On July 18th, the Hershey Bears signed forward Jimmy Huntington from the Milwaukee Admirals to an AHL contract for the 2023-24 season. On July 19th, the Hershey Bears signed veteran forward Garrett Roe from the ZSC Lions (Switzerland’s National League) to an AHL contract for the 2023-24 season. But wait, there’s more! On July 20th, the Hershey Bears signed rookie defenseman Nick Leivermann to an ELC.
From Syracuse to Milwaukee, to 12-time Calder Cup Champs
Jimmy Huntington, a 24-year-old, 6’0″, 200-pound forward produced 28 points (9g, 19a) with the Milwaukee Admirals in 51 games. He added an additional six points (2g, 4a) in the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs, helping the Admirals get to the Westen Conference Finals, although resulting in losing the series to the Coachella Valley Firebirds, which the Hershey Bears played in the Calder Cup Finals.
Before going to pro-league hockey, Huntington played five seasons in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), receiving 188 points (69g, 119a) with the Rimouski Oceanic, Victoriaville Tigers, and the Acadie-Bathrust Titan (I’m not going to confess how long that took me to type out).
Jimmy Huntington will be playing with a familiar face in Chocolatetown. Former Penn State Men’s Hockey and Milwaukee Admirals player Alex Limoges was signed to a one-year, two-way contract with the Hershey Bears. It will be fun to see their connection grow throughout the season in Hershey.
Flying Overseas After a Decade
Garrett Roe, the 35-year-old, 5’7″, 170-pound forward played 31 games in the 2022-23 season in Switzerland, earning 14 points (4g, 10a), serving as Alternate Captain for the club. He started his pro career playing for the Adirondack Phantoms in 2011-2013, earning 66 points (20g, 46a) before going overseas for a decade. During his 10 years, he played in Switzerland, Sweden, Germany, and Austria. In Switzerland, he led the National League’s EV Zug to the Swiss Cup in 2018-2019. The Vienna, Virginia, native played for the United States in the 2018 Olympic Games in PyeongChang. The team advanced to the quarterfinals.
The forward was originally drafted by the Los Angles Kings in the 7th round of the 2008 NHL Draft. He was picked 183 overall and is a product of the Washington Little Capitals program.
From Fighting Irish to Roaring Bears
Nick Leivermann, a Minnesota native, joins the Bears after finishing college at Notre Dame. The 24-year-old, 5’11”, 186-pound rookie defenseman served as team captain during his time with the Fighting Irish. As team captain in 2022-23, he collected 20 points (6g 14a) in 29 games. He totaled 78 points in his five years at Notre Dame. He was named a 2023 All-Big Ten Honorable Mention and received Academic All-Big Ten honors for four seasons in a row. He was selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the 7th round of the 2017 NHL Draft.
