The Hershey Bears announced on Tuesday, November 12, that they signed goaltender Seth Eisele to an AHL contract for the rest of the 2024-25 season.
Eisele’s contract comes after beginning the season 3-0-1 as the primary starter for the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. He has notched two shutouts in those four starts and has a 1.50 goals-against average and a .948 save percentage. He was also named the ECHL Goaltender of the Week for October 21-27.
We have signed goaltender Seth Eisele to an AHL deal for the remainder of the 2024-25 season. Eisele will remain with the ECHL's @SCStingrays where he is 3-0-1 with two shutouts and a 1.50 goals-against average this season.
📰 https://t.co/NcQqnyN06J pic.twitter.com/TQmfhTelPq
— Hershey Bears (@TheHersheyBears) November 12, 2024
The 2024-25 campaign is Eisele’s first season of pro hockey after spending four years in the NCAA with Lake Superior State University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He also spent three seasons of junior hockey split between the BCHL’s Wenatchee Wild, the BCHL’s Surrey Eagles, and the NAHL’s Lone Star Brahmas.
In his final college season in Nebraska, Eisele was teammates with Washington Capitals prospect defenseman Joaquim Lemay. As the team’s backup, Eisele went 4-1-1 with a 2.37 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage.
Seth Eisele of the @SCStingrays has been selected as the @WarriorHockey Goalie of the Week 👀 🔥
📝: https://t.co/JqyfNIgHpZ pic.twitter.com/prpnv5IHic
— ECHL (@ECHL) October 28, 2024
The 26-year-old Eisele attended Capitals Rookie Camp this fall and was part of Washington’s first major round of cuts to their Training Camp roster. He then attended Hershey’s 2024 Training Camp and appeared in one preseason game with the Bears, stopping 19-of-20 shots in a relief appearance against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Hershey’s net is crowded, with Hunter Shepard and Clay Stevenson holding things down for another season. Mitchell Gibson, who was recently up with Hershey due to Stevenson suffering an injury, joins Eisele in a South Carolina crease that also includes Capitals draft pick Garin Bjorklund.
Here’s the press release from the Hershey Bears:
BEARS INK GOALTENDER SETH EISELE TO AHL DEAL
Netminder is off to a 3-0-1 start with ECHL South Carolina
(Hershey, PA – Nov. 12, 2024) – The Hershey Bears announced that the club has signed goaltender Seth Eisele to an American Hockey League contract for the remainder of the 2024-25 season and loaned him to the ECHL’s South Carolina Stingrays. The announcement was made by Hershey vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer.
Eisele, 26, is 3-0-1 in four games this season with South Carolina. The rookie goaltender recorded shutouts in each of his first two professional starts, making 24 saves to blank Greenville on Oct. 26, then 36 shots in a win over Florida on Nov. 1. He was named the ECHL Goaltender of the Week for Oct. 21-27, and owns a 1.50 goals-against average and a .948 save percentage for the Stingrays.
The native of Lake Elmo, Minn. attended Hershey’s 2024 Training Camp and appeared in one preseason game with the Bears, stopping 19-of-20 shots in relief in a 4-3 shootout loss at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Oct. 3. He signed an ECHL deal with the Stingrays on Aug. 22.
The 6’5″, 205-pound goaltender went 4-1-1- in his final NCAA season at the University of Nebraska Omaha in 2023-24, owning a 2.19 goals-against average and a .919 save percentage. He played his four prior collegiate seasons at Lake Superior State University.
