GLENS FALLS – The Adirondack Thunder, proud ECHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils and Utica Comets, have announced that the club has signed Head Coach Sylvain Cloutier and Associate Head Coach Ben Holmstrom to two-year deals through the 2027-28 season.

Cloutier, 52, began his professional career with the Adirondack Red Wings in the 1993-94 season. The native of Mont-Laurier, Quebec played 287 games with Adirondack and totaled 45 goals and 103 assists for 148 points from 1993 to 1998. Cloutier returned to Adirondack in 2003 and played three seasons with the IceHawks / Frostbite in the United Hockey League.

“I’m extremely grateful and excited for the opportunity to continue with the Adirondack Thunder,” Cloutier said. “Glens Falls has always felt like home to me, dating back to my playing days, and being behind the bench in front of these passionate fans is something special. The energy in Harding Mazzotti Arena this past season was incredible — the sellout crowds gave our players a huge boost every night and showed why this is one of the best hockey communities anywhere in the ECHL.

We took important steps forward as a team this year, but we know there’s more work to do. Our goal is to keep building a hard-working, competitive group that can make a deeper playoff run and ultimately bring a Kelly Cup Championship to Glens Falls. I’m proud of what we started, and I can’t wait to get back to work with our players, staff, and fans for next season.”

During his playing career, Cloutier was drafted by the Detroit Red Wings in 1992 and played in seven National Hockey League games with the Chicago Blackhawks during the 1998-1999 season. In 565 American Hockey League games with Adirondack, Albany, Houston, and Syracuse, Cloutier had 86 goals and 186 assists for 274 points. He also served as a captain and won a Calder Cup with Houston during the 2002-2003 season.

Following his playing career, was inducted into the Adirondack Hockey Hall of Fame as part of the 2020 class.

Cloutier got behind the bench during the 2008-2009 season with the Corpus Christi IceRays in the Central Hockey League before heading overseas to coach the Hull Stingrays in the EIHL from 2009-2014. Cloutier returned to Canada to be the head coach and general manager of the Essa Stallions in the CPJHL and led the Stallions to a 106-21-3 record over his three seasons as Head Coach and earned back-to-back CPJHL Championships in 2018 and 2019 while also collecting the 2017-18 regular season championship with a 42-2-0 record. Cloutier returned to Corpus Christi in the 2022-23 season and this past year, he helped lead the IceRays to their best regular season in team history in the North American Hockey League with a 35-19-2-3 record.  

“We are very excited to extend both Sylvain Cloutier and Ben Holmstrom for the next two seasons,” said Jeff Mead, President of the Adirondack Thunder. “Sylvain and Ben both have a tremendous history in this community and understand what hockey means to the fans in Adirondack. In their first season behind the bench, they established a strong culture, earned the respect of the locker room, and helped guide this team to the playoffs. We’re confident in the direction they have this organization headed and look forward to building on that success over the next two years.”

Holmstrom, 39, began his professional career with the American Hockey League’s Adirondack Phantoms in the 2009-2010 season and serving as the team’s captain from 2011-2014. In 256 regular-season games with the Phantoms, Holmstrom recorded 49 goals and 73 assists for 122 points.

“My family and I are thrilled to be staying in Glens Falls and continuing to be part of the Adirondack Thunder organization,” said Holmstrom. “This community has embraced us from day one, and it’s become a special place for our family to call home. Coaching in front of the fans at Harding Mazzotti Arena this past season was unbelievable — the sellout crowds, the energy, and the passion every night created an atmosphere our players loved competing in.

The Colorado Springs, Colorado native appeared in seven National Hockey League games with the Philadelphia Flyers during his time in Adirondack. Following the 2013-14 season, Holmstrom served as the assistant captain for the Charlotte Checkers and totaled 20 points in 62 games. In 611 American Hockey League games with Adirondack, Charlotte, Bridgeport and Rochester, Holmstrom had 79 goals and 138 assists for 217 points.

From 2019-2022, Holmstrom played in 89 ECHL games with Norfolk, Cincinnati and South Carolina and recorded 14 goals and 28 assists for 42 points.

Holmstrom’s coaching career began during the 2022-2023 season with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears where he served as an assistant coach and helped lead them to a 105-82-29 regular season record and qualified for the Kelly Cup Playoffs the past two seasons. During the playoff stretch, Orlando went to the South Division Final both years and knocked out the Regular Season Champion, South Carolina Stingrays this past season.

Season tickets for the 2026-27 season are available now! Fans can view the 2026-27 schedule HERE. For more information, call the front office at 518-480-3355 or visit HERE. For all the latest Adirondack Thunder news, follow the team on all social media (ECHLThunder).