Jon Buttitta named Head Coach of Thunderbirds

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Jon Buttitta has been named Head Coach of the Twin City Thunderbirds, and is set to lead the franchise into the 2026-2027 season. Buttitta previously served as the team’s Player Assistant Coach and Captain, and will move into a permanent role behind the bench following the departure of Steve Harrison. In addition to Buttitta’s elevated role as the Head Coach of Thunderbirds, current Twin City forward Zach White has been named the team’s new Player Assistant Coach. Former Thunderbirds defenseman Tucker Firth has also been named a Canadian Scout for Twin City in an additional change made to the organization’s hockey operations department. The 2026-2027 season will be the 10^th in franchise history.

Jon Buttitta, 33, of Middleburg Heights, Ohio, takes over as Head Coach of the Thunderbirds following a six-year playing career for the franchise. He served as the team’s Captain for the last four years, and spent the last three seasons as the organization’s Player Assistant Coach. Buttitta ranks Top 5 in Goals (102), Assists (201), Points (303), and Games Played (308) in Thunderbirds’ franchise history. He appeared in 336 games over 8 seasons during his playing career in the FPHL. Buttitta netted 126 goals, notched 227 assists, and recorded 353 points during his career. He made his professional hockey debut in the spring of 2019 for the Mentor Ice Breakers (defunct) following a prolific collegiate career at Kent State University (ACHA DI, Kent, Ohio). He scored 121 goals, notched 121 assists, and recorded 271 points in 175 career games played for the Golden Flashes. Buttitta’s 271 total points are the 10^th most ever recorded by a player in the history of American Collegiate Hockey Association’s (ACHA) top division.