It’s been a wild week for the Hershey Bears in terms of players leaving and coming back, one that sees multiple players coming back to the team via NHL contracts and AHL contracts and leaving to the KHL (goodbye, Stan).
First, let’s recap the re-signs. Liam O’Brien was re-signed by the Capitals earlier in the week on a one-year, two-way contract that gives him $650,000 in the NHL $85,000 in the AHL. O’Brien is entering his 4th season of professional hockey with 14 NHL games under his belt. In those 14 games, he has recorded 1 goal and 1 assist for 2 points. Over the past 3 seasons, he has played primarily with the Bears, putting up 54 points in 168 games. At age 23, the forward reached a career-high in AHL points last season with 30 points in 64 games. In 6 playoff games last year, The 22-year old left winger was unable to record any points.
The Bears also re-signed some players to deals, including Hubert Labrie and Dustin Gazely. Both were signed to one-year deals.
Labrie is entering his 6th season of professional hockey. Last year was his first season with the Bears, and he played in 70 games while recording 11 points. More noticeable was his 66 penalty minutes. An AHL journeyman by some standards, he has played 281 games in the AHL and recorded 44 points. He has won the Calder Cup in 2014 as QMJHL championship in 2008.
Gazely is entering his 7th season of professional hockey. An ECHL standout in his first professional year in 2011-12, he was awarded a slew of awards such as the John A. Daley Trophy as the ECHL Rookie of the Year, All-Rookie Team, and First All-Star Team as well as recording the most points and assists in the league overall. After being aquired by the Bears in 2013, he was given his first full chance with the team in 2014. He recorded 38 and 31 points in 2014-15 and 2015-16, respectively. Last year, he only played 3 games due to an injury.
The Bears also re-signed Kelly Zajac to a one-year deal. Zajac, entering his 6th season of professional hockey, has been with the Bears’ organization since 2016. He played 21 games with the South Carolina Stingrays, scoring 22 points in 21 games, after being released by the Manitoba Moose in February of last year. In 2016-17, he played the majority of his season in the ECHL with the Stingrays, putting up 52 points in 59 games. He recorded 7 points in 9 games with the Bears as well.
Lastly, the saga of Stanislav Galiev is finally over in the Washington Capitals’ organization. Drafted 86th overall in 2010, he seemed to have a good amount of potential for a player selected in the 3rd round. Bouncing around from the NHL, AHL, and ECHL in his time with the Caps, no place ever really suited him. Last season, his only full year with one singular team, he recorded 40 points in 56 games with the Bears. Galiev is someone who can be compared to Jeff Carter in a way: someone who is very inconsistent and streaky. However, Galiev simply doesn’t have the skill level of Carter to make up for his shaky play. And when that shaky play is in the AHL, you most likely won’t get a fair shot in the NHL. He was signed to a two-year deal with AK Bars of the KHL earlier this week.