Bears Sign Forward Luke Toporowski to AHL Deal

July 29, 2025

The Hershey Bears announced that the club has signed forward Luke Toporowski to an American Hockey League contract for the 2025-26 season. The announcement was made by Hershey vice president of hockey operations Bryan Helmer.

Toporowski, 24, scored 28 points (13g, 15a) in 53 games for the Iowa Wild last season. The Bettendorf, Iowa native tied for first on the club in game-winning goals (4) and logged six multi-point games. 

The 5'11", 180-pound winger split the 2023-24 campaign between the Boston Bruins and Minnesota Wild organizations. He started the year with the AHL's Providence Bruins, scoring 17 points (7g, 10a) in 49 games before being traded to Minnesota on March 8, 2024 for forward Patrick Maroon. With Iowa, he ended the season with 11 points (5g, 6a) in 17 games while becoming the first Iowa native to skate for the Wild in the franchise's history. 

In his rookie campaign with Providence in 2022-23, Toporowski posted his best AHL season, striking for 29 points (15g, 14a). He also scored two goals in four playoff games and earned an NHL contract with Boston after starting his pro career on an AHL deal with Providence. 

Toporowski has scored 85 points (40g, 45a) in 166 career AHL games. 

Prior to turning pro, Toporowski played parts of five seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for the Spokane Chiefs and Kamloops Blazers and spent one year with the Sioux Falls Stampede of the United States Hockey League (USHL). 

His dad, Kerry, played 12 seasons of professional hockey, including stints in the AHL with the Adirondack Red Wings and Portland Pirates before concluding his career with the United Hockey League's (UHL) Quad City Mallards. His uncle Shayne played 372 AHL games with the St. John's Maple Leafs, Worcester IceCats, and Springfield Falcons. His brother, Jake, is an assistant coach with the WHL's Spokane Chiefs, and prior to that, he was an assistant coach with the USHL's Des Moines Buccaneers where he coached Washington Capitals prospect Ilya Protas.