A pair of Newcastle veterans will be heading west to join the Perth Thunder this season, in their quest for the WA side’s first ever Goodall Cup.
John Kennedy Jr and Zane Jones will be donning the blue, red and white on the other side of the continent in 2024, after the Thunder announced their line-up for the upcoming season.
It’s the third AIHL stop for the 36-year-old Kennedy, who has been with the Northstars since 2013 and was part of their 2015 and 2016 championships. Kennedy will begin play after returning from Serbia at the IIHF World Championships later this month.
Debuting in the AIHL in 2017, Jones moves to the Thunder after three seasons with the Northstars, putting up 47 points last year for Newcastle. Jones has spent the last three years in the SPHL and Chinook HL respectively. Jones will be available for the opening round of the season away to Brisbane.
Perth have also announced the addition of forward Jeremiah Addison and French goaltender Leo Bertein to their ranks.
The 27-year old Addison is a former 7
th round draft pick of the Montreal Canadiens in 2015, who was most recently with EV Duisburg in Germany. Bertein has been backstopping Dunkerque in the French 2
nd division the past two seasons, after nearly a decade in Ligue Magnus with Amiens, Brest and Anglet.
Perth Thunder begin their 2024 AIHL campaign away to the Brisbane Lightning in a double header on Saturday April 6
th and Sunday April 7
th.