The Hershey Bears are back and ready for puck drop on the team’s 86th anniversary season on Saturday. The team is ready to raise the banner for their 2022-23 Calder Cup championship and get back to work in order to earn the team’s third set of back-to-back titles in its illustrious history. It’s extremely difficult to win back-to-back championships in the American Hockey League these days with a ton of parity across 32 teams, making it the most daunting task the Chocolate and White have undertaken yet. Thankfully, the Bears and their National Hockey League affiliate, the Washington Capitals, have built a team fit for the challenge.
Things Change
Every team must deal with roster changes. Such is life in professional hockey and particularly so in the AHL, and the Bears were no exception. Hershey lost the likes of Henrik Borgstrom, Sam Anas, Garrett Pilon, Mason Morelli, Shane Gersich, Gabriel Carlsson, and Zach Fucale to free agency. Others, like Connor McMichael, Beck Malenstyn, Aliaksei Protas, and Lucas Johansen all earned promotions to the Capitals’ main roster in training camp.
Fortunately, the organization has been hard at work solidifying this year’s roster even before the team hoisted its 12th Calder Cup title. The Capitals offered new contracts to Mike Sgarbossa and Ethen Frank last season in addition to the Bears re-signing Mike Vecchione and Aaron Ness before the postseason was one round old. During the summer, the Capitals signed Bears captain Dylan McIlrath and MVP goaltender Hunter Shepard as two massive signings in terms of skill and continuity.
Roaring for More
Both Hershey and Washington have teamed up to assemble a new group of players to guide the Chocolate and White this season. The Washington Capitals signed Alex Limoges, Pierrick Dube, and Chase Priskie in free agency to help bolster their depth in addition to providing some top talent to the Bears. All three players produced solidly for their respective AHL teams during 2022-23, and it figures to be an environment for the trio to thrive under returning head coach Todd Nelson.
In addition to a strong free agency, the Bears are set to benefit from several high profile prospects playing in their first full seasons at the AHL level. Ivan Miroshnichenko, Ryan Hofer, Alexander Suzdalev, and Bogdan Trineyev are all expected to play in Hershey in 2023-24, each player known to put the puck in the net with very strong resumes in their past stops. In addition, the Bears gained the services of Hardy Haman Aktell on the blue line, a Swedish free agent pickup who had an outstanding preseason in Washington. It’s a proving ground to make the leap to the next level, and these players will be starting that process as Hershey Bears.
The Bears have been working hard to round out that roster with a few more strong AHL signings. Jimmy Huntington, Garrett Roe, Nicky Leivermann, Colin Swoyer, and the re-signings of Logan Day, Jake Massie, Julian Napravnik, and Matt Strome further add to the team with more strength at all positions. Goaltender Clay Stevenson is making the leap to the AHL to team up with Shepard as the team’s duo to start the season.
Bear Necessities
Naming all of those players naturally shows that the Bears have far more than the 20 who will don a jersey on Saturday night. It’s normal for AHL teams to keep even more depth on-hand than their NHL counterparts on a day-to-day basis. Between tougher scheduling and the potential for recalls, there’s a heavy need to have more options in addition to regular lineup decisions. Hershey will have the luxury to rotate players in and out, with no weak links in their current roster.
It remains to be seen how Hershey’s lineup will take shape for opening night. More than likely, some fairly strong players will be on the sidelines for the team’s first few games, but they’ll get their chance in due time. Those players were essential in getting the Chocolate and White to the postseason this past spring. Strong depth is the name of the game in order to succeed in the AHL, and it’s safe to say that the Bears have it in spades at this early stage of the campaign.
Rolling Out the Red Carpet
The Bears will arrive to Giant Center in style on Saturday, with the team’s annual Red Carpet event allowing fans to welcome them hours before puck drop, weather permitting. Hershey’s 1980 championship team will be on-hand for a reunion for the game, a nice touch as winners of past and present celebrate the new season. The first 10,000 fans will receive a miniature replica of the banner that will go up that night at Giant Center. Fans attending will want to get to the arena early as it’s sure to be a packed slate of celebration.
It all adds up to a 7:00 PM scheduled tilt with the visiting Belleville Senators, an opponent that might have been requested by the Bears specifically. Belleville’s lineup features Calder Cup winner Garrett Pilon, who scored the overtime winner in Game 5 of the final round. Fans are asked to be in their seats by 6:40 PM for the start of the pregame ceremonies which will include players receiving their championship rings. The Bears will play the Cleveland Monsters on Sunday evening before hitting the road for four straight games.
