Mid-Season Prospect Update: Hershey Bears (Washington) Part 2 - Forwards
In case you missed it: Mid-Season Prospect Update: Hershey Bears (Washington) Part 1 - Goalies/Defense
HERSHEY, PA -- The shaky first season for Spence Carbery continues as the Bears once again find themselves in the basement of the Atlantic Division, this time at the mid-way point of the 2018-2019 season. The difference between this year and last though is that there are glimpses of just how good this team could be, but has it taken too long to get there and will they be able to put together consecutive 60-minute games?
During the first quarter of the season, the Bears were flirting with .500, but they’ve spent several weeks below that marker and have lost pace with the likes of the division-leading Charlotte Checkers, but then again, who hasn’t?
Still, there is optimism in Hershey, but it remains to be seen if it’s too little too late for this season.
NOTE: ALL STATS INCLUDE THE TEAM'S FIRST 38 GAMES OF THE REGULAR SEASON ONLY!
Special Teams
Power Play
Hershey’s PP unit has made some serious improvements from the beginning of the season. At the quarter mark, the Bears were 20th in the league with four shorthanded goals against. In the second quarter, they have limited the mistakes that have cost them on the man-advantage and started to capitalize on the PP as well.
Season Stats: 38 games played, 32-for-165 = 19.4% - 14th in AHL (five shorthanded goals against)
Penalty Kill
Hershey has made very few strides with the PK, with numbers that have dipped a bit, but overall the Hershey PK has been solid so far this season, thanks in part to the speed of a rather young Hershey skating corps.
Season Stats: 38 games played, 133-164, 14th in AHL (one shorthanded goal for)
Forwards
Riley Barber - Grade ASeason Stats: 32GP, 15G-16A, -8, 55 PIM
Barber is currently leading the Bears in points and trails just Michael Sgarbossa by one goal. He’s on pace for the best season of his career, and it can’t be escaping the notice of the Powers-that-be in Washington. One of the six alternate captains of the team, Barber is a lead-by-example type of guy. He has speed and isn’t afraid to chase down loose pucks against much bigger opponents.
Shane Gersich - Grade ASeason Stats: 28GP, 4G-8A, -6, 16 PIM
Gersich plays a fearless style of hockey that sometimes gets overlooked because it doesn’t end up on the stat sheet. He’s earned a spot on Hershey’s PP and PK, already proving himself to his coach and his teammates. Hershey could really use him to put up the kind of offensive numbers he has in college, but he is still a rookie, so there’s definitely time, and watching the maturation of this kid sure will be fun for Hershey fans.
Hampus Gustafsson - Grade B-Season Stats: 23GP, 0G-2A, -1, 10 PIM
The big centerman continues to do a lot of little things that often go unnoticed because he’s not scoring at a high clip. But he limits mistakes and stays out of the penalty box, which is something to note on a team that takes numerous penalties. Hershey could use an improvement in his offensive production.
Juuso Ikonen - Grade B+Season Stats: 27GP, 2G-7A, -3, 4 PIM
On a team full of youth and speed, Ikonen is perhaps one of the fastest. He also has incredible vision. He’s a hard-worker away from the puck as well. Any uptick in his offensive production would endear him even more to the fans in Hershey.
Maximilian Kammerer - Grade BSeason Stats: 20GP, 1G-7A, -3, 2 PIM
Kammerer has the ability to be a big offensive contributor to the Bears as he has a pretty impressive resume. It’s just going to take a bit of time to adjust to North American-sized rinks. He’s not yet a flashy player who draws the casual fan’s attention.
Beck Malenstyn - Grade A-Season Stats: 36GP, 3G-2A, -6, 35 PIM
If you come to a game, watch this guy. He does so many little things that leave you understanding that he will be in the NHL someday. His stick-handling ability is uncanny for a guy his age. He has a really decent shot too. He’s nowhere near his offensive numbers of his days with the Calgary Hitmen, but it’s coming.
Jayson Megna - Grade ASeason Stats: 34GP, 7G-8A, -10, 18 PIM
Perhaps the biggest off-season addition to this team, Jayson Megna makes everyone on the ice better. A member of Hershey’s PP and PK units, Megna utilizes what he’s learned over the years to make smart decisions and find open areas on the ice. He has a terrific presence on the ice and amazing vision to go along with it.
Mason Mitchell - Grade IncompleteSeason Stats: 11GP, 0G-1A, -2, 8 PIM
Mitchell missed a number of games in the beginning of the season with an injury, returned to the ice, and is injured again.
Liam O’Brien- Grade A-Season Stats: 38GP, 12G-4A, -15, 46 PIM
O’Brien remains one of the leaders of this team. He’s a physical presence that not many opponents want to tangle with. He’s also become one of the leading goal-scorers on this team. O’Brien’s penalty minutes and +/- rating are troublesome, but that’s probably to be expected at this point given his role and the team’s scoring troubles.
Garrett Pilon - Grade A-Season Stats: 38GP, 2G-13A, -13, 2 PIM
In his first season in the AHL, Pilon has already shown that he can work within a system. He registered his first AHL goal in the second quarter of the season and is putting up some pretty good offensive numbers for a rookie. Pilon, whose father played for a trio of NHL teams, has the hockey IQ to have success, which he has shown with his uncanny ability to be in the right place at the right time both defensively and offensively.
Brian Pinho - Grade B+Season Stats: 35GP, 2G-3A, -5, 6 PIM
Pinho continues to do the little things that often go unnoticed. He has a decent shot, especially from the point position that might not make it into the goal, but could certainly set up some of his teammates like Megna, Walker, or Sgarbossa who like to hang out in front of the net.
Mike Sgarbossa - Grade ASeason Stats: 38GP, 16G-13A, -11, 54 PIM
Sgarbossa has no trouble scoring. He leads the team with 16 goals at the midway point of the season. He’s usually found hanging out in front of the netminder when Hershey has the puck in the offensive zone. If the league tracked who got kicked out of the faceoff circle the most, Sgarbossa would more than likely lead that category too.
Nathan Walker - Grade ASeason Stats: 23GP, 8G-6A, -13, 22 PIM
Walker is one of the hardest working, speediest players on the ice for the Bears night-in and night-out. A hard worker who’s happy to play the game he loves doesn’t shy away from physical contact, and has never cared how much size he gives up to the other guy.
Steve Whitney - Grade B+Season Stats: 27GP, 3G-3A, -5, 14 PIM
Whitney has good vision on the ice as well as speed, but those haven’t really paid big dividends for the Bears as yet. One of the smaller skaters on Hershey’s roster, Whitney isn’t afraid to go hard after the puck. As he gets more comfortable with his teammates, he should become an even bigger offensive contributor to this team.
