Every hockey seasons comes with a feeling of new beginnings, a fresh start with equal opportunity for all.

It’s usually a form of optimism cloaked in cliche terms, but in the American Hockey League, never will it be more true than in the 2021-22. For Springfield Thunderbirds defenseman Tommy Cross, the October 16 opener at the MassMutual Center can’t come soon enough.

“The parity in the AHL is incredible, anyway. The league is young, there are two (years’ worth) of rookies coming in, and we’re going through a bit of a reset,” said Cross, who shapes up as the only player from the pre-pandemic Thunderbirds to return this season.

“We don’t know how play will be affected, but it should be exciting.”

Cross is no rookie. He broke into the AHL with Providence 10 years ago and is now 32, a reliable player hoping to return to the National Hockey League – but accepting that his job is here, helping mold a team whose other players are mostly very new to him.

“I haven’t played with many of these guys. I played against some of them when they were at Utica (N.Y.), and I don’t have much experience with the St. Louis Blues organization, at least not yet,” Cross said.

Drafted by the Boston Bruins in 2007, Cross made it briefly to the NHL a few years ago. He played three games for the Bruins in 2015-16, and one playoff contest in 2017.

By returning to Springfield this season, he will span two different NHL affiliations. In 50 games with the Thunderbirds in 2019-20, he scored seven goals with 14 assists before the season was abruptly halted by the coronavirus pandemic in March of 2020.

That ended Springfield’s affiliation with the Florida Panthers, who had Cross under contract at the time. Looking back, Cross recalls the almost astonishingly rapid turn of events – playing before a capacity crowd at the MassMutual Center one night and then, almost overnight, seeing the building and most of the sports world go dark.

Cross was 30, and the interruption came at a crossroads of his career, but he soldiers on.

For teams locally owned or independently operated, and a flow of revenue from their parent NHL clubs, playing in empty arenas would have been economically devastating. Last year, three AHL teams chose not to play – Springfield, Milwaukee and Charlotte.

Cross wound up in Providence, where he scored three goals in 16 games for the Bruins’ farm team. It helped keep him in playing shape and was better than sitting out , even though the AHL’s Atlantic Division – where Springfield will return – consisted only of Providence, Hartford and Bridgeport.

“We didn’t play in front of any fans, there were no playoffs so no playoff intensity, and it was kind of weird because we played the same teams over and over. But I felt I’d played a season, so that was a positive outcome,” he said.

With the Springfield-Florida affiliation ended, the Thunderbirds switched parent clubs to St. Louis, a partnership that gets underway a year later than planned. On July 31, Cross signed with the Blues.

He’s back in the same city but with an entirely new organization and cast, yet the trappings will be very similar for a player who grew up in Simsbury, Conn., and calls this part of New England home.

“My dad took me to Whalers games in Hartford and Springfield Indians games, too. I played youth hockey tournaments at the Olympia in West Springfield,” he said.

“Since I’ve been here, the Springfield fans have been awesome. We’ve had theme nights and big crowds. Hockey in Massachusetts and New England is booming, and I’m excited to get back to Springfield,” he said.

Truth be told, Cross would rather be in St. Louis because that’s the major leagues. The organizational plan is for him to steady their young minor leaguers in Springfield. But one never knows.

“I’m new to this team and these coaches, so I’m looking to establish whatever role they need – fewer minutes or more minutes, offensive defenseman or more of a defensive defenseman, whatever can help us win,” he said.

What Cross treasures is his proximity to home and family.

“Simsbury is my home and it’s done a lot for me. I have great relationships there, and we had a newborn baby last year, so I like being close to home,” he said.

Cross is not worried about conditioning. For the modern hockey player, staying in shape is a year-round job, and that didn’t change, even when the pandemic interrupted the normal game schedule.

“Guys in this league are mostly young, and I think they’re very close to being in hockey shape. Way back in the past, it might have taken longer, I’m told, but now it takes about three skates (sessions) to jump back in,” he said.

“If you’re not working out, the next guy is. Everybody knows that.”

Cross will be the singular familiar face to Thunderbirds fans who will finally get to return to the MassMutual Center. What happens this AHL season is anyone’s guess, but he thinks that will add to excitement for those in the stands, but opportunity for the players on the ice.

“Anybody can beat anybody. That’s how this league is, anyway,” Cross said.

“There’s a rich hockey history in Springfield, and we want to add to that. After the last year and a half, this year in the AHL will be uncharted territory. For everybody.”