2023 Hershey Bears Offseason Player Tracker

SEASON SYNOPSIS

One of the most storied franchises in the AHL, the Hershey Bears came into the 2022-23 campaign with a total of 11 Calder Cups won since the team’s IAHL/AHL inception in 1938.

As the Bears finished second in the Atlantic Division (44-19-9, 97 points, .674 points percentage), they began the systemic removal of their playoff opponents. Hershey defeated the Charlotte Checkers three games to one in the divisional semifinals. The Bears swept the Hartford Wolf Pack three games to none in the divisional finals. Hershey then took six games (four games to two) to defeat the Rochester Americans in the Eastern Conference Finals. And, in dramatic fashion, the Bears needed all seven games against Coachella Valley in the Calder Cup  Finals (and an overtime game-winning goal from Mike Vecchione in Game 7) to win their first AHL championship in 13 years.

Fun fact: a Hershey’s chocolate bar is segmented into 12 parts, called “pips”. With the 12th Calder Cup secured, the Bears have a neat moment of synchronicity where their championship wins paralleled the pips on a Hershey bar. Hershey has won titles in nine different decades, starting in the 1940s. The Bears lifted two championships in the 50s, 80s, and 2000s.

(List accurate as of Sept. 18th, 5:55pm ET)

UNDER CONTRACT AND RE-SIGNINGS

Forwards

• Ethen Frank – Last year of two-way NHL contract
• Beck Malenstyn – Last year of NHL contract (one-way)
• Hendrix Lapierre – Second-to-last year of entry-level contract
• Connor McMichael – Last year of entry-level contract
• Aliaksei Protas – Last year of entry-level contract
• Henry Rybinski – Second-to-last year of entry-level NHL contract
• Joe Snively – Last year of NHL contract (one-way)
• Bogdan Trineyev – Second-to-last year on entry-level contract
• Mike Vecchione – Signed a two-year AHL contract (thru 2024-25) on February 14
• Mike Sgarbossa – Signed a two-year, two-way NHL contract extension on May 5
• Julian Napravnik – Signed a one-year AHL contract extension on June 30
• Riley Sutter – Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract on July 4
• Matthew Strome – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 14
• Kevin O’Neil – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 25 (played on loan for Hershey and AHL Colorado, 53 games for ECHL South Carolina in 2022-23)

Defensemen

• Vincent Iorio – First year of entry-level contract (entry-level slide)
• Lucas Johansen – Last year of NHL contract (one-way)
• Aaron Ness – Signed a two-year AHL contract extension on May 12
• Michael Kim – Signed a one-year AHL contract extension on June 30; played almost all of 2022-23 season with ECHL South Carolina (with two games played for Hershey)
• Dylan McIlrath – Signed a two-year, two-way NHL contract on July 2
• Jake Massie – Signed a one-year, two-way AHL contract on July 14
• Logan Day – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 17
• Benton Maass – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 20; played almost all of 2022-23 season with ECHL South Carolina (with two games played for Hershey)

Goaltenders

• Clay Stevenson – Last year of entry-level contract
• Mitchell Gibson – Signed a one-year, entry-level contract on April 7
• Hunter Shepard – Signed a two-year, two-way NHL contract on July 1

NEW ADDITIONS

Forwards

• Ludwig Persson – First year of entry-level contract (entry-level slide; played with Frölunda HC of the SHL and BIK Karlskoga of HockeyAllsvenskan [both Sweden] in 2022-23)
• Ryan Hofer – Signed a three-year, entry-level NHL contract on May 1 (played the the Kamloops Blazers and Everett Silvertips in 2022-23
• Ivan Miroshnichenko – Signed a three-year, entry-level NHL contract on May 1 after KHL contract termination (played for Avangard Omsk of the KHL, Team Omsk of the VHL, and Omskie Yastreby of the MHL [all Russia] in 2022-23)
• Pierrick Dubé – Signed a two-year, entry-level NHL contract on July 1 (played for Laval and ECHL Trois-Rivières in 2022-23)
• Matthew Phillips – Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract on July 2 (played for the Calgary Flames and Wranglers in 2022-23)
• Alex Limoges – Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract on July 3 (played for Manitoba in 2022-23)
• Jimmy Huntington – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 18 (played for Milwaukee in 2022-23)
• Garrett Roe – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 19 (played for the ZSC Lions of the Swiss NL in 2022-23)
• Tyson Empey – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 24 (played for Tucson and ECHL Atlanta in 2022-23)

Defensemen

• Hardy Häman Aktall – Signed a one-year, entry-level NHL contract on April 27 (played for Växjö Lakers HC of the SHL in 2022-23)
• Chase Priskie – Signed a one-year, two-way NHL contract on July 5 (played for Rochester and San Diego in 2022-23)
• Nick Leivermann – Signed a one-year AHL contract on July 20 (played for Univ. of Notre Dame [NCAA] in 2022-23)
• Colin Swoyer – Signed a one-year AHL contract on August 2 (played for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and ECHL Wheeling in 2022-23)

Goaltenders

• Garin Bjorklund – Second-to-last year on entry-level contract (played one game for ECHL South Carolina in 2022-23 after being injured for most of the season)
• Mitchell Gibson – Signed a one-year, entry-level NHL contract on April 7 (played for Harvard Univ. [NCAA] in 2022-23)

DEPARTURES

Forwards

• Shane Gersich – Signed a one-year contract with Västerås IK of HockeyAllsvenskan on June 23
• Henrik Borgström – Signed a two-year contract with HV71 of the SHL on June 26
• Mason Morelli – Signed a two-year, two-way NHL contract with Vegas on July 1
• Garrett Pilon – Signed a one-year, two-way contract with Ottawa on July 1
• Bear Hughes – Signed a two-year AHL contract with Henderson on July 7 (played all of 2022-23 season with ECHL South Carolina)
• Sam Anas – Signed a one-year contract with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL on July 10
• Alexandre Fortin – Signed a one-year contract with ECHL Orlando on September 18 (played one game for Hershey and 37 games for ECHL South Carolina in 2022-23)

Defensemen

• Gabriel Carlsson – Signed a one-year contract with Vaxjo Lakers HC of the SHL on July 28
• Bobby Nardella – Signed a one-year contract with HV71 of the SHL on July 31

Goaltenders

• Zach Fucale – Signed a one-year contract with Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL on July 6

FREE AGENTS

Forwards

• Kody Clark– UFA (was not extended qualifying offer on June 30; did not play in 2022-23 due to quad tendon injury)
• Ryan Scarfo – UFA (AHL); played all of 2022-23 season with ECHL South Carolina

Defensemen

• Martin Has – UFA (AHL); played all of 2022-23 season with ECHL South Carolina

(Special thanks to CapFriendly and Elite Prospects for all the contract terms and definitions for this offseason player tracker!)

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Other 2023 AHL Off Season Trackers :

Links will be updated as articles are released.

Central

• Chicago Wolves
• Grand Rapids Griffins
• Iowa Wild
• Manitoba Moose
• Milwaukee Admirals
• Rockford IceHogs
• Texas Stars

Pacific

• Abbotsford Canucks
• Bakersfield Condors
• Calgary Wranglers
• Coachella Valley Firebirds
• Colorado Eagles
• Henderson Silver Knights
• Ontario Reign
• San Diego Gulls
• San Jose Barracuda
• Tucson Roadrunners

Atlantic

• Bridgeport Islanders
• Charlotte Checkers
• Hartford Wolf Pack
• Hershey Bears
• Lehigh Valley Phantoms
• Providence Bruins
• Springfield Thunderbirds 
• Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins

North

• Belleville Senators
• Cleveland Monsters
• Laval Rocket
• Rochester Americans
• Syracuse Crunch
• Toronto Marlies
• Utica Comets