Thunderbirds claim Talipov through Watertown waivers

Winston-Salem, NC – The Carolina Thunderbirds have added to their defense corps, signing Ramil Talipov after he was released on waivers by the Watertown Wolves.

Talipov, 21, played five games for the Watertown Wolves this season. He even assisted on the game’s tying goal on November 5^th when the Wolves visited the Fairgrounds Annex in a 6-4 Watertown win.

“He’s a big defenseman,” said GM Kelly Curl. “Something we needed to add back into our core; by bringing him in, we know we’re adding some size on the back end.”

Even before the early November weekend against Watertown, Talipov was no stranger to Winston Salem. The young Russian played a handful of games for the Thunderbirds back in early 2020. Talipov scored the game-winning goal in an 8-1 routing of the Danville Dashers on Valentine’s Day of that year.

Head Coach Garrett Rutledge added, “He just understands his roles out there on the ice, it’s always great to have that added to your roster.”

Talipov joins Carolina ahead of a home-and-home against the Columbus River Dragons. This weekend’s series comes on the heels of a weekend split in Columbus, with the River Dragons taking Friday night in regulation and Carolina claiming the extra point in a Saturday night shootout for the history books.

Puck drop from the Columbus Civic Center is set for 7:30pm on November 19^th. Then, the two teams will meet back in Winston-Salem the following night at 6:05pm.