Hershey Bears Announce Multiple Transactions

April 17, 2026

The Hershey Bears announced today the multiple transactions involving the club and its affiliates, the National Hockey League's Washington Capitals and the ECHL's South Carolina Stingrays.

• The Washington Capitals have re-assigned goaltender Jesper Vikman to Hershey, and they have re-assigned goaltender Garin Bjorklund and forward Ludwig Persson to South Carolina.
• Hershey has recalled defenseman John Fusco from South Carolina, and forward Simon Pinard has been loaned to South Carolina.
• The Bears have released defenseman Roman Rodzinski from his professional tryout agreement (PTO), and he will return to South Carolina.

Vikman, 24, was acquired by the Capitals in a trade with the Vegas Golden Knights on March 5. He has appeared in one game with South Carolina, and with the AHL's Henderson Silver Knights, he posted an 8-7-3 record, a 3.41 goals-against average, and an .866 save percentage in 18 games this season.

Fusco, 24, has played in 41 games with South Carolina this year in his rookie campaign, collecting 14 points (2g, 12a). He signed an AHL contract with the Bears on Aug. 19 after finishing his NCAA career at Dartmouth College. He played the 2021-22 season at Harvard University along with current Bears Alex Gaffney and Mitch Gibson. 

The Bears continue the 2025-26 season, presented by Penn State Health, when they return home to host the Bridgeport Islanders on Saturday, April 18 at 7 p.m. at GIANT Center for Racing Night and Toyota License Plate Night, featuring a Bears license plate giveaway to the first 6,000 fans in attendance, courtesy of Toyota. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets for this game.