Weekly Release: Bears Open 2024-25 Season

October 7, 2024

The Hershey Bears open their 87th season of competition in the American Hockey League this week as they get set to raise their 13th Calder Cup championship banner to GIANT Center rafter on Saturday, Oct. 12 prior to their game against the Cleveland Monsters in a rematch of the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals. Hershey and Cleveland duel again on Sunday, Oct. 13 to close out the week.

2023-24 REGULAR SEASON TEAM LEADERS:
Goals: Ethen Frank (29)
Assists: Joe Snively (45)
Points: Joe Snively (59)
Power-Play Goals: Ethen Frank (13)
Shorthanded Goals: Bogdan Trineyev (3)
Plus/Minus: Vincent Iorio (+26)
Wins: Hunter Shepard (27)
GAA: Hunter Shepard (1.76)
SV%: Hunter Shepard (.929)
Only includes qualified players

UPCOMING LOCAL PRACTICE SCHEDULE:

Monday, Oct. 7
Practice, 10:30 a.m. at GIANT Center

Tuesday, Oct. 8
Day Off

Wednesday, Oct. 9
Practice, 10:30 a.m. at Hersheypark Arena

Thursday, Oct. 10
TBD

Friday, Oct. 11
TBD

Saturday, Oct. 12
TBD

PRESEASON RESULTS:

-       Thursday, Oct. 3 - Hershey 3 at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 4 (SO)
-       Friday, Oct. 4 - Hershey 4 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton 3 (OT)
-       Saturday, Oct. 5 - Hershey 2 at Lehigh Valley 4

UPCOMING GAME SCHEDULE & PROMOTIONS:

Saturday, Oct. 12 - Hershey vs. Cleveland Monsters, 7 p.m. - BUY TICKETS

• Home Opener Red Carpet - All fans are invited to our Red Carpet event on the GIANT Center plaza. The event begins at 3 p.m. with players beginning to arrive at 4 p.m.
• Highmark Blue Shield Calder Cup Champions Mini Banner Night - All fans in attendance will receive a replica 2024 Calder Cup champions mini banner, courtesy of Highmark Blue Shield.
• 2024 Calder Cup Banner Ceremony - Be a part of Hershey Bears history as Banner No. 13 is raised to the rafters in a pregame ceremony.

Sunday, Oct. 13 - Hershey vs. Cleveland Monsters, 5 p.m. - BUY TICKETS

• PNC Bank Magnet Schedule Night - All fans in attendance will receive a 2024-25 Bears magnet schedule, courtesy of PNC Bank.

Television Coverage: FOX43.2 Antenna TV (Saturday's game); Video Coverage: AHLTV on FloHockey; Radio Coverage: Bears Radio Network, Capitals Radio Network

All times Eastern

TEAM NEWS AND NOTES:

TRIMMING THINGS DOWN:
The Bears enter the week with a training camp roster consisting of 16 forwards, 13 defensemen, and three goaltenders following the loan of forward Ivan Miroshnichenko this morning. Forward Spencer Smallman continues to practice with the team but must be medically cleared before he can formally be added by Washington to Hershey's roster, while goaltender Hunter Shepard must pass unclaimed through waivers by 2 p.m. this afternoon before he can be loaned to Hershey. Hershey's roster currently boasts 709 regular-season games of NHL experience, with veteran defensemen Brad Hunt (288) and Ethan Bear (275) leading the way.

NO "BIG MAC":
With today's 5 p.m. ET deadline for NHL teams to submit their opening-day rosters, all indications point to defenseman Dylan McIlrath making the roster cut for Washington. Hershey's captain appeared in three games for the Capitals in 2023-24 and dressed for an additional four Stanley Cup Playoff games. The defender then returned to Hershey for the remainder of the Calder Cup Playoffs, leading Hershey to the title for the second consecutive season and his third overall Calder Cup championship (Grand Rapids, 2017). McIlrath's NHL career-high for games played in a season was 34 with the New York Rangers in 2015-16.

NELSON CLOSING IN ON CENTURY MARK:
With 97 wins in 144 regular-season games since stepping behind the bench for Hershey before the 2022-23 season, head coach Todd Nelson is three wins away from his 100th victory with the Bears. Nelson's record of 97-33-5-9 represents the best points percentage (.722) by a head coach in franchise history. If he opens the season with a 3-0-0-0 record, he will tie Mark French for the franchise record for the fastest 100 career wins by a head coach. Nelson enters the season with 406 career victories in the AHL, good for eighth all-time, and one win behind Scott Gordon in seventh.

"SWEETER BY THE BAKER'S DOZEN" PREMIERES TONIGHT:
Before Banner No. 13 goes to the rafters, Bear Nation will get to relive Hershey's 2024 run to the Calder Cup when "Sweeter by the Baker's Dozen" airs tonight at 7 p.m. on Monumental Sports Network. The documentary chronicling the Bears' pursuit to repeat the roar follows up the National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter Emmy Award-nominated "Sweeter by the Dozen," which covered Hershey's 2023 Calder Cup championship.

MONSTER MAYHEM:
Saturday night's game will mark the 30th regular-season contest between the Bears and Monsters since the two teams first faced each other in the 2007-08 season. In that time, Hershey has gone 17-8-0-4 against Cleveland, with a 9-3-0-3 record on home ice; the Bears have earned points in 13 consecutive games (11-0-0-2) against the Monsters and are 7-0-0-1 in the last two seasons against the Monsters under head coach Todd Nelson.

BEARS BITES:
Brad Hunt is one assist away from his 200th career AHL helper...Ethen Frank is three points away from 100 in his pro career, all with the Bears...The Bears have a lifetime record of 40-39-4-2-1 in season-opening games and a record of 42-35-4-3-2 in home openers; Saturday's game will mark the seventh consecutive season that Hershey has opened the campaign on home ice, posting a 2-3-1-0 record in that span.