New coach Derek Laxdal and the Coachella Valley Firebirds Monday announced three personnel changes to the team’s operations staff.
Shawn Thorns was promoted from assistant equipment manager to head equipment manager, the team said Monday. Thorns, a South Carolina native, has held his previous role since the team’s founding.
He previously served on the staff of the ECHL’s Greenville Swamp Rabbits and South Carolina Stingrays, as well as the SPHL’s Macon Mayhem.
Peter Thome was announced as the Firebirds’ new video coach. He made the switch from the USHL’s Chicago Steel, where he was the director of hockey operations.
Originally from Minneapolis, Thome briefly played in the ECHL for the Idaho Steelheads and Maine Mariners. Thome’s career as a goalkeeper also includes his four-year stint at the University of North Dakota and the inaugural season of the University of St. Thomas’s team.
He was selected in the sixth round of the 2016 NHL Entry Draft by the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Replacing Thorns, Justin Sommer accepted the role as the Firebirds’ new assistant equipment manager, departing from the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates.
Sommer has previous experience with the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates and College of the Holy Cross, both as a head equipment manager.
Fans can purchase tickets for the upcoming 2024-25 season at cvfirebirds.com/tickets.