Joe Snively, Hendrix Lapierre, and Jimmy Huntington have a lot in common. The trio of players represent three of the top four Hershey scorers in the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs. Each player had massive performances during the final round to get the Bears their 13th Calder Cup title. Unfortunately for the Bears, all three players will be wearing different jerseys when the puck drops this fall. Hershey didn’t have a ton of players depart during the summer, these losses figure to be the biggest hurdles in 2024-25.
Lapierre Moves Up
Hershey will most likely be losing the services of Hendrix Lapierre, who only played in 21 games during the regular season. He was the recipient of the Jack Butterfield Trophy as the team’s playoff MVP with 22 points (seven goals, 15 assists) in 20 games played. Hershey’s NHL affiliate in Washington dressed Lapierre in 51 games before their season came to an end. Lapierre figures to be a lock to play for the Capitals full time in 2024-25, advancing like Connor McMichael did the year prior.
Washington’s top brass have said many times that Lapierre will have to earn his spot out of training camp. Lapierre has shown on many occasions that he’s ready for the NHL and the 2024 run in Hershey is most likely the last time he’ll don the Chocolate and White. The Bears learned to live without Lapierre during the regular season, but his strong play will be sorely missed.
Friend Turned Foe
Jimmy Huntington could be a frequent foe of the Bears in 2024-25. The fan favorite forward signed a one-year contract with the rival Pittsburgh Penguins in free agency. Huntington will push for a role in the NHL but has a strong potential to play for the Bears’ biggest rival, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Hershey will see their I-81 rival 12 times during the 2024-25 season and Huntington will be tough to play against.
Huntington was a fixture in Hershey’s lineup in 2023-24, skating in 67 of 72 games during the regular season and all 20 playoff contests. At times, he played as high as the top line but regularly centered Alex Limoges and Pierrick Dubé. His contributions during the Calder Cup Playoffs included a two-goal effort in Game Five to send Hershey home with a series lead. He racked up 14 points (five goals, nine assists) with all but two points coming in the last two rounds. His clutch performances will leave him synonymous with the run no matter what uniform he wears next.
Snively Moves West
The Bears will be without the services of Joe Snively for the first time since his AHL debut in 2019. Snively led the Bears in scoring during the regular season with 59 points (14 goals, 45 assists) in 69 games played. He factored in on goals more often than not and his production powered Hershey’s offense. Snively quarterbacked the team’s top power play unit typically consisting of five forwards.
Snively signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Detroit Red Wings to end his tenure in the Washington organization. In six seasons and 220 AHL games, Snively tallied 172 points (58 goals, 114 assists) as a Bear. His offensive prowess will be sorely missed by the Bears as one weapon of a well-balanced team. He’s one of the team’s longest tenured players, and his departure will be tough to mitigate.
Youth Movement
Hershey will have a few new faces to counter the lost scoring. The team’s fate will hinge on someone new to the AHL finding their footing quickly. The Bears will have Alexander Suzdalev and Zac Funk in their professional debuts. Both players have had decorated careers at the junior level, but the leap to the AHL is the hardest in hockey.
Suzdalev Returns
Suzdalev is a known quantity in Hershey, having spent time as a black ace for the 2023 run. He was buried among the team’s tremendous depth to start the 2023-24 campaign and didn’t play. Eventually, he was assigned to Sweden and later to the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. Suzdalev previously dominated the WHL with the Regina Pats alongside Connor Bedard with 86 points in 66 games. However, he sat after the preseason.
“We had a discussion with the organization, along with him and his agent and his father,” Bears head coach Todd Nelson said at the time. “We wanted to make sure all the parties were involved. It was a general consensus that it’s better that he goes and plays hockey. He’s over in Europe. We didn’t think he’d benefit by going back to junior and scoring 50 goals. He’s been there, done that, so we wanted to get him playing against men. It was an organizational decision and all the parties agreed on it and I think we’re going to see this be a really good investment for the Caps in the future.”
Hershey will have a lot of options again when training camp opens, and a spot is not guaranteed. Although Suzdalev tore up the WHL in the past, he’ll have to show he’s ready for more to be in the team’s lineup. Nelson’s comments reflect how challenging the leap to the AHL is, and it’ll be important to hit the ground running in the fall.
Hershey Gets Funky
It’ll be a similar situation for forward Zac Funk, who had an outstanding final junior year in 2023-24. He racked up 123 points (67 goals, 56 assists) in 68 regular season games and spent time in Hershey on a tryout. His electric production set the junior world ablaze as he had nearly 100 more points than the year prior. Funk’s Prince George Cougars led the WHL’s Western Conference, with Washington drafting teammate Terik Parascak with their top pick.
Funk is a true wild card for Hershey’s lineup. If his scoring prowess in his final season transfers to the AHL, he will be an important addition. He could help account for the production lost this summer. However, it’s important to remember that this will be his first taste of the pro ranks and there will be some growth to be had. Funk saw that difference firsthand during his tryout.
“It was good to see how they handle themselves on and off the ice,” Funk said about his time in Hershey. “Watching games, you see the pace and the strength they have. You realize that you’re not the only one that wants to make it. There’s a lot of good players out there and a lot of work to be done.”
Free Agents and Promotions
Washington made a pair of key additions to Hershey in the summer in terms of experience. Luke Philp and Spencer Smallman will be regulars in Nelson’s lineup, each adding some quality abilities. Philp nearly hit the 30-goal mark in 2022-23, while Smallman is a Swiss army knife capable of playing in many situations.
Although players have departed, the Bears will fill the void from within. After a strong showing in the Calder Cup Playoffs, Jake Massie is set to be a regular on Hershey’s blue line. Nicky Leivermann figures to step up into Massie’s role as the team’s seventh or eighth defender. Those spots will have to be earned at training camp, but the roster moves over the summer have paved the way for the 2024-25 lineup.
Preseason Schedule Announced
Hockey season is fast approaching as the Bears revealed their preseason schedule. The earliest the Chocolate and White will be in game action is October 3rd, a 10:30 AM tilt in Wilkes-Barre. Hockey will return to Giant Center a day later in a 7:00 PM rematch with the Penguins. The exhibition slate wraps up in Allentown against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on Saturday, October 5.
The preseason games will help head coach Todd Nelson and company get their looks at the talent available. They’ll have the week to make assignments to the South Carolina Stingrays before the ECHL season begins. The regular season kicks off with Hershey’s banner raising ceremony on October 12 versus the Cleveland Monsters. The Bears will battle to try and become the second team in AHL history to win three straight championships in 2024-25.
