Last week, Hershey Bears goaltender Vitek Vanecek was sent down to play for the Bears’ ECHL affiliate in order to rehab a lower-body injury from training camp. After playing two games with the South Carolina Stingrays, Vanecek has been re-assigned and will rejoin the Bears in Hershey as he continues to recover from his injury.
While in South Carolina, Vanecek performed well in the two games in which he played. Although the the Stingrays lost 3-2 in Vanecek’s first game with the team, he stopped 36 shots, 16 of which came in the second period alone. The team bounced back two days later with a 3-1 win over the Jacksonville Icemen, with Vitek making 22 saves against the Winnipeg Jets’ ECHL affiliate.
NEWS: Goalie Vitek Vanecek returns to Hershey after rehabbing w/@SCStingrays, Kelly Zajac re-assigned to Rays. https://t.co/BGoW2vulgW #HBH pic.twitter.com/8LR3IArqsg
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) November 7, 2017
Vanecek played well in rehab stint, will return to Hershey to continue recovering as he looks to return from a lower-body injury. #HBH https://t.co/EvavvWhW1N
— Zack Fisch (@zackfisch) November 7, 2017
Netminder Pheonix Copley, who was also injured during training camp, was in goal for the Bears during Vanecek’s stint in South Carolina, and was the deciding factor in the Bears’ 3-2 shootout win over Wilkes-Barre on Sunday.
Additional roster changes were made in conjunction with Vanecek being called back up to Chocolatetown. 29-year-old Kelly Zajac was re-assigned to South Carolina after appearing in two games with Hershey this weekend. The forward registered one assist with the Bears, and has tallied three additional points with the Stingrays this season.
More from the Bears:
(Hershey, PA- November 7, 2017)- The Hershey Bears announced today a pair of roster moves. Goaltender Vitek Vanecek has been re-assigned to Hershey after rehabbing with the club’s ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, this past weekend. Additionally, the Bears have announced that forward Kelly Zajac has been re-assigned to the Stingrays. The announcements were made by Hershey’s Vice President of Hockey Operations, Bryan Helmer.
Vanecek, 21, returned from a lower-body injury last weekend, appearing in a pair of games with the Stingrays. He went 1-1-0, stopping 36 shots in a 3-2 loss at Greenville on Friday, and earning the victory with 22 saves in a 3-1 decision over Jacksonville on Sunday.
The 2014 second round selection of the Capitals went 18-10-7 last season for the Chocolate and White, and finished third among rookie goaltenders in the AHL with a 2.54 goals against average. He posted five shutouts, a mark tied for the second most in the AHL. The native of Havlickuv Brod, Czech Republic was named the CCM/AHL Player of the Week for the period ending on Dec. 18, 2016.
Zajac, 29, appeared in two games with Hershey this past weekend, tallying one assist. He has three points (one goal, two assists) in four games with the Stingrays this season.
Headline photo: Chocolate Hockey
