Evansville, In.: The Evansville Thunderbolts and Head Coach/Director of Hockey Operations Jeff Bes are pleased to announce the signing of forward Adam Keyes for the 2024-25 season. The Thunderbolts begin the 2024-25 season at Ford Center on Friday, October 18th as they host the Knoxville Ice Bears.
Keyes joins the Thunderbolts after splitting his first professional season with four teams in 2023-24, beginning with EG Diez-Limburg of the BeNeLiga in Germany. After scoring 5 goals and 18 points in 11 games, Keyes joined the Peoria Rivermen, scoring two goals in 12 games. Keyes was then involved in the midseason blockbuster trade from the Rivermen to the Pensacola Ice Flyers, with whom Keyes scored 3 goals and 6 points in 15 games. Keyes finished the year with the Fayetteville Marksmen, scoring a goal and 2 points in 2 games. The London, Ontario native played the bulk of his junior career with the St. Thomas Stars of the GOJHL between 2015-2019, scoring 66 goals and 168 points in 165 total games of GOJHL play. Keyes played alongside recent Thunderbolts addition Kevin Hu in 2016-17 and 2017-18, with Hu and Keyes finishing 1-2 respectively in team scoring for both seasons. Keyes then embarked on a four-season collegiate career at Aurora University, scoring 40 goals and 114 points in 92 games between 2019-2023, was a member of the NCAA NCHA All-Freshman Team in 2019-20, and was a member of the All-Conference teams in 2020-21 and 2022-23.
“I would describe myself as a playmaker, I like to create scoring opportunities for myself and my linemates, as well as being reliable defensively and in any other situations,” replied Keyes when asked about his playing style. Reflecting on facing the Thunderbolts in 2023-24 while with Peoria, Keyes continued: “Playing against Evansville was a tough battle every night. They were well-structured defensively and relentless offensively.” Keyes further commented on his decision to join Evansville and his excitement for the coming season: “The conversations I had with Coach Bes, the opportunity to play for the Thunderbolts organization in front of the fans at Ford Center and the opportunity to play again with my close friend Kevin Hu factored into my decision to sign here. I’m very excited to join this group and build on the success they had last season. It’s been a long summer, and I can’t wait to get back on the ice!”
Keyes joins previously announced forwards Matthew Hobbs, Derek Contessa, Logan vande Meerakker and Kevin Hu, along with defensemen Dillon Hill, Joey Berkopec, Benjamin Lindberg, and Gehrig Lindberg on the roster heading into training camp.
