The Hershey Bears added two more players to their roster on Friday, signing forward Kaden Bohlsen and defenseman Connor Mayer to one-year AHL contracts.
Bohlsen and Mayer are both relatively new to professional hockey, with Bohlsen making his AHL debut this past year for the Calgary Wranglers and Mayer making his debut during the 2023-24 campaign with the ECHL’s Utah Grizzlies. The two were previously teammates for one year (2018-19) in the USHL with the Fargo Force.
Bohlsen, 24, has spent most of the past five seasons in the NCAA with the University of Nebraska-Omaha and later Minnesota State University, Mankato. After finishing his final college campaign, he signed an amateur tryout contract with the Wranglers, recording one assist in four games.
The Willmar, Minnesota native’s best collegiate output came during the 2023-24 season when he posted 21 points (11g, 10a) in 37 games. Bohlsen was teammates with Capitals prospect and potential future Bears defender Joaquim Lemay at Nebraska-Omaha for one year.
Mayer, 26, split this past season between the Grizzlies and the AHL’s Colorado Eagles. In 22 games for the Eagles, the left-shot defenseman recorded nine points (4g, 5a). Before turning pro, he played five seasons in the NCAA with Colorado College.
Outside of already being teammates with Bohlsen once, the Champlin, Minnesota native has several other connections to the 2025-26 Bears locker room. Mayer played with Calle Rosen in Colorado this past year, Grant Cruikshank for two years in college, Mitch Gibson for one year on the USHL’s Central Illinois Flying Aces, and Micah Miller for one year on the USHL’s Sioux City Musketeers.
The Bears are still without a head coach but now have 31 skaters and five goalies on their roster heading into the fall’s training camp.
Here’s the Hershey Bears’ full press release:
BEARS SIGN KADEN BOHLSEN AND CONNOR MAYER TO AHL CONTRACTS
Hershey adds forward and defenseman for 2025-26 season
(Hershey, PA – Aug. 1, 2025) – The Hershey Bears have signed forward Kaden Bohlsen and defenseman Connor Mayer to one-year American Hockey League contracts for the 2025-26 season. The announcement was made by Hershey vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer.
Bohlsen, 24, spent his fifth year of collegiate hockey at Minnesota State University Mankato during the 2024-25 season, where he posted 17 points (12g, 5a) in 28 games, helping the Mavericks capture the Central Collegiate Hockey Association regular-season and conference titles and advance to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in program history at the Division I level. Upon completion of his season with the Mavericks, Bohlsen appeared in four AHL contests with the Calgary Wranglers, picking up one assist.
The 6’3”, 200-pound forward enjoyed a five-year NCAA career between the University of Nebraska Omaha and Minnesota State, amassing totals of 42 points (25g, 17a) in 113 games.
Mayer, 26, collected nine points (4g, 5a) in 22 AHL games with the Colorado Eagles during the 2024-25 campaign, and added one assist in four contests with the Utah Grizzlies of the ECHL.
The 5’11”, 185-pound blueliner skated five seasons at Colorado College between 2019-24, posting 32 points (7g, 25a) in 159 NCAA games. Mayer also won a Clark Cup championship with the Sioux City Musketeers of the United States Hockey League in 2016-17.
