101 ESPN to air Blues AHL affiliate playoff games

ST. LOUIS — Although the St. Louis Blues didn’t make the playoffs this season, its AHL affiliate is experiencing the exact opposite. The Springfield Thunderbirds are in the Atlantic Division semifinal with the Providence Bruins.

An agreement between the Blues and Hubbard Radio on Thursday will present live radio broadcasts of the best-of-five series.

The American Hockey League’s Calder Cup Playoffs between the Thunderbirds and Bruins start on Friday. The series will air in its entirety on 101 ESPN in the St. Louis region, featuring Thunderbirds play-by-play announcer Ryan Smith on the call.

Smith has been the voice of the Thunderbirds on television and radio since 2016 and made his NHL debut in 2022 on 101 ESPN, calling one period of action during a Blues game at Boston. The Penn State product started his hockey broadcasting career for the Nittany Lions women’s hockey team. Also, he covered the men’s team during their inaugural seasons as NCAA Division I programs in 2012-13.

Led by former Blues player and assistant coach Steve Ott in his first season as head coach, Springfield earned the No. 6 seed in the AHL’s Atlantic Division with a 32-32-6-2 regular season record. Ott took over as head coach in January and guided the Thunderbirds to a 19-13-2-0 record to finish the season, claiming the final divisional playoff spot. Additionally, five current members of the Thunderbirds skated for the Blues during the NHL regular season this year: Otto Stenberg, Theo Lindstein, Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, Hugh McGing, and Hunter Skinner.

Playoff matchup synopsis

Springfield opened the playoffs by coming from behind to take the best-of-three playoff series against the No. 3-seeded Charlotte Checkers, clinching a second consecutive win to end the series with an overtime game-winner on Saturday, April 25.

Providence heads into the series against Springfield coming off a first-round bye after earning the MacGregor Kilpatrick Trophy with the best overall regular-season record in the AHL.

The T-birds handed the Bruins five of their AHL-low 16 losses on the season en route to a 5-5-2-0 head-to-head record between the teams in the regular season.

The partnership between the Blues and Thunderbirds

St. Louis’ affiliation agreement with Springfield began in 2021. Both organizations announced an extension of that partnership through the end of the 2030-31 season back in October 2024.

The Thunderbirds have experienced tremendous success on and off the ice throughout their association with the Blues.

In 2022, the team captured the Richard F. Canning Trophy as Eastern Conference Champions before reaching the Calder Cup Finals for the first time in club history.

The Thunderbirds received the AHL President’s Award as Team of the Year that same season.

The two organizations would further solidify their association on April 8, 2026. Blues assistant general managers Ryan Miller and Tim Taylor were named co-general managers of the Thunderbirds.

Springfield Thunderbirds playoff broadcast schedule on 101 ESPN

Friday, May 1                 Game 1: Springfield at Providence                 6:05 p.m. CT

Sunday, May 3              Game 2: Springfield at Providence                6:05 p.m. CT

Tuesday, May 5            Game 3: Providence at Springfield                6:05 p.m. CT

Thursday, May 7*        Game 4: Providence at Springfield                6:05 p.m. CT

Saturday, May 9*        Game 5: Springfield at Providence                 6:05 p.m. CT

* if necessary