T-Birds Announce Hockey Operations Staff Promotions, Hires

SPRINGFIELD — The Springfield Thunderbirds announced multiple promotions and hires in the team’s hockey operations department.

First, the club announced that Steve Passineau, formerly head equipment manager, has accepted a promotion to join the St. Louis Blues, the T-Birds’ NHL affiliate, as an assistant equipment manager.

In addition, Abe Edson, formerly the Thunderbirds’ strength and conditioning coach, will join the NHL’s Minnesota Wild as an assistant strength and conditioning coach.

Casey Barile has been promoted to head equipment manager with the Thunderbirds after serving as an assistant for the last three seasons. A graduate of Kent State University and a native of St. Louis, Barile previously has experience in the ECHL with the Orlando Solar Bears as an assistant equipment manager during the 2020-21 season.

The Thunderbirds will also welcome two new members to the Hockey Operations staff for the 2024-25 season. Phil Currier will join the organization as a strength and conditioning coach. A Haverhill, N.H. native, Currier most recently served as director of Hockey Performance at the University of Vermont last season. His prior experience also includes stints at the University of Maine and his alma mater, Plymouth State University, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in exercise and sport physiology and a master’s degree in applied exercise physiology and human performance.

Lastly, Steven Smith will join the Thunderbirds as assistant equipment manager. The McAllen, Texas native most recently served as head equipment manager for the United States Hockey League’s Youngstown Phantoms from 2022 to 2024, where he was a member of the club’s Clark Cup championship in 2023. He has served in the same capacity for six organizations, including the ECHL’s Wichita Thunder and the North American Hockey League’s Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees, Amarillo Bulls, Jamestown Rebels, and New Jersey Titans.