HERSHEY, Pa. – It’s been only a few short weeks since the Hershey Bears lifted the Calder Cup, but the preparations are well underway for the Chocolate and White to defend their title with the 2023-24 season only double digits of days away. There will be more than a few new faces in the lineup when the puck drops in the fall, but the changes should prove to be exciting for the Bears and their fans to get familiar with before this group hits the ice. Hershey and their National Hockey League affiliate, the Washington Capitals, have been busy assembling a strong group to contend for the team’s third set of back-to-back championships.
The first new addition is forward Matthew Phillips, who signed a one-year, one-way contract with the Capitals on the second day of free agency. Phillips was the fifth overall scorer in the American Hockey League during the 2022-23 season with the Calgary Wranglers, racking up 76 points (36 goals, 40 assists) in just 66 regular season games in addition to eight points in nine postseason games. In order to sign such a coveted free agent, the Capitals offered a one-way contract that does not exclude him from playing for the Bears but simply guarantees a set salary no matter what level he plays at. Phillips will no doubt get an extended look in Washington during the preseason, but if he plays for Hershey, he’d be the type of elite scorer that makes any team much better.
Washington added a local element to their lineup by adding forward Alex Limoges on a one-year, two-way contract for 2023-24. Limoges, a native of Winchester, Virginia, played for the Washington Little Caps as a youngster before playing four years with the Penn State Nittany Lions just a few hours away from the Sweetest Place on Earth. If and when Limoges dons the Chocolate and White colors, it’ll be the first time since the Penn State ice hockey program made the leap to the varsity level that an alumni would skate for the Bears. The homecoming happens after Limoges led the Manitoba Moose in scoring in his second full season at the AHL level, tallying 54 points (20 goals, 34 assists) in 63 games played as well as one goal in five playoff games.
Speaking of players with potential finding their way to the Washington/Hershey organization, the Capitals signed forward Pierrick Dubé to a two-year contract that counts as an entry-level contract after playing the 2022-23 campaign on an AHL contract with the Laval Rocket. Dubé, a native of Lyon, France, impressed in his first season with 32 points (16 goals, 16 assists) in 44 games played, spending a little bit of time at the ECHL as well. He was linemates with Capitals prospect and Calder Cup winner Hendrix Lapierre for a spell during the 2020-21 season with the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League’s Chicoutimi Saguenéens, making the duo a potential fit for a line in 2023-24.
It seemed like Limoges might be the only player joining the Capitals to have some kind of history with the team, but Washington found a way to double down on that connection by adding defenseman Chase Priskie on a one-year, two-way contract. Priskie was originally drafted by the Capitals in the sixth round, 177th overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft but was not signed to a contract. He’d instead sign with the Carolina Hurricanes and make the leap to the professional ranks playing with the Charlotte Checkers. Priskie twice tallied 31 points in a single season from the blue line wearing a Checkers jersey, finishing last season with the San Diego Gulls after a trade sent him there in early March. He figures to add an offensive element to the team’s blue line while having the balanced numbers defensively to match it, finishing at a plus-11 mark during the 2021-22 campaign.
The Bears continued to add players on AHL contracts to further round out their lineup and replace departed talent. Hershey added Jimmy Huntington in the summer, coming off of two solid seasons with the Milwaukee Admirals in which he tallied six points in 15 games in the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs to get his team as far as the Western Conference Finals. The 24-year-old tallied 28 points (nine goals, 19 assists) in 51 regular season games as a former standout in the Quebec Major Junior League and will look to battle for regular playing time. In addition, the team added veteran forward Garrett Roe to the mix after he spent the last ten seasons overseas, last skating in the AHL during the 2012-13 season. Playing for the Bears brings Roe closer to his hometown of Vienna, Virginia, and although he has plenty to prove in returning to this level, the signing appears to be a solid depth addition.
It all adds up to be additions to a returning core group plus a few strong rookies who will most likely suit up for the Chocolate and White. Much like the group that won the Calder Cup in 2023, the Bears have a strong mixture of veteran players, those who are accustomed to the AHL level, and fresh youngsters ready to make their mark at a new level. The Capitals will have the luxury of options should they need to make a recall at the AHL level amongst a healthy group of prospects. It should serve as a new group of Bears that are just as well-equipped for playoff success as this year’s iteration with another championship on the mind in 2024.
