Liam O’Brien, one of the Hershey Bears’ alternate captains, took to Instagram on Monday to share his disappointment that the 2019-20 AHL season was canceled.

“Tough pill to swallow with the AHL being canceled today. We had a really special group of players and people in our room that I have no question we’re destined for some pretty amazing things,” O’Brien said.

He added, “The what if’s are gonna suck and it’s a team I will look back at in the future and it will bother me for sure. I want to thank my teammates, staff and my coaches for such an awesome year of hockey. It honestly was a blast going to the rink everyday with this group of people. I also want to thank the @thehersheybears fans for their strong support and love!”

O’Brien, affectionately nicknamed by his teammates The Big Tuna, was on his way to his best year as a pro. O’Brien scored 10 goals and 29 points through 59 games. The 29 points was the second-most he’s ever had in his career while the 10 goals ranked third.

Liam is a group six unrestricted free agent, meaning this could be his last year in Hershey.

A Group 6 (Unrestricted) Free Agent is any player 25 or older with at least three professional seasons who has not played in at least 80 NHL games (28 for goalies) becomes a UFA at the end of his contract.

In 370 total AHL games, O’Brien had 63 goals, 137 points, and 638 PIMs.

Headline photo: Cara Bahniuk/RMNB