The Hershey Bears announced on Thursday that they signed forward Matthew Strome and defenseman Michael Kim to AHL contracts for the 2022-23 season.

Matthew (right in the photo) is the younger brother of Washington Capitals forward Dylan Strome (left) and Anaheim Ducks forward Ryan Strome (middle). Last season the Mississauga native split time between the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL and the Reading Royals of the ECHL.

We've signed defenseman Michael Kim and forward Matthew Strome (@Mstrome16) to AHL contracts for the 2022-23 season.

— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) September 8, 2022

The 23-year-old winger was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Draft. He made his professional hockey debut with the Phantoms in the 2018-19 season and has bounced between the AHL and ECHL levels ever since.

The six-foot-four, 210-pound forward won an OHL championship with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 2019 as the team’s captain. He played against Dylan in the OHL for two seasons while the latter was starring for the Erie Otters.

Dylan was signed by the Capitals this offseason to a one-year, $3.5 million contract. He figures to be the team’s second-line center while Nicklas Backstrom rehabs from hip surgery.

Here’s the full press release from the Hershey Bears:

BEARS AGREE TO TERMS WITH KIM AND STROME ON AHL CONTRACTS

(Hershey, PA- September 8, 2022) – The Hershey Bears announced today that the club has signed defenseman Michael Kim and forward Matthew Strome to American Hockey League contracts for the 2022-23 season. The announcement was made by Hershey’s vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer.

Kim, 27, appeared in 26 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds last season, registering seven assists. The Toronto, Ontario native split time with the ECHL’s Maine Mariners where he collected 21 points (2g, 19a) in 33 games. He also added three helpers in six playoff games for Maine.

The 5’11”, 195-pound blue liner has skated in 49 career AHL games with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Springfield, posting 10 assists. He has also notched 52 points (6g, 46a) in 123 career ECHL games with Wheeling and Maine.

Prior to turning pro, Kim played four seasons at Boston College, serving as a co-captain for his junior and senior year. He helped the Eagles to a Hockey East Championship in 2018 and earned conference Third All-Star Team honors.

Strome, 23, appeared in 63 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season, scoring 16 points (5g, 11a), while also registering seven points (3g, 4a) in six games for the ECHL’s Reading Royals.

The Mississauga, Ontario native was selected by Philadelphia in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Draft and has split his first three professional seasons between the AHL and ECHL. In his AHL career with Lehigh Valley, Strome has amassed 23 points (8g, 15a) in 91 games, while he’s posted 34 points (15g, 19a) in 57 ECHL games with Reading and Greenville.

The 6’4″, 210-pound winger was an Ontario Hockey League champion with Hamilton in 2018 and served as the club’s captain in 2018-19 when he finished second on the team in scoring with 79 points (28g, 51a). Strome’s eldest brother, Ryan, is a forward for the Anaheim Ducks, while his other brother, Dylan, was signed this summer by Hershey’s NHL affiliate, the Washington Capitals, after skating with the Chicago Blackhawks last season.

The Bears open the 2022-23 season, presented by Penn State Health, versus the Utica Comets at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 15 at GIANT Center featuring a PNC Bank Magnet Schedule giveaway for the first 8,000 fans, plus a pre-game Opening Night Red Carpet Event. Single game tickets are on sale now, and for a limited time, receive a FREE ticket for kids 12 and younger with the purchase of a regular admission ticket when you buy online. Click HERE for more.

Headline photo via @mattstrome18/Instagram