Two New Forwards For Hershey

Getty Images

On July 24th, forward Tyson Empey signed with the Hershey Bears to a one-year AHL contract after spending two seasons with the Tucson Roadrunners. Additionally, on July 25th, the Hershey Bears signed forward Kevin O’Neil to a one-year AHL contract.

A Feisty Forward

Tyler Empey, the 28-year-old, 6’2″, 205-pound forward, played in the Arizona Coyotes organization for two seasons. A majority of his time in the organization was in the ECHL. He played a total of 83 games with the Rapid City Rush (Coyote’s former affiliate before switching in 2022-23) and the Atlanta Gladiators (new affiliate with Arizona). He produced a total of 27 points (10g, 17a) during his time in the ECHL. When the forward played in his 79 AHL games with the Roadrunners, he collected 15 points (4g, 11a) with 127 penalty minutes, including 10 fighting major penalties. Needless to say, Empey is very feisty, which will be a great addition for Hershey. This aspect of the team has been missing in a forward since Kale Kessy was traded to the Colorado Eagles.

Before his career in professional hockey, he attended the University of New York, he majored in accounting and played for their NCAA team, the Geneseo Knights. Tyler was a top forward in the NCAA Division III ranks. In his sophomore and junior year of college, he was rewarded with SUNYAC Second Team All-Star Honors. He generated 103 points (54g, 49a) in his time at New York.

From the ECHL to a PTO to a contract

Kevin O’Neil, a 25-year-old, 5’11”, 180-pound forward, is no stranger to the Hershey Bears. The New York native played two games on a professional tryout for Hershey in the 2022-23 season. He joined the team on December 27th and scored his first AHL goal on December 31st against the Providence Bruins. He played the bulk of the season with Hershey’s ECHL affiliate, the South Carolina Stingrays. While he played for the Stingrays, he collected 50 points (24g, 26a) in 53 games. O’Neil received honors for becoming ECHL player of the week after scoring 6 points (5g, 1a) in 3 games.

Photo Credit: The Hershey Bears


Discover more from Inside The Rink

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

Leave a Reply

Adam Proteau

Catching up With Adam Proteau of The Hockey News

With the trade deadline behind us and teams pushing toward the Stanley Cup playoffs, I figured now was as good a time as ever to conduct an email interview with the great Adam Proteau of The Hockey News. Adam was kind enough to take time out of his busy writing schedule to give us his […]

Read More
Todd McLellan behind the bench

March Contiues to Be a Month That Sinks the Detroit Red Wings Playoff Hopes

March has been the part of the NHL schedule that has caused the Detroit Red Wings the most trouble in the past three seasons. In two of these three seasons, the Red Wings were led by former head coach Derek Lalonde. The Red Wings had a record of 3-11 in March of 2024 under Lalonde. […]

Read More
New Jersey Devils defenseman Luke Hughes celebrates a first-period goal against the Minnesota Wild.

New Jersey Devils Take Down Wild in a Shootout to Sweep the Season Series

The New Jersey Devils defeated the Minnesota Wild 3-2 in a shootout on Monday night at the Prudential Center, sweeping the home-and-home season series between the two. Looking to end a three-game winless streak at home, the Devils put together another 60-plus minute effort that earned them a resilient and well-deserved win over a team […]

Read More