It’s only been 15 days since the Hershey Bears won the 2023 Calder Cup, their record 12th in franchise history. While the festivities continue, the Bears roster has already undergone a major change. This is typical for any AHL season, but changes come faster in the off-season due to the Bears’ long season running into the summer.
The big question for any Bears fan is: “Where does the team stand with all of the roster changes that have been made?” To answer that question, we first need to break down all of a player’s departures and arrivals:
Departure
attackers
Mason Morelli Morelli signed a good two-year deal with the Vegas Golden Knights on July 1, the first day of free agency. He will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season. This is the first NHL contract for the Minot, North Dakota native.
Jarrett Bailon – The other big offensive loss, in addition to Morelli, was that of Jarrett Bailon. He signed a two-year deal with the Ottawa Senators. You can’t blame Bailon for wanting to try other options in order to pursue his hockey dream. We will miss him on the ice in Chocolate City.
Henrik Borgstrom Borgström left for HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League. The Capitals made a qualifying offer for him, leaving the door open for a return. In addition, According to an article in ExpressenHowever, Borgstrom’s contract with HV71 allows him to return to the Capitals next season if the Capitals request his return.
Shane Gersh It was announced during the qualifiers that Jersic has signed with Allsvenskan Västerås in the Swedish second division for next season. With an influx of new strikers and diminishing playing time, Gerisic also saw the writing on the wall midway through the season.
Clark Codes -Clark again suffered serious injuries, and in the end a rehab offer from the Capitals was not extended.
Defense
Gabriel Carlson – Carlson’s bid was also not extended by the Capitals. He was one of, if not the best, the Bears’ fullbacks last season, but with the arrival of Hardy Hamen Aktel, also a lefty, the Capitals may have popped in on Aktel to replace Carlson.
Bobby Nardella – Nardella suffered from injuries during the 2022-23 season, and when he returned, he found himself a victim of a numbers match. No capitals are shown.
Logan day – Today he is still a free agent. He only played in 36 regular season games, but really broke into the playoffs. Today I collected 14 points in the playoffs after scoring 13 in the regular season.
goalkeepers
Zack Focale – In late spring it was announced that Fokale had signed in the KHL for the next season. The writing has been on the wall as Hunter Shepherd has held on to first place for most of the season, and Clay Stephenson, who went a perfect 3-0 in three games with the Bears last season, is poised to move on from South Carolina to seize second.
A message from Zach Fucale to KHL Traktor fans. pic.twitter.com/7bVmu2LlnF
– Capitals Horizons (@jon_m_sorensen) July 6, 2023
Russian reports say Fokali deal with Tractor In the next season in the KHL for 1 year for 50 million rubles, or 581,666 dollars.
Access
Re-signed by the Bears
Mike Vecion – Game seven, the overtime champion returns to the Bears. Vecchione was signed to a two-year AHL contract in February. The Union College product has been running first line all season with Hershey and could line up again next to Mike Sgarbossa and Ethen Frank in the top row.
Mike Vecchione scores the winner in the overtime series! Bears win the twelfth Calder Cup! # the capper #HBH pic.twitter.com/KgEAynsyQX
– Capitals Horizons (@jon_m_sorensen) June 22, 2023
Aaron Ness – Ness signed a two-year contract with the AHL in May, keeping the veteran defenseman in Hershey through the 2024-25 season. He brings a consistent presence to the blue line and is part of the team’s leadership team.
Michael Kim – Kim spent most of the season in the ECHL with South Carolina. He was signed to an AHL contract. Kim is a deep option for the Bears and may end up splitting time between South Carolina and Hershey.
Julian Napravnik Napravnik was a decent player for the Bears when he was on the ice. This was the problem, however, since he hadn’t seen much in the way of playing. He continues to be a good depth addition for the Bears and has the ability to score goals.
Re-signed/signed by the Capitals
hunter shepherd – Hershey was named MVP of the regular season and playoffs on a new two-year deal by Washington on July 1. Shepherd was the backbone of the team’s success. He finished second in the AHL in goals against average in the regular season and then recorded three shutouts in the postseason on his way to earning the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy as the most valuable player of the Calder Cup playoffs. Shepard gives the Bears a bona fide number one goaltender and provides the Capitals with a number three option.
Dylan McElrath – The Hershey captain would continue his residency in the Washington organization after the Capitals re-signed the defenseman on a two-year, two-way deal. The rugged blue lining doesn’t bring much offense to the table, but he’s a solid defensive player and provides a physical presence.
Mike Sgarbosa – Hershey’s leading scorer in the regular season was given a two-year extension by Washington on May 8. Sgarbosa is a proven scorer at the AHL level, and he’s centered on the lead line for the Bears. He missed the last three Calder Cup games due to injury.
Riley Souter The 2022-23 season was Sutter’s best as a pro. He has remained relatively healthy, but more importantly he has settled into his position role on the fourth line and has done a very good job. The effort alone earned a qualifying bid from the Capitals. Riley is still the Bears’ best point, but his fourth line was the most valuable for the Bears.
Riley Sutter wins it on the OT! We have a series! #HBH # the capper pic.twitter.com/kr3E7qBdXG
– Capitals Horizons (@jon_m_sorensen) June 14, 2023
Berick Dube- Doby scored 32 points in 44 games with the Laval Rockets in his rookie campaign last season. Washington signed the right winger to a two-year entry-level contract at the start of free agency. Dube will likely move into the middle six with the Bears this season.
Matthew Phillips – Phillips finished fifth in the NBL in scoring last season, scoring 76 points for the Calgary Wranglers. The previous season he scored 68 points. The Capitals brought him into the organization on a one-year, one-way contract. Phillips will vie for a roster spot in Washington and if the team doesn’t make it out of camp, he’ll give the Capitals a high-quality call-up piece in Hershey.
Alex Limoges The Capitals signed the former Manitoba Moose in early July.
A native of Winchester, Virginia, Limoges played for the Washington Little Cubs from 2010-2013. The 25-year-old then went on to play two seasons with the Tri City Storm in the USHL, winning the USHL Championship in 2016. He then spent one season with the Waterloo Blackhawks. He also played four seasons with Penn State.Chase Brisky- Bresky was elected in the 2016 sixth round by Washington, not to sign with the organization after ending his four years at Quinnipiac. Now, the defender is joining the franchise that drafted him after singing a two-way, one-year contract with The Capitals. Priskie comes out with 22 points split between Rochester and San Diego.
Capitals prospects moving to Hershey
Ryan Hoover – Hoover, 21, is 6’3, 192 lbs left handed from Headingley, Manitoba. Hoover is the kind of physical and gritty forward whose game was suited to frontline battles in the WHL. The Capitals selected him in the sixth round (#181 overall) of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and signed Hofer to a three-year, entry-level contract on March 1, 2023. Hofer’s contract will carry an average annual value of $851,666.67 (NHL), 82, $500 in the AHL. [2023 Annual Review and Forecast]
Harman Hamen Actel Haman Aktell was the biggest free agent name on the market this season, according to The Athletic’s Corey Braunmann. Credit Danny Brooks for a touchdown. Haman Aktel, who will turn 25 in July, made an offensive move last season. he He also helped the club win another SHL championship– this is the second in three seasons – adding three goals and seven points in 18 playoff games. [More]
Ivan Miroshnichenko – The Capitals and Bears will need to move forward slowly with Miroshnichenko. Remember, he returned from cancer treatments last December and only played half a season in the Russian junior leagues. He had a taste of the KHL at the top level but could not secure a full-time role. Still, Miroshnichenko is likely to be a force once he gets comfortable with the North American game, and could be a huge asset next spring.
Possible – depends on the camp
Alexander Suzdalev Rumors are flying everywhere about where the talented winger will play next season. The official word from the Capitals is that his status will be decided at training camp. It seems that the capitals are also waiting to see if Suzdalev can bulk up over the summer. He’s been hitting the gym hard with a personal trainer since he left the Bears.
🚨 Susie between legs 🚨
We are limited to 2!#LegendsInTheMaking | @employee | @employee pic.twitter.com/CtaLxz9Ctk
– Regina Batts (WHLPats) January 15, 2023
Bogdan Trenev – Treniev got a full role in the K-League last season for Diamo and did well. However, he is considered a bit of a wild card, as there were Russian reports that he will return to Dynamo next season while there were other reports that he will play in Hershey next season. Trineyev would be a great addition to the Bears, but it’s not so important that he’s on the Bears roster next season.
Ludwig Persson Persson is a really long shot, as he struggled last season in the Swedish second-tier league. However, since he’s already signed a deal with the Capitals, there’s always an outside chance the team is looking to move him to North America for better instruction.
summary
An initial compilation of changes, strengths, and weaknesses in the current state of the Bears roster gives us our first look at the definition of a team. Goalkeeping It should be just as strong as last season, if not better, with the return of Hunter Shepherd and Klay Stephenson elevated to second place.
One could easily argue that bears a crime He could be even stronger than last season, with key components returning including Mike Sgarbosa and Mike Vecchione. Will the Bears be able to replace Bellon and Morelli’s record? this is the question.
on defenseHowever, the Bears still needed to add a defenseman in the off-season. Look for a potential veteran signing with an off-season lead, like signing Logan Day or signing Gabriel Carlsson in the most recent offseason. By the way, both of them are still unsigned for the next season.
Potential promotions and plan to meet
The Bears will also need to deal with potential promotions for Beck Malenstyn, Joe Snively, Connor McMichael, Ethen Frank, and/or Aliaksei Protas. Not everyone will jump. In fact, given the current state of the list of capitals, many likely won’t move up. There are very few openings, but that could change. Regardless, you should make a plan to leave each one individually.
It’s likely we’ll see more tweaking of the Bears roster over the summer, but for the most part the roster has formed and, again, looks absolutely formidable. It wouldn’t be long and “Back 2 Back” cheers would start to sound from the center of Penssylavina.
Written by Eric Lord and John Sorensen