As #NHLFreeAgency day is upon us, a lot has been happening in Chocolate Town too! There have been 3 re-singings and 3 extended qualifying offers.
Re-signings For The Chocolate And White:
Hershey Bears Right Wing Julian Napravnik was signed to a one-year contract after his rookie season in 2022-2023. He played a total of 18 games and scored five goals, and added two assists for a total of seven points with a shot percentage of 20.8. The forward’s contract was extended for a one-year, AHL-only deal for the 2023-2024 season. While he didn’t play many games, he made his mark in the games he did play, especially late in the season when he had a five-game point streak. He received PSECU Player of The Week after registering a pair of goals against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The following game, he registered his first assist of his AHL career in a 2-1 win over the Phantoms.
Another player that had minimal game time, but maximum impact, was defenseman Michael Kim. He played for the Bears ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays, for the bulk of the season but made his AHL debut on December 11th, 2022, against the Cleveland Monsters. He only played two games in Hershey but registered an assist in each game. While he didn’t see a lot of time in Hershey, he put up 40 points with the Stingrays, the most out of any defensemen on the team.
The Washington Capitals also extended qualifying offers to Restricted free-agent Bears Riley Sutter and Henrik Borgstrom. Henrik Borgstrom is slated to play in Sweden, however, this qualifying offer allows the Capitals to retain his rights. However, the Capitals have opted not to extend offers to Bears defenseman Gabriel Carlsson and Bears forward Kody Clark. Kody Clark never saw any game time due to an injury.
Keep an eye out for more Bears re-signings in the coming days.
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