Home / News / Hershey Bears reportedly sign Garrett Roe, Virginia native and former US Olympian, to one-year AHL contract

Hershey Bears reportedly sign Garrett Roe, Virginia native and former US Olympian, to one-year AHL contract

By Chris Cerullo

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July 13, 2023 6:04 pm

The Hershey Bears are reportedly set to add Vienna, Virginia native and former US Olympian, Garrett Roe, to their organization on a one-year contract according to Inside AHL Hockey’s Tony Androckitis.

Roe, a forward that has played the last ten seasons in Europe, was signed with the ZSC Lions through the 2023-24 campaign but is returning to North America for personal reasons and will play for the Bears in the AHL.

Roe, 35, was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings in the seventh round of the 2008 NHL Draft and last played in the AHL during the 2012-13 season for the Adirondack Phantoms. The next season he departed for Austria to play in Salzburg which kicked off a bit of a trip around Europe. He made stops in Germany, in Sweden with his good buddy and former Cap Andrew Gordon, and eventually settled in Switzerland.

Roe’s best season abroad came during the 2017-18 campaign with EV Zug where he shared the ice with former Caps prospect Tobias Geisser and recorded 49 points (12g, 37a) in 44 games. That performance led to him being selected to Team USA for the 2018 Olympic Games. He scored a goal and tallied an assist in five games for the US.

Last season for the Lions was Roe’s least productive in Europe. In 31 games, he notched just 14 points (4g, 10a). He added two points in three playoff games.

Hershey has had an extremely busy summer before they’ll look to defend their title next season. In addition to Roe, Logan Day, Matthew Strome, Dylan McIlrath, Hunter Shepard, Julian Napravnik, Michael Kim, and Riley Sutter have all been re-signed. The Caps have also added Pierrick Dube, Matthew Phillips, and Alex Limoges in free agency.

July 19 update: The Hershey Bears have made the signing official.

Here’s the full press release from the Bears:

BEARS SIGN VETERAN FORWARD GARRETT ROE

The 2023 Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears announced today that the club has signed forward Garrett Roe to an American Hockey League contract for the 2023-24 season. The announcement was made by Hershey vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer.

Roe, 35, played 31 games last season for the ZSC Lions in Switzerland’s National League, collecting 14 points (4g, 10a) and serving as alternate captain for the club.

The 5’7”, 170-pound forward has spent the last decade playing in Europe for teams in Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, and Austria, collecting 375 points (115g, 260a) in 411 games. Roe led the National League’s EV Zug to the Swiss Cup in 2018-2019, leading the playoffs in assists (11) and points (17). The following season with the ZSC Lions, he led the National League in assists (35) and was named to the league’s Media All-Star Team.

The native of Vienna, Virginia represented the United States at the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang, where he picked up two points (1g, 1a) in five matches as the Americans advanced to the quarterfinals.

Roe began his professional career in North America with a two-year stint with the Adirondack Phantoms from 2011-13, putting up 66 points (20g, 46a) in 129 games.

Before beginning his pro career, Roe played four seasons of collegiate hockey for St. Cloud State University, where he amassed 178 points (65g, 113a) in 156 games for the Huskies; his 178 points rank third all-time in program history, while his 113 assists are the all-time mark for the program.

Roe was originally selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the seventh round (183rd overall) of the 2008 NHL Draft. He is a product of the Washington Little Capitals program.

Headline photo: Adirondack/Lehigh Valley Phantoms

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