset.
The recognition arrived at the league’s annual business gathering in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where more than 250 representatives from all 32 AHL clubs met at DeVos Place Convention Center to compare strategies in ticket sales, corporate sales, marketing, merchandise and technology. The setting mattered as much as the awards themselves. In a league celebrating its 90th anniversary and one that says nearly 90 percent of today’s NHL players are AHL graduates, Springfield’s results stood out as proof that off-ice execution can reinforce everything that happens on the ice.
The ticketing numbers show the scale of that foundation. Hitting 600 new full-season equivalents signals that Springfield is not just retaining existing buyers but continuing to widen its base of committed supporters. The 18 sellouts and 6,258 average attendance figure suggest that the Thunderbirds have made MassMutual Center a dependable night out in Western Massachusetts, where a packed building helps shape the atmosphere around every shift, power play and late-game push. The club is already trying to carry that momentum forward, with season-ticket sales for 2026-27 remaining available.
Springfield’s corporate business was just as important to the club’s stability. The Thunderbirds were recognized for a corporate cash renewal rate above 90 percent, and Matthew McRobbie finished in the AHL Eastern Conference’s top three in corporate sales revenue for a third straight season. That kind of continuity matters because sponsorship retention and corporate growth can support the roster, the arena experience and the organization’s broader reach beyond game nights.
The Thunderbirds also pointed to a record-setting 2024-25 business year that included new highs in attendance, season-ticket membership and corporate revenue, making the latest honors look less like a one-off and more like part of a sustained climb. In a league built on development, Springfield is showing that its own growth is not limited to the scoreboard.
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