The American Hockey League announced on Wednesday that three former Hershey Bears players will be inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2026.
High-scoring Bears forwards Chris Bourque and Alexandre Giroux lead the Class, joined by Calder Cup-winning goaltender Wendell Young and long-time Rochester Americans defenseman Jim Wiemer.
Bourque and Giroux are the fourth members of the Bears’ back-to-back championship teams in 2009 and 2010 to be inducted into the AHL Hall of Fame, joining Bryan Helmer in 2017 and Keith Aucoin in 2023. The Bears have had players in the league’s last four Hall of Fame classes.
Bourque, the son of legendary NHL defenseman Ray Bourque, first joined the Bears after being drafted in the second round of the 2004 NHL Draft by the Washington Capitals. After playing one year in the AHL with the Portland Pirates before the Capitals switched affiliation to the Bears, Bourque won his first of three Calder Cups in Hershey at the end of the 2005-06 campaign.
The Boston, Massachusetts native recorded 746 career points (251g, 495a) in 794 regular-season AHL games with Portland, Hershey, Providence, Hartford, and Bridgeport. He is the league’s all-time playoff leader in assists (83), tied for third in playoff points (118), and second in postseason games played (138). Bourque’s best year came with the 2011-12 Bears, when he notched 93 points (27g, 66a) in 73 games.
Giroux, a 1999 seventh-round pick by the Ottawa Senators, first joined the Bears for the 2006-07 season. He almost immediately became one of the league’s all-time top offensive weapons, leading the Bears to back-to-back Calder Cups in 2009 and 2010. During the 2008-09 campaign, he was the AHL’s top scorer with 97 points (60g, 37a) in 69 games and was named league MVP.
The Quebec native followed that year up with 103 points (50g, 53a) in 69 games the next season. He was only the fourth player in league history with consecutive 50-goal campaigns, only the fifth player ever to score 60 goals in a single season, and set an AHL record by scoring goals in 15 straight games. Giroux finished as the AHL’s seventh all-time leading goal scorer (368) after time spent with Grand Rapids, Binghamton, Hartford, Hershey, Chicago, Oklahoma City, and Springfield.
Young played just one season with the Bears, but it was a very memorable one, starting 51 games for the inevitable 1988 AHL champions. He posted a 33-15-1 record in the regular season, along with a 2.77 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage, and one shutout, winning the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the league’s most outstanding goaltender.
In the postseason, Young then claimed the Jack Butterfield Trophy as MVP of the Calder Cup Playoffs after backstopping the Hershey Bears to a perfect 12-0 run. He is now the vice chairman/governor of the AHL’s Chicago Wolves.
The official Class of 2026 induction will take place as part of the festivities at the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic hosted by the Rockford IceHogs. The ceremony is scheduled for February 11 at the Coronado Theatre in Rockford, Illinois.
Earlier in October, Bourque and Giroux were also named to the Hershey Bears’ Hall of Fame as part of the Class of 2025.
Here’s the full press release from the Hershey Bears:
BEARS GREATS CHRIS BOURQUE, ALEXANDRE GIROUX, AND WENDELL YOUNG TO BE INDUCTED INTO AHL HALL OF FAME
Three former Hershey players to be enshrined as part of AHL Hall of Fame Class of 2026 during festivities at the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic in Rockford, Ill.
(Springfield, MA – Nov. 5, 2025) – The American Hockey League today announced the four people selected for induction into the American Hockey League Hall of Fame as the Class of 2026. Three former Hershey Bears players – Chris Bourque, Alexandere Giroux, and Wendell Young – along with Jim Wiemer have been honored by the AHL Hall of Fame Selection Committee as the latest group of enshrinees.
The induction of the Class of 2026 will take place as part of the festivities at the 2026 AHL All-Star Classic presented by BMO, to be hosted by the Rockford IceHogs. The American Hockey League Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony is scheduled for February 11, 2026, at the Coronado Theatre in Rockford, Ill.
Chris Bourque
The son of Hockey Hall of Fame defenseman Ray Bourque carved out his own legendary career in the AHL as a three-time Calder Cup winner, a two-time league scoring champion and an MVP in both the regular season and the playoffs. Chris Bourque was drafted by the Washington Capitals in 2004 and turned pro with the AHL’s Portland Pirates, where his first career goal was an overtime game-winner. He won his first Calder Cup as a rookie with the Hershey Bears in 2006 and took on a starring role on the team’s back-to-back championship teams in 2009 and 2010. Bourque, who was voted a First Team AHL All-Star on three occasions and played in six AHL All-Star Classics, totaled 251 goals and 495 assists for 746 points in 794 regular-season games with Portland, Hershey, Providence, Hartford, and Bridgeport. He also ranks among the league’s all-time playoff leaders in assists (83, 1st), points (118, T-3rd), and games played (138, 2nd).
Alexandre Giroux
Alexandre Giroux was one of the most lethal offensive weapons in the AHL during his 11 seasons in the league, climbing all the way to seventh place on the all-time list with 368 career goals. His 2008-09 and 2009-10 seasons are among the greatest ever by an AHL player: in leading the Hershey Bears to back-to-back Calder Cups, Giroux won both league MVP honors and the regular-season scoring title in 2008-09; became the fourth player in league history with consecutive 50-goal campaigns; was the fifth player ever to score 60 goals in a single season; set an AHL record by scoring goals in 15 straight games; and amassed 139 goals and 255 points in 181 contests (regular season and playoffs combined) during the two-year span. Giroux totaled 704 points in 771 contests with Grand Rapids, Binghamton, Hartford, Hershey, Chicago, Oklahoma City, and Springfield, and added 103 points in 118 Calder Cup Playoff games, including a record five career playoff overtime goals.
Both Bourque and Giroux were previously announced as inductees for the Hershey Bears Hockey Club Hall of Fame’s Class of 2025 and will be enshrined in a pregame ceremony before the Bears host the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday, Dec. 6 at GIANT Center at 7 p.m.
Wendell Young
Currently in his 32nd season as a member of the Chicago Wolves organization, Wendell Young has followed a decorated playing career with a successful run as one of hockey’s leading executives. Since the team’s move to the AHL in 2001, Young has been instrumental in winning Calder Cup championships as Chicago’s director of team relations (2002), assistant coach (2008), and general manager (2022), and during his 15 years as the Wolves’ GM from 2009 to 2024 the team compiled a record of 571-375-136 (.591) while capturing eight division titles. Over his 18 pro seasons as a player as a player – which included Stanley Cup titles with Pittsburgh in 1991 and 1992 – Young made 138 appearances in the AHL highlighted by a 1987-88 season – his lone campaign with the Hershey Bears – in which he posted a 33-15-1 record in the regular season, along with a 2.77 goals-against average, a .912 save percentage, and one shutout, winning the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the league’s outstanding goaltender; in the postseason, Young claimed the Jack Butterfield Trophy as MVP of the Calder Cup Playoffs after backstopping the Hershey Bears on a perfect 12-0 run to the Calder Cup title.
Formed in 2006 to recognize, honor and celebrate individuals for their outstanding achievements and contributions in the American Hockey League, the AHL Hall of Fame is housed online at AHLHallofFame.com and is accessible to fans worldwide as part of the AHL Internet Network.
In operation since 1936, the American Hockey League serves as the top development league for the players, coaches, managers, executives, broadcasters and staff of all 32 National Hockey League teams. Nearly 90 percent of NHL players each year are American Hockey League graduates, and more than 130 honored members of the Hockey Hall of Fame spent time in the AHL in their careers.
