Evansville, In.: The Evansville Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes are proud to announce that forward Aidan Litke has received a scholarship to attend Niagara University and play NCAA hockey at the Division 1 level, the first SPHL player ever to receive the opportunity.
Litke joined the Thunderbolts in the 2024-25 season in a trade from the Birmingham Bulls and immediately provided a boost in offense, scoring 6 goals and 9 points in 20 regular season games before adding 3 goals and 4 points in 7 playoff games, including the President’s Cup-winning overtime goal against the Knoxville Ice Bears. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native continued where he left off going into this season, scoring 6 goals and 11 points in 16 games, while also drawing many penalties with his persistence in getting under the skin of opposing players.
“I’m so excited for the opportunity to play (NCAA Division 1 hockey), it was an opportunity I could not turn down” commented Litke on accepting the scholarship. Litke continued: “I had a great experience in my time with Evansville; our captain Matt Hobbs made the transition joining the Thunderbolts so easy and the whole team was very welcoming. The Thunderbolts organization and the Evansville community has provided a huge support system and that helped lead us to so many wins, including winning the President’s Cup. I can’t wait for this new opportunity and to bring my experience from Evansville into it!”
Head Coach Jeff Bes commented: “Opportunities like these do not come along very often, so this news is exciting for Aidan as well as for our organization, as this opens a new road for developing players through Evansville. This will be a great opportunity for Aidan to continue to grow in his hockey career as well as academically for his career after hockey.”
Per SPHL guidelines for a corresponding transaction, Litke has been placed on team suspension while he embarks on his collegiate career.
