The Hershey Bears added more depth to their organization on Tuesday, signing forward Patrick Guzzo and defenseman John Fusco to one-year contracts.
Guzzo and Fusco are both college hockey products, with the former finishing his fifth season with Ohio State this past year and the latter completing his third year with Dartmouth College. They both also have prior experience in the USHL, Guzzo playing parts of three seasons with the Waterloo Black Hawks, and Fusco playing one season with the Sioux City Musketeers.
Guzzo, 23, was Ohio State’s captain the past two seasons, recording 16 points (9g, 7a) in 36 games during his final year with the Buckeyes. His 171 career games with the program are the most in school history, and during his five years in Columbus, he was a five-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and earned four Academic All-Big Ten selections.
The Michigan native made his AHL debut on an amateur tryout contract with the Manitoba Moose this past April, getting into three games.
Fusco, 24, started his college career at Harvard University before transferring to Dartmouth, where he posted a career best 21 points (11g, 10a) in 32 games last season. The Massachusetts native is a former seventh-round pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2020 NHL Draft, but never played a game in the Toronto organization.
Fusco’s father, Mark Fusco, played two seasons with the NHL’s Hartford Whalers and was part of Team USA at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo. Fusco’s uncle, Scott Fusco, played professionally in Switzerland and was part of Team USA at the 1984 and 1988 Winter Olympics.
While at Harvard, Fusco was teammates with current Bears goaltender Mitchell Gibson. He also played on the same USA youth teams as fellow future Bear, Kaden Bohlsen.
Here’s the Hershey Bears’ full press release:
BEARS SIGN PATRICK GUZZO AND JOHN FUSCO
Hershey adds pair of NCAA players to roster for 2025-26 season
(Hershey, PA – August 19, 2025) – The Hershey Bears have signed forward Patrick Guzzo and defenseman John Fusco to American Hockey League contracts for the 2025-26 season. The announcement was made by Hershey vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer.
Guzzo, 23, scored 16 points (9g, 7a) in 36 games with Ohio State University in 2024-25. The Marysville, Michigan native served as the club’s co-captain for the second straight season, and his 171 games at Ohio State over five seasons are the most in the program’s history. In his NCAA career, he recorded 62 points (34g, 28a), and was a five-time Ohio State Scholar-Athlete and earned four Academic All-Big Ten selections.
Following the conclusion of his NCAA career, he joined the AHL’s Manitoba Moose in April on a professional tryout agreement, appearing in three games.
Prior to his time at Ohio State, the 6’3”, 191-pound forward scored 40 points (18g, 22a) in 100 career USHL games with the Waterloo Black Hawks.
Fusco, 24, spent his senior year of collegiate hockey at Dartmouth College during the 2024-25 season, where he posted a career-high 21 points (11g, 10a) and plus-minus of +15, and ranked sixth in the nation with six game-winning goals.
The 5’10”, 190-pound blueliner began his NCAA career at Harvard University in 2021-22, where he was teammates with current Bears-contracted goaltender Mitch Gibson, before transferring to Dartmouth for his final three seasons, accumulating 51 points (22g, 29a) in 112 career games.
Fusco was originally a seventh-round selection (189th overall) by the Toronto Maple Leafs in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Fusco’s father Mark played two seasons in the National Hockey League with the Hartford Whalers and was a member of the United States hockey team at the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo.
