Evansville Thunderbolts

What Evansville Thunderbolts does

The Evansville Thunderbolts is a professional ice hockey team competing in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) as Evansville, Indiana's only professional hockey franchise. Founded in 2016, the team plays home games at the Ford Center and is owned and operated by VW Sports, L.L.C., a subsidiary of venue management firm VenuWorks, Inc. The franchise has achieved significant on-ice success, winning back-to-back SPHL President's Cup championships in the 2024-25 and 2025-26 seasons, making it the fourth team in league history to repeat as champions. The club has qualified for the President's Cup Playoffs for six consecutive seasons.

The team's commercial offering centers on live professional hockey games and is monetized through a multi-tier ticket portfolio (season subscriptions, individual game tickets via Ticketmaster, and group packages including suites, party decks, The Ice Box, and birthday parties presented by Cookies by Design), plus corporate sponsorship inventory (dasher boards, jumbotron advertising, Zamboni wraps, arena banners, in-game cams and contests), merchandise sold through a Square-powered online store, and ancillary revenue from fan experiences such as Zamboni rides, Chuck-A-Puck, and Aero mascot appearances. Distribution is handled through direct phone sales, Ticketmaster, the Ford Center box office, and the team's website. The customer base consists of local Evansville fans and families purchasing individual or season tickets, and corporate groups seeking entertainment, marketing visibility, and team-building experiences.

Operations are led by President Scott Schoenike, with Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes overseeing hockey operations, and a sales organization led by Director of Sales Jim Kersten, Manager of Group Sales Entertainment Chris Kreiser, and multiple Account Executives (Andrew Lowe, Mangesh Pinge, Tyler Helwig). Marketing and creative services are handled by Camryn Martz, with game operations support from Drew Willis. The team employs 11-50 staff and is privately held with no disclosed external funding.

Name

Evansville Thunderbolts

Legal name

Evansville Thunderbolts

Website

https://evansvillethunderbolts.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Evansville Thunderbolts is the only professional hockey team in Evansville, Indiana, competing in the SPHL and playing home games at the Ford Center. Owned by VenuWorks, Inc., the franchise delivers live hockey entertainment, season and group tickets, sponsorships, merchandise, and fan experiences to local fans and corporate groups.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Evansville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The Evansville Thunderbolts is a professional ice hockey team in the Southern Professional Hockey League (SPHL) that delivers live professional hockey entertainment at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana. Its commercial core consists of home-game ticket products (season tickets, individual game tickets, and group/suite packages), corporate sponsorship inventory (dasher boards, jumbotron, on-ice logos, Zamboni wraps, etc.), official team merchandise, and premium fan experiences.

Product overview

The Evansville Thunderbolts is a professional hockey team that serves as the area's only professional hockey organization and a proud member of the SPHL. Owned and operated by VW Sports, L.L.C., a subsidiary of VenuWorks, Inc., the team offers a portfolio of products centered around live professional hockey entertainment at the Ford Center. The core offering is professional hockey games, supported by ticket products (season tickets, individual game tickets, group packages), merchandise, and fan engagement experiences. The product line includes interactive fan experiences (Zamboni rides, air raid siren, Chuck-a-Puck), premium group experiences (benchwarmer seats, high-five tunnel, post-game slap shot), corporate sponsorship packages (dasher boards, jumbotron advertising, Zamboni wraps), and birthday party packages. The team also provides digital ticketing through Ticketmaster and mascot appearances featuring Aero.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Professional Hockey Games
• Season Tickets
• Individual Game Tickets
• Group Packages
• Birthday Party Package presented by Cookies by Design
• Team Merchandise
• Corporate Sponsorship Packages
• Premium Group Experiences
• Aero Mascot Appearances

Quantifiable outcome

• Fourth team in SPHL history to win back-to-back President's Cup titles

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs: SPHL member team that competes in the same league with the same operational structure (Ford Center-style arena dependency, ticket/sponsorship/merchandise revenue mix). Highly comparable in tier and business model.
• Peoria Rivermen: SPHL member team that faced the Thunderbolts in the 2025-26 President's Cup Final. Directly comparable as a same-league, same-tier professional hockey operation targeting a similar Midwestern market.
• Pensacola Ice Flyers: SPHL member team operating with a similar business model — ticket revenue, group sales, sponsorships, and merchandise — in a comparable mid-sized market. Direct competitor for league standing and fan engagement.
• Huntsville Havoc: SPHL member team with comparable scale, market size, and revenue model. A direct in-league competitor for players, fans, and sponsorship dollars in the Southern US professional hockey landscape.
• Quad City Storm: SPHL member team serving a Midwestern market similar in size to Evansville. Direct peer for benchmarking ticket pricing, sponsorship rates, and group sales packaging.
• Knoxville Ice Bears: Fellow SPHL member team and direct competitor. The Ice Bears were the Thunderbolts' opponent in the 2024-25 President's Cup Final, making them the most directly comparable in-league rival.
• Fayetteville Marksmen: SPHL member team operating in a similar mid-sized market with comparable ticketing, sponsorship, and group sales product offerings. Direct in-league peer for benchmarking attendance and revenue.
• Vermilion County Bobcats: SPHL member team operating under the same league economics and competitive structure. Comparable as a direct in-league competitor for player talent, fan attention, and sponsorship revenue.
• Macon Mayhem: SPHL member team with comparable fan base size, ticket pricing structure, and sponsorship inventory. Directly comparable on operational scale and revenue diversification.
• Birmingham Bulls: SPHL member team; the franchise from which the Thunderbolts acquired captain Matthew Hobbs. Operates in the same lower-tier professional hockey league with comparable business model and revenue structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/evvthunderbolts

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Evansville Thunderbolts