Garin Bjorklund

Hunter Shepard returns to Hershey Bears practice after missing team’s first two games, Mitchell Gibson summoned from Stingrays

The goaltending situation for the AHL’s Hershey Bears has been anything but stable to start the 2023-24 campaign.

Hunter Shepard, the 2023 Calder Cup playoffs MVP and regular number one netminder, has missed the team’s first two games of the season with an illness.

Shepard’s absence has been compounded by the Washington Capitals having their own issues in net in the NHL. Darcy Kuemper missed Opening Night due to the birth of his first child and Charlie Lindgren suffered an injury right before the Capitals’ second game.

All of that has meant Clay Stevenson, Shepard’s expected backup this year, has been ferried back and forth between the two teams on an almost daily basis.

The Bears got some good news on Wednesday though as Shepard returned to the ice for practice.

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By Chris Cerullo 1 month ago

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Hershey Bears announce Opening Night roster for 2023-24 season

The Hershey Bears are ready for puck drop ahead of their season-opening matchup against the Belleville Senators, Saturday night.

The team announced its 31-player, Opening Night roster that includes 19 forwards, 9 defensemen, and 3 goaltenders.

The Bears feature 16 returning players from the 2023 Calder Cup Championship team, including 2023 AHL Playoff MVP Hunter Shepard and Capitals prospects Hendrix Lapierre and Vincent Iorio. Ivan Miroshnichenko and Alexander Suzdalev have both made the Bears and will play their rookie seasons in the AHL.

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By Ian Oland 2 months ago

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Capitals Rookie Camp at the US Naval Academy in photos

Annapolis, MD — The Washington Capitals held their final day of Rookie Camp at McMullen Hockey Arena on Tuesday.

Top prospects like Ivan Miroshnichenko, Hendrix Lapierre, Vincent Iorio, Alexander Suzdalev, and Andrew Cristall participated in the four-day event, which saw the young stars not only work on their on-ice skills, but team-build off of it at the US Naval Academy.

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By Alan Dobbins 2 months ago

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Capitals re-assign Garin Bjorklund to Hershey, Mitchell Gibson released from amateur tryout agreement

The Washington Capitals announced on Monday that have re-assigned goaltender Garin Bjorklund to the AHL’s Hershey Bears. Additionally, the Bears released goaltender Mitchell Gibson from his amateur tryout agreement.

The news comes as Hershey awaits their first opponent of the Calder Cup Playoffs after securing a first-round bye with their 97-point, second-place Eastern Conference finish. That series will start during the final week of April.

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By Chris Cerullo 8 months ago

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Capitals cut 22 players from Training Camp roster

The Washington Capitals announced a huge group of cuts from their Training Camp roster on Friday. Twenty-two players were sent back to their respective clubs, trimming down the overall group in DC to 40.

The Caps’ AHL affiliate Hershey Bears start their Training Camp early next week and all but one of the cuts in this group is headed to Pennsylvania for that. Four of the players will need to make it through waivers before being allowed to do so.

The news was announced by Capitals PR.

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By Chris Cerullo 1 year ago

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Capitals sign 2020 sixth-round pick Garin Bjorklund to three-year, entry-level contract

The Washington Capitals announced Friday afternoon that they have signed 2020 sixth-round draft selection Garin Bjorklund to a three-year, entry-level contract worth $843,333 annually.

Bjorklund was an unfortunate member of a Medicine Hat Tigers team this season that won just eleven games in the WHL. Being that he was the goaltender on such a poor team, his stats from this season are ugly. He amassed an 8-36-2 record with a 4.26 goals-against average and a .877 save percentage.

The Canadian goaltender recently got a taste of professional hockey when he signed an amateur tryout agreement with the Hershey Bears.

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By Chris Cerullo 2 years ago

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Hershey Bears sign three Capitals draft picks to amateur tryout agreements

The Hershey Bears announced on Wednesday that they have signed Capitals prospects Dru Krebs, Benton Maass, and Garin Bjorklund to amateur tryout agreements which will allow them to finish this season in the AHL.

They will join goaltending prospect Clay Stevenson, who signed his own amateur tryout deal with the Bears two weeks ago after agreeing to a two-year entry-level deal with the Caps in late March.

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By Chris Cerullo 2 years ago

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Capitals cut five players from Training Camp roster

Washington Capitals head coach Peter Laviolette spoke about narrowing the roster earlier in the day. Those decisions were announced Tuesday afternoon.

Five players have been sent back to their respective teams. The transactions leave the current roster at a total of 49 — 44 skaters and five goaltenders.

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By Chris Cerullo 2 years ago

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