Mike Sgarbossa’s run in the Washington Capitals’ organization will apparently end after the Hershey Bears’ playoff run concludes.
On Thursday, May 8, La Gazzetta del Ticino reported that Sgarbossa will move his career overseas and sign a contract with HC Lugano of the Swiss National League. The news was reported by the Swiss sports site the same day HC Lugano announced Connor Carrick’s two-year contract.
Sgarbossa’s exit this summer comes after recording 31 points (7g, 24a) in 35 games this season for the Bears. He played in Hershey’s first three playoff games of the Atlantic Division Semifinals. The Canadian center came out of the lineup in Game 4 on Friday, May 9, as center Garrett Roe was inserted in, and head coach Todd Nelson opted to go with 11 forwards and 7 defensemen so Brad Hunt could suit up on the power play.
Sgarbossa, a veteran leader on the Bears, has been in the Caps’ org since the 2018-19 season — a span of seven years. The 32-year-old forward played games with the Capitals in five of those seven seasons, posting 15 points (7g, 8a) in 45 games. He notched two points (1g, 1a) in three games during a brief cameo with the Capitals during the 2024-25 campaign.
Sgarbossa did most of his damage with the Bears as their first-line center. During his first season with the club, he had a career year, scoring 30 goals and collecting 65 points. Over the past three seasons, he primarily served as the centerman for wingers Mike Vecchione and Ethen Frank — one of the best lines in the American Hockey League.
During 13 seasons in the AHL, Sgarbossa had 467 points in 609 games as a member of the Bears, Manitoba Moose, Springfield Thunderbirds, San Diego Gulls, Norfolk Admirals, and Lake Erie Monsters. Sgarbossa also had 25 points (9g, 16a) in 93 NHL games with Washington, Florida, Anaheim, and Colorado.
Sgarbossa first got his start in professional hockey after being signed as a free agent by the San Jose Sharks on September 21, 2010. Sgarbossa’s three-year entry-level contract came three months after he went undrafted in the 2010 NHL Draft.
RMNB first saw the reporting via a Swiss Habs story that was shared on X by HBH Nation Blog.
