Front Office

Barry Soskin

Governor, CEO, CFO, President, GM

Barry has been an owner of various teams in the past 25 years, including the two time champion Toledo Storm of the East Coast Hockey League, Nashville Nighthawks of the Central Hockey League, Waterloo Blackhawks of the United States Hockey League, Traverse City Enforcers of the Continental Junior Hockey League and the Pelham Prowlers of the Southeast Hockey League.

Barry is married to his wife, Fran for nearly 40 years and has three adult children, Heather, Brian and Rachel. Barry and his family reside in Arlington Heights, Illinois.

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Cary Ross

Director of Hockey Operations & Ownership Partner

Phone336-270-1029

Emailcross@carolinathunderbirds.com

Cary is a graduate of Western Illinois University and has been in the printing equipment business for almost 40 years. He has been an ownership partner with the Carolina Thunderbirds since the team's inception in 2017.

In May of 2022, Ross became the team's Director of Hockey Operations.

Cary grew up in the Chicago-land area and currently resides in Mt. Prospect, Illinois with his wife Lisa. He has a son, Michael, 2 daughters, Amanda and Carly, and five grandkids, Landon, Madeline, Ari, Spencer and Elliot.

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Rick Chaikin

Ownership Partner

Rick has been a retail and residential construction professional for the past 35 years and he is thrilled to be part of the Thunderbirds ownership group. Along with his passion for professional and amateur hockey, Rick enjoys model railroading and the music of “Chicago”.

Residing in Buffalo Grove, Illinois, Rick and his wife Denise have been married for nearly 40 years. Together they are devoted to their four children and nine grandchildren.

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Steve Harrison (Harry)

Head Hockey Coach

Steve Harrison is a hockey legend with an impressive history both on and off the ice. Born in Toronto, Canada, Steve's passion for the game ignited at a young age. He played major junior in Canada and was drafted by St. Louis in the 1978 NHL draft. Over the course of 15 years, Steve's professional hockey career took him to various leagues in the US, Canada, and Europe, earning him numerous championships and accolades.

As a player, Steve was a force to be reckoned with, winning the Memorial Cup Major Junior championship, two Central Hockey championships, one International League Championship, and even a France Cup! 

Transitioning from player to coach, Steve has devoted over two decades to honing his leadership skills and mentoring young talents. His coaching journey spans from major junior teams in Canada to junior tier 3, ECHL, CHL, and FHL. Most notably, Steve led the Danville Dashers to the FHL Championship and was named Coach of the Year in Danville. 

Shannon Campbell

Assistant to the President, Accounting and Concessions

Phone336-774-8882

Emailscampbell@carolinathunderbirds.com

Shannon is in her 5^th season with the Thunderbirds, having worn numerous hats over the years. After being enlisted to work concessions during the team’s inaugural season, she quickly found herself running merchandise sales and keeping track of the team’s finances. In the summer of 2021, Shannon was named Assistant General Manager. She’s lived in Winston-Salem since she was 12, and graduated from Mt. Tabor High School in 1995. Shannon loves camping with her son Lucas, daughter Hannah, husband Tim, and their dogs, Willow and Daisy.

Lisa Ross

Director of Retail Sales & Ownership Partner

Phone847-508-5543

Emaillross@carolinathunderbirds.com

Lisa comes to North Carolina with her Husband Cary Ross and is part owner of The Carolina Thunderbirds .

Lisa graduated college with a degree in social work from Southern Illinois University.

Lisa has worked many years as a director of purchasing for 1800-Flowers where her expertise as a buyer (nationally and Internationally) will be useful as she will be heading up as buyer and running the retail store for the Thunderbirds.

She is married to Cary Ross and has 3 children Amanda, Carly and Michael (all are married) and has 5 grandchildren, Landon, Madeline, Ari, Spencer and Elliot.

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April Ogle

Director of Marketing

Phone336-813-3281

EmailSend a message

Hannah Russ

Manager of Group & Season Ticket Sales

Phone336-748-3949

EmailSend a message

Hannah joins the Thunderbirds front office for the 2021-2022 season. She has dedicated herself to creating immersive group ticket experiences and catering to the needs of Thunderbirds fans. A lifelong member of the Winston-Salem community, Hannah graduated from North Davidson High School in 2019. In her spare time, Hannah loves going to the gym and taking spontaneous trips to Virginia.

Brendan Reilly

Director of Media Relations and Communications/Play-by-Play Broadcaster

Emailbrendanr@carolinathunderbirds.com

Brendan is a graduate of the University of Miami and joins the Thunderbirds for the 2023-24 season. Since moving to Winston-Salem last year, Reilly has worked for LEARFIELD as a studio host for Vanderbilt University and broadcasted for the Winston-Salem Dash, the High-A Affiliate of the Chicago White Sox.

A native of Charlotte, NC, Reilly now calls Winston-Salem his home and loves being a part of the community.

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Don Johnson

Director of Game Day Operations

Emaildjohnson@carolinathunderbirds.com

Don is from Randleman, NC where he grew up and played in local youth hockey programs before graduating high school. Don attended North Carolina State University where he studied Sport Management while playing for the North Carolina State Icepack hockey team. Don is a two-time ACCHL champion and is committed to growing hockey in the Triad as he has been coaching Learn-to-Play and other levels of youth hockey for the last 10 years.

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Kelly Curl

Sponsor Sales

Phone336-774-4625

Emailkellyc@carolinathunderbirds.com

Kelly Curl played on the inaugural Thunderbirds team in 2017 and has played at least one game in every season for Carolina since. He was a member of the 2019 Commissioner's Cup Championship team.

Collegiately, Curl played NCAA Division III hockey at Lebanon Valley College (Penn.). Prior to his time with the Flying Dutchmen, Curl played prep school hockey at The Hill School in Pottstown, Penn.

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Joe Cangelosi

Director of Corporate Outreach/Business Development

EmailSend a message

From Princeton, NJ, Cangelosi joins the Thunderbirds front office while continuing as an active player. Joe will form and maintain relationships with businesses across the Triad, act as a liaison between players and business staff, and grow brand recognition.

He currently sits at 3rd place on the Tunderbirds all-time games played list with 125, and 5th in team assists with 62. He graduated from Rider University with a B. S. in Business Administration.

His favorite part of his new position is engaging with the community. From his arrival in Carolina in 2017, getting to know the community has been one of the biggest contributors to making Winston-Salem feel like home.

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