Hershey Bears Name Louie Belpedio Captain

The Hershey Bears have announced the club’s leadership group for the 2026-27 season. Defenseman Louie Belpedio has been named captain of the Bears, while forward Jonny Brodzinski and defenseman Jacob MacDonald will serve as alternate captains at home, and forwards Josh Dunne and Spencer Smallman will be alternate captains on the road. 

Belpedio, 30, led Hershey defensemen in scoring last year with a career-high 34 points (9g, 25a) while serving as an alternate captain. He earned the Milton W. Garland Award as the club’s best defenseman, led all AHL defenders in first goals (5), and tallied Hershey’s Teddy Bear Toss goal on Jan. 4 vs. Rockford. He also skated in six playoff games, logging one assist. 

Belpedio is the third consecutive Bears defenseman to be named captain, joining Dylan McIlrath (2022-24) and Aaron Ness (2024-26). 

A native of Skokie, Ill., Belpedio is a veteran of 476 career AHL games with Iowa, Laval, Lehigh Valley, and Hershey, scoring 186 points (53g, 133a). Prior to joining Hershey, he played three seasons with the rival Lehigh Valley Phantoms, serving as an alternate captain each year. In 2024-25, he led the club’s defensemen in scoring with 28 points (5g, 23a), ranked first on the team in plus/minus (+15), and finished third in penalty minutes (88).

In 2021-22, Belpedio posted 30 points (11g, 19a) in 69 games for the Laval Rocket, helping the club reach the 2022 Eastern Conference Finals. In total, he has scored 20 points (3g, 17a) in 47 career Calder Cup Playoff games. 

The Miami University product has appeared in 16 NHL games with Minnesota and Philadelphia, striking for six points (2g, 4a). He recorded two assists in his NHL debut with Minnesota on April 7, 2018 at San Jose, becoming the first player in franchise history to record a multi-point game in his NHL premiere. 

Brodzinski, 33, had 16 points (6g, 10a) in 55 games last year for the New York Rangers and has played 264 career NHL games with Los Angeles, San Jose, and New York. His last AHL action occurred during the 2023-24 season when he appeared in 16 games with the Hartford Wolf Pack, scoring 25 points (11g, 14a). He played parts of four seasons with the Wolf Pack from 2020-24, and he was named the club’s captain ahead of the 2021-22 campaign. He was an AHL All-Star with Ontario in 2017 and has scored 267 points (126g, 141a) in 313 career AHL games. He signed a one-year, one-way contract with the Capitals on July 1.

MacDonald, 33, is one of the AHL’s most accomplished defensemen and ranks tied for seventh in league history in goals by a blueliner with 103. He earned the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s outstanding defenseman for the 2024-25 season while skating with the Colorado Eagles, scoring a league-record 31 goals. The native of Portland, Ore., also posted 24 assists and led all AHL defensemen in scoring that season with 55 points. His 13 power-play goals paced AHL defensemen, while his five game-winning goals were tied for first. He also skated in the 2025 AHL All-Star Classic and was voted to the AHL First All-Star Team; MacDonald was also named to the league’s First All-Star Team in 2018 with Binghamton and to the Second All-Star Team in 2019-20 with Colorado.

The 6’, 208-pound defender played 17 games with the Eagles last season, scoring 12 points (4g, 8a) in an injury-shortened 2025-26 campaign. He added two points (1g, 1a) in 17 playoff games as the Eagles advanced to the Western Conference Finals. He signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Capitals on July 5.

Dunne, 27, scored one goal in two games with the AHL’s Rochester Americans last season, but spent the majority of the year with the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, logging four points (1g, 3a) in 34 games. Dunne has played 204 career AHL games with Cleveland and Rochester, scoring 95 points (47g, 48a). During the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs, Dunne helped Cleveland reach the Eastern Conference Finals where they fell to the Bears in seven games. In the series, Dunne led Cleveland with seven points (4g, 3a) and finished second on the club in playoff scoring with 11 points (7g, 4a). He signed a one-year, one-way contract with the Capitals on July 1.

Smallman, 30, is back for his third season with the Chocolate and White after collecting 11 points (4g, 7a) in an injury-shortened 2025-26 campaign, during which time he served as part of Hershey’s leadership group. Smallman has accumulated 45 points (14g, 31a) in 86 games with Hershey, as part of career totals of 140 points (52g, 88a) in 330 AHL games with Charlotte, Chicago, Colorado, and Hershey. The forward was a member of Chicago’s 2022 Calder Cup championship squad.

Hershey opens the 2026-27 regular season, presented by Penn State Health, against the Charlotte Checkers tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 3 at 6 p.m. at GIANT Center. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets for this game.