It’s been about a month since the Hershey Bears started to defend their title as the 2023 Calder Cup Champions. 11 games in, the Chocolate and White sport a record of 8-3-0-0, one of their best early starts to a season since the 2008-09 team sported the same record through as many games. It’s a nice piece of history to share, but it’s been far from a cake walk for the American Hockey League’s eldest member. As the holidays approach in the Sweetest Place on Earth, Hershey looks to continue its growth into a Calder Cup contender once again.
Sweet Moments
Although there’s been some bumps in the road, collecting 16 of 22 total points is pretty darn good. Hershey sits atop the Atlantic Division (even if the Bears have the most games played) including eight wins in ten contests against interdivision foes. The team’s power play ranks atop the division and 8th in the entire AHL, while the team’s penalty kill is sixth in the league. All told, there’s plenty of positives to talk about for the Chocolate and White.
Not only that, but Hershey’s new player acquisitions have been outstanding so far. New forward Alex Limoges ranks third on the team in scoring with ten points and has complimented Joe Snively well as part of the Virigina connection. Free agent acquisition Pierrick Dube has four goals and four assists, while Chase Priskie and Jimmy Huntington have slotted in nicely with solid point production. The kids have been great too, with Ivan Miroshnichenko, Bogdan Trineyev, and Ryan Hofer have been solid additions.
The top dogs have been just that. Mike Sgarbossa, now healthy, leads the team with better than a point-per-game pace at 12 points. Ethen Frank, fresh off of a 30-goal rookie season, paces scorers with five tallies in 11 games. Mike Vecchione, Mr. Game 7, has been back to his old tricks in another excellent start to the season. Meanwhile, Snively’s been on a tear with newfound chemistry with his new linemates.
Room to Roar
Despite a massive amount of success, head coach Todd Nelson has been adamant about challenging his squad to improve. Heading into the break, Nelson was critical of his team’s play even going as far as to task his team with playing better on Saturday with some harsh words. Hershey responded with a 3-1 win on home ice, and while not every game will be a Picasso (as Nelson has said), the Bears responded to the challenge as an encouraging sign.
What’s impressive about the team’s struggles is that they’d still be the envy of most AHL teams. Hershey’s loss to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on November 3 stands out, as Nelson harshly critiqued his team’s performance the stats of which made him “want to puke”. Yet, the Bears were less than a second away from earning a point despite the subpar effort in spite of it. Nelson holds his team to a higher standard than most, and it’s part of the championship mentality that he’s instilled since he arrived.
Endless Challenge
The Bears have a steep challenge ahead of them this season, but there’s plenty of potential in their corner to possibly exceed last year’s group. Hershey plays in a tough Atlantic Division where they’ve faced steep opposition, and exorcising some demons early in Providence helped get the ball rolling. It remains to be seen how this team stands up to adversity, with recalls and injuries testing this group at the time of writing. Nelson’s bunch will have their work cut out to exceed expectations in this stage of the marathon that is the 2023-24 season.
