Hershey Bears head coach Todd Nelson has often stated that the days away from the rink can be just as important as the practice days themselves.
Coming off a busy March that saw Hershey play 14 games, including 10 straight on the road, the disappointment of consecutive losses to the Utica Comets last weekend was allowed to dissipate with days off on Monday and Tuesday, giving the Bears a chance to recover and decompress in advance of preparing to visit Lehigh Valley on Friday before returning home for games against Hartford on Saturday and Sunday.
"Well I think we needed the two days off. It was a pretty good grind for our hockey team. And even yesterday in practice you could tell the guys were still trying to get back into game mode," Nelson said. "But both days were good days of practice, but they definitely needed the rest. We're going into another three-in-three, so the rest is a weapon. And so we had two good days of practice and I think their mindset's in the right spot."
Despite initially losing Luke Philp and Garrett Roe for the match at home against the Comets on Sunday due to injuries sustained Saturday night at Utica, Nelson was upbeat that both would be available for the upcoming games.
What's more, captain Aaron Ness - who had missed the last 13 games with an upper-body injury after taking a puck to the face against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on March 1 - has shed the non-contact jersey.
The prospect of Ness returning to the lineup cannot be understated.
"Right now with our 'D' core, we're having a tough time killing the cycle and Aaron does a really good job of that, and just his leadership on and off the ice," Nelson said. "He's a leader where if the guys need a kick in the butt, he's not afraid to speak up in the room [...] so getting him back will be a shot in the arm for us."
The enthusiasm from Hershey's captain was evident, as well as the awareness of the chaos that awaits the Bears in the final weeks of the regular season.
"It's fun being around the guys again and getting back into the swing," Ness said. "Our coaches and staff have done a great job of keeping me ready, in shape, and ready to go, so kudos to them. I'm excited to get back as soon as possible here.
"I think you look at the standings, it's as tight as I've seen in a long time, so it's going to be a fun finish here. We've got five to ten games left here for just about every team to make a push. So I think it's time to play playoff hockey, play hockey the right way, and hopefully jump in ready to go for the playoffs."
Youth is served on blue line
In his postgame press conference on Sunday, Nelson alluded to Hershey gaining potential reinforcements.
Besides the potential return of Ness, the Bears' blue line has received a shot in the arm with the additions of Washington Capitals defensive prospects Ryan Chesley and David Gucciardi, who were both signed to amateur tryout agreements on Wednesday after their collegiate seasons had wrapped up.
Chesley - the fifth player taken in the second round of the 2022 draft - is keen to see how he stacks up against the competition in the American Hockey League.
"Obviously it's a really good league, and most NHL players have played in this league and come up from here, so it's going to be a real test for me. It's physical and fast, but I think I'm ready for it."
Gucciardi - taken in the seventh round the same year as Chesley - has noted the pair has already been embraced by their new teammates.
"You could tell right away from the first few days in the locker room, the guys are tight and everybody's very welcoming," Gucciardi said.
Nelson has liked what he's seen out of the youngsters, and he expects both to make their pro debuts with the Bears at some point this weekend.
"We'll take it shift-by-shift and see how it goes, and if we have to protect them a bit, we will. [Assistant coach Patrick Wellar] does a good job with that," Nelson said. "But based on what I saw, their skillsets are right there. With defensemen, it takes longer to develop and there could be some growing pains, but everybody makes mistakes; we want to put our best foot forward with these guys, and I think these guys can help us out."
Smallman speaks on new deal
The Washington Capitals announced the re-signing of Spencer Smallman earlier this week to a two-year extension, and the forward spoke publicly about how pleased he was to remain within the Washington-Hershey pipeline for the foreseeable future.
"It's unbelievable. My whole family's over the moon, and myself coming in here to a team that won back-to-back championships. So I can't say enough about the locker room and the culture, not only from the players, but from the coaches and support staff. Everybody's amazing. It's right where I want to be and it feels like home already."
Smallman recalled that it was around January or February that he and his camp made the determination that attempting to stay within the organization was the right choice.
"Just how everybody cares so much about this team and how the Hershey Bears are bigger than any one individual and I think I called my agent the next day and said 'This is where I want to be,' and just whenever the time comes that we'd like to be here for an extended period of time."
While the added job security is certainly welcome, Smallman's singular focus remains helping Hershey prepare to make another deep postseason run.
"I don't think it changes things from the day-to-day at the rink, just kind of forget about it and keep the end goal in mind, which we have been all year. And that's to win another championship," Smallman said. "And I think anything less than that would be unacceptable, really."
Written by Bears media specialist Jesse Liebman
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
 |
vs
