Winston-Salem Welcomes New Hockey Team, The Carolina Thunderbirds

It's official - Winston-Salem's new professional hockey team has a name. The Carolina Thunderbirds will hit the ice in 2017.

And it won't be for the first time. The Carolina Thunderbirds was the name of Winston-Salem's professional hockey team in the 1980s.

The team will be part of the Federal Hockey League and owned and operated by FHL franchise owner Barry Soskin. A new logo was also introduced Wednesday, featuring a bird with outstretched wings holding a hockey stick.

The Carolina Thunderbirds will call the Annex at the Winston-Salem Fairgrounds home, with games scheduled to begin in November 2017.

Until then, fans are being asked to weigh in and pick the Thunderbirds' official colors. This is the FHL's first hockey team in the South, joining others located in the Northeast and Midwest.